Posted by Shelley Northrop |
August 27, 2010
As a global provider of real estate and relocation services, Cartus’ parent company, Realogy, often has the opportunity to join government leaders in discussing future policies that may affect the housing industry. On August 17, Realogy’s chief executive officer, Richard A. Smith, participated in the Conference on the Future of Housing Finance in Washington, D.C. This was an invitation-only event hosted by Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan. Smith was invited to share his insights as part of Breakout Session One: “Key Players in a Reformed System: Role of the Private Sector and of Government.”
Recently, Smith advised government officials on extending the homebuyer tax credit. He is a member of the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies. In April 2009, he was appointed as chair of the Business Roundtable’s Housing Working Group.
Tagged assignment, Business Roundtable, cartus, Conference on the Future of Housing Finance, housing finance, mobility, primacy, Realogy, relocation, Richard Smith, Shaun Donovan, Timothy Geithner
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Posted by Larry Post |
August 26, 2010
One way that Cartus does its part as a global citizen is by promoting ridesharing in its Connecticut office. Besides saving on fuel and wear and tear to participants’ cars (and psyches), ridesharing can be a social event. Co-riders often develop strong friendships, and for many, that aspect of carpooling surpasses the cost-saving benefits. Nevertheless, the cost-saving benefits are considerable! According to Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell, from May 2009 through April 2010, Connecticut carpoolers saved an estimated $1.1 million in commute-related expenses. They saved a lot of wear and tear on the environment, too; Cartus ride-sharers reduced their car trips to work during the May-April period by 16,531—a number that earned Cartus a second-place win in the Governor’s statewide “Earth Day Commuter Challenge.”
Cartus is such a mainstay of the “greener commute” initiative that we were recently asked to take part in a videotaped interview that is posted on MetroPool’s Web site, here: http://ctrides.com/index.php?page=testimonials. MetroPool is the commuter services arm of the NY & CT Departments of Transportation, and the video, which features Senior VP of Global HR Amy Meichner and Cartus carpooler Beth Koziy, will be used to share with non-participating companies some of the benefits of ride-sharing from a Cartus perspective. (Participants from UConn Health Center are also featured in the video.) Take a listen to what Beth and Amy have to say. And as proof that we’ve been at this for a while, check out this “Good Morning America” Web site from a couple years ago, when Cartus employees Patrick Lewis and Trevor Macomber (neither of whom were ridesharing at the time) were asked to blog about their experiences commuting together. More than two years later, their musings still bring a smile!
Tagged carpooling, cartus, commuting, corporate social responsibility, cost-saving measures, Earth Day, global citizenship, Good Morning America blog, green initiatives, MetroPool, ridesharing, ridesharing benefits, video
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Posted by Shelley Northrop |
August 20, 2010
In Danbury, our on-site Wellness Center (walk-in clinic) recently celebrated its 7th anniversary. Having a Wellness Center is so much more than a “perk”! The Center’s physician assistant, Drew Morten, sees about 4,300 patients every year, and those visits save our employees an average of $86,000 in annual co-pays. Equally important, the time saved by avoiding the need to leave work for doctors’ visits is incalculable—and invaluable—for a customer service-oriented organization such as Cartus.
For several years, I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside Drew on Cartus’ Crisis Management Team; last year, we collaborated to create a Pandemic Plan in response to the H1N1 influenza outbreak. In addition to his valuable contributions to the company in that role, he has hosted and/or presented at numerous “Lunch & Learn” sessions on topics such as stress reduction, breast cancer awareness, and nutrition.
I think just about everyone who works at the Danbury office would agree that the services offered by the Wellness Center—the option to have meds delivered to our site by a local pharmacy; the availability of basic laboratory services, such as blood drawing; tetanus, flu, and other vaccinations; blood pressure and diabetic monitoring; and most of all, the availability of a trained medical professional to oversee (and soothe!) our aches and pains—add up to a prescription for a first-class example of “work/life balance”!
Posted by Jim Edwards |
August 19, 2010
Due to an August 7 collision between two vessels in the Transshipment Port – Nhava Sheva (Mumbai) in India, there could be transit delays for the following shipments:
1) Any sea shipment scheduled to go into or out of the port terminals of Mumbai and Nhava Sheva in the next two weeks.
2) Any sea shipment normally scheduled to trans ship through the port terminals of Mumbai and Nhava Sheva during the next two weeks.
In the interim, all shipments may be directed to the Port of Mundra in Gujarat. There will be extra haulage costs for hauling shipments to and from Mundra.
The collision caused at least 250 containers to sink in the main channel of the port. No ships are being allowed to move into or out of Mumbai or Nhava Sheva until the containers have been salvaged. Both port terminals are likely to be shut for traffic for at least another week. Nhava Sheva is India’s busiest port, handling close to 50% of the country’s port traffic.
Cartus’ Supply Chain Management team is presently working with Client Services team members to make them aware of the situation and determine steps for notifying those affected. Clients and customers are encouraged to call their account executives or consultants with any questions.
