With the challenges in the global economy over the past few years, organizations are looking to control assignment costs while still meeting their business needs. Cartus Consulting takes a look at the extent to which assignments are moving more toward short-term moves and also answers clients’ questions about some of the challenges and drivers of short-term assignments.
To what degree are companies increasing their use of short-term assignments, and what are some of the challenges?
With global mobility budgets shrinking over the past several years, many organizations have moved toward an increased use of short-term assignments. In Cartus’ 2012 Trends in Global Relocation survey, 38% of respondents said that short-term assignments are occurring more frequently. As short-term assignments play a strategic role in global mobility plans, respondents to our survey were quick to note that short-term assignments are a distinct assignment type, with different goals and business drivers, and are not just “long-term lite assignments.”
Short-term assignments may address a number of issues for organizations, but they can also present their own unique set of challenges. Not surprisingly, managing assignment costs is at the top of the list of challenges facing organizations, with tax compliance not far behind. Immigration compliance and inconsistent policy application are also cited as major challenges for organizations when managing short-term assignments.
Please read the full Q&A with Cartus Consulting: Short-Term Assignments document for a more complete discussion of the goals, challenges, and components of short-term assignments.
Email this contributor at cindy.madden@cartus.com
