Since the year 2000, ITX has been the world’s undisputed leader in the area of Global Employment Companies (GECs), helping large multinationals and medium-size enterprises achieve efficiencies, cost management and compliance. More information on GECs can be found here.
Before a GEC can become operational it is essential to design in detail its scope, structure, governance, operating model, staffing, IT infrastructure, vendors, and many other factors. Once these details have been defined in principle, the set-up can move into its implementation phase, when the various functions and roles of the GEC are filled and trained, in preparation for the “go-live” date. All the set-up activities are aimed at reaching a sufficient level of readiness to start hosting and managing the international assignees.
Based on the experience developed over 20 years with multiple clients, ITX can help you navigate the complexities of a GEC set-up, thus avoiding common pitfalls and unnecessary delays that could cost your organization time and money. With the planning and ongoing support provided by ITX you are much more likely to complete the set-up phase on time and on budget.
Should your organization set-up a Global Mobility Shared Service centre? Would it be better to create a Global Employment Company instead? What benefits could you obtain by moving to one of these administrative models?
Before embarking on major organizational changes, it is always a good idea to articulate clearly all the benefits that you could derive from the change. ITX can help you explore the feasibility of making changes to your mobility policies, processes, compensation, or administrative model, providing qualitative and quantitative arguments in favour and/or against the change. This information is a critical starting point for your internal discussions, leading to a decision on whether or not to proceed with the change. But a Feasibility Study is more than just a document to help you decide. It is also an important tool to communicate your future vision and to ensure that all relevant stakeholders understand and support the change.
So next time you are thinking of improving your Mobility programs in any way, get in touch with ITX, to understand the key implications of your ideas and build a strong business case for change.
The design of your International Assignment policies can have a major impact on your business, as it will determine your ability to motivate employees to accept an assignment, as well as the cost and administrative workload associated with each cross-border deployment. Therefore your policies must be carefully designed and aligned to the needs of your business.
Careful consideration should also be given to how many different policies you will need in your organization, and which criteria will drive the differentiation between them. Whilst most organizations segment mobility policies based on the duration of the assignment (short-term, long-term, permanent transfer), there has been increased diversification in the last several years, including policies that reflect travel patterns, purpose of the assignment, geographic criteria, assignee seniority, and various other criteria.
ITX can review your current policies and help you develop a robust and well-balanced framework to support the full range of business needs in your organization.
Expatriate compensation and benefits can be complex and needs to be carefully designed. On one hand, it is critical to ensure that the expatriates are adequately motivated to undertake international assignments and are appropriately covered in terms of benefits. On the other hand, it is important to consider the cost and administrative implications of the compensation and benefits design, as well as competitive trends. ITX works with each client to review their current compensation practices and design competitive packages that meet the organizational needs.
When managing a mobile workforce consisting of multiple nationalities deployed in many locations, it is critical to make adequate provisions for their insurance and retirement benefits. ITX can assess your insurance and retirement needs, review the suitability of your current plans, and help you design and implement effective solutions that support your mobility programs. ITX has deep experience in International Pension Plans, Health, Life, Personal Accident & Disability and Emergency Evacuation insurances.
In addition to its deep consulting experience, ITX is also licensed as a broker by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA)broker, ensuring the highest standards of service when helping you identify the best solutions for your organization.
Moving employees across border requires the utmost attention to the legal and social security implications for the assignee and the organization. Although the terms and conditions of the assignments are formally documented and agreed, there may be also some labour law and social security obligations that apply, and sometimes prevail, in the host location. Understanding the complex relationship between various contractual documents and different legal and social security jurisdictions requires specialist expertise.
ITX employs a team of in-house Legal and Social Security experts who can help you gain a clear understanding of the risks and opportunities associated with each assignment, ensuring that your employment contracts and assignment letters are compliant with all applicable laws, and mitigating the risks for your organization and the employee.
Our diagnostic reviews provide a holistic health-check for your mobility programs, identifying the areas that require more urgent attention and suggesting practical steps to achieve significant improvements. These insights enable organizations to focus time and resources on those initiatives that deliver the greatest positive impact on the company’s mobility programs.
Technological advances have made it possible for employees to work across borders without moving physically. When harnessed properly, this flexibility can unlock many potential benefits for the organization and its employees, including operational efficiencies, increased talent attraction & retention, better diversity & inclusion, and more learning & development opportunities.
When introducing remote employment across borders, it is essential to put in place clear policies, processes, roles & responsibilities to manage costs and risks. There are many decisions to be made in the area of feasibility, eligibility, compliance, consistency, rewards, insurances, accounting, and many other areas.
ITX is a pioneer in the field of cross-border remote employment, and can support you every step of the way, from the design to the implementation stage, and beyond, ensuring that you can unlock the full potential of this practice.
Even with the best policies and processes in place, international assignments remain challenging, confusing and overwhelming for many assignees and stakeholders who may be less familiar with the complexities of cross-border moves. Clear and user-friendly communication and documentation is critical to ensuring that all the stakeholders involved in the expatriation process have a holistic view of the assignment and understand their respective roles and responsibilities. This, in turn, leads to a smoother execution of all processes and a general improvement in the assignees’ and managers’ experience.
ITX manages thousands of assignees every day and has developed deep experience in effective communication and documentation. We can help you review your Communication Strategy, identify the most suitable channels and media for various types of communication, and review individual documents to enhance their content, clarity and impact.
To explore this topic in more detail, book your free consultation now, and receive a copy of the full webcast recording.