Tagged assignment, cartus, Gujarat, haulage, India, mobility, Mumbai, Mundra, Nhava Sheva, primacy, relocation, Supply Chain Mgmt, Transshipment Port
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Posted by Shelley Northrop |
August 17, 2010
It’s hard to get a handle on where the U.S. real estate market is going, but for managers responsible for their companies’ relocation programs, up-to-date knowledge is critical. Presenters Kevin Russell of Cartus Home Loans and Pat DeDonato of Cartus will discuss the state of the market and some of the key factors that can impact your relocation program: interest rates, mortgage trends, foreclosures and short sales, and the potential effects of shadow inventory and man-made disasters.
If you are interested in attending the eLearning, please email your request to cartusevents@cartus.com.
Tagged assignment, cartus, Cartus Home Loans, eLearning, foreclosure, international, Kevin Russell, mobility, mortgage, Pat DeDonato, primacy, real estate market, relocation, shadow inventory, short sale
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Posted by Peggy Smith |
August 16, 2010
If you’re a corporate or government HR/relocation representative, and you’re responsible for administering your own company’s workforce mobility program, and you have never been to one of Worldwide ERC’s annual meetings, you’ll be glad to know about a limited offer to attend the Global Workforce Symposium in Seattle, Washington, USA for your first time … for free!
We want to expand our growing community of professionals who manage their company’s workforce mobility function. Those who manage global workforce mobility know it is shifting dramatically and in unexpected ways. In fact, the theme of this year’s Global Workforce Symposium is “Workforce Mobility: The Game is Changing … Are You?,” and the focus will be on new rules, strategies and tactics in global workforce mobility. And as our Symposium veterans who have benchmarked with corporate colleagues at this event in the past would attest, more HR professionals means better networking and deeper industry data for everyone attending. (more…)
Tagged assignment, cartus, Global Workforce Symposium, HR, mobility, primacy, relocation, Seattle, WERC, workforce mobility, Worldwide ERC
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Posted by Rob Abbott |
August 13, 2010
Following its election in May 2010, the UK Coalition Government has announced its intention to introduce an annual limit (cap) on the number of non-EU economic migrants admitted to the UK to live and work. Limits or caps are currently utilised in various forms in a number of countries, and this move follows the establishment of the UK Immigration Points Based System set up in November 2008, which streamlined UK immigration.
Following this announcement, the UK’s independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has been asked by the Government to manage a consultation process on certain aspects of the limit’s permanent level and how it might be achieved. The Consultation period has commenced and will run until 7 September 2010.
The intention to introduce an annual immigration limit has implications for organisations relocating non-EU employees into the UK and the MAC is keen to hear from companies with any interest in any aspect of their consultation.
In addition, our global immigration partner Fragomen LLP is actively participating in the MAC consultation and is compiling a detailed response as part of this process.
Cartus has sent a MobilityInsights document on this subject to clients in the EMEA region.
Tagged assignment, cartus, coalition government, Consultation period, EU, Fragomen, immigration, Migration Advisory Committee, mobility, Points Based System, primacy, relocation
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Posted by William Sheridan |
August 12, 2010
For the last several years, the National Foreign Trade Council’s International Human Resources program working committees have increasingly focused on linking global talent development and the effective planning and usage of cross-border assignments. Although this is not unexpected, it is surprisingly not common practice — even within major multinational corporations (MNCs).
Certainly there are a small number of leading companies that have been role models for years in their holistic approach to global talent management. In our experience, it is only within the last three to five years that other MNCs, which are successful in their international business activities, have begun to place more attention on a structured approach to talent development through the use of cross-border assignments. Some of the contributing factors for this include:
1) Demographic trends within headquarter countries; a war for talent
2) Expansion of business activities into newer or emerging markets (Africa, China, India, the Middle East)
3) Increased competition from non-U.S. MNCs (Brazilian, Chinese, Indian) within their borders and internationally
4) Career aspirations of young professionals (ages 23 to 35)
(more…)
Tagged assignment, cartus, emerging markets, IHR forum, International Human Resources, mobility, mobility management, multinational corporations, National Foreign Trade Council, primacy, relocation, talent management, William Sheridan, workforce transformation
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Posted by Muna Alyusuf |
August 11, 2010
Sitting in a Dubai hotel lobby, I was enjoying the hospitality, sipping Arabic coffee and eating dates, when I was alarmed by a non-Arab business traveller’s adamant rejection of the cup of Arabic coffee being offered by his host.
I couldn’t help but think how this rejection of hospitality might have been avoided. Very often, because of gaps in their knowledge of the local culture, non-Arab nationals unintentionally appear discourteous, such as when they reject the coffee and dates that are routinely offered during a business meeting. They are not naturally sensitive to the culture and its tradition that says business ought not to be conducted before hospitality has been displayed. The offer of coffee and dates is an invitation to extend a relationship, not to share a snack. (more…)
Tagged Arabic, assignments, Beirut, cartus, cross-cultural skills, Dubai, indirect communication, international, mobility, outsourcing, primacy, relocation
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Posted by Kevin Kelleher |
August 10, 2010
Early this afternoon, our parent company, Realogy Corporation, issued its Second Quarter 2010 financial and operating results. Realogy had a strong second quarter, and the Company was pleased with the overall performance of its business, including Cartus, for this reporting period.
A link to the full release is provided here. You can also visit a link to the recording of the earnings webcast via the Investor Information section of the Realogy Web site.
