Existential despair and/or emotional chaos. Those complex terms describe the debilitating reasons that are spurring tech workers in Silicon Valley, most of them millennials, to seek out psychiatric help. The New York Times’ thorough expose of the subject says that many of these tech workers...
As a global mobility manager, you will meet assignees who think their employment prospects are not bright. However, a look at the bigger picture shows that the United States as of today is experiencing a healthy job market, with the current unemployment rate at 3.6...
It can happen to any global mobility manager at any point in their career, especially if they are managing a significant number of direct reports or assignees. They get asked this question: “Would you be willing to sponsor or mentor this assignee?” Sometimes, an HR director...
Bringing medication during business trips, especially overseas, is a highly personal matter that cannot be ignored or taken for granted. Because what may be a comfortable sleep-inducing pill to a traveler can appear as a forbidden narcotic to the immigration agent in your designated destination. Executives...
We have all heard of the knowledge economy, the digital age, and the fourth Industrial Revolution. These terms describe and define the era we live in, the platforms that influence the way we live and work, and the kind of competitive edge we must sharpen...
How does tech help travelers? For those with low expectations, the default answer these days is “good”. Come to think of it, though, many have even managed to fly by without any tech crutch, except for the occasional online booking and reservation. For global mobility managers...
Global mobility managers hire foreign talents for full-time work so companies get their money’s worth, but what if that takes too much time and they need qualified talent right away? They need a contingent workforce. Silicon Valley has always been known to hire local talents for...
The success of your global assignee might rely on more than just the usual transfer of knowledge or even a post-relocation training program. Cultural immersion can help their adjustment and that of their family’s, but again that might not be enough. Another painful truth: you yourself...
Global mobility managers who deal with assignees who come from various races, ethnicities, cultures, and gender orientation like to keep inclusivity at the top of their minds. Because in a best-case scenario, having this attitude can open them up to a wide range of talent...
Politeness varies in different cultures, and so-called common courtesy may not be as common after all. One foreign national’s act of respect may translate as rudeness to another, and vice-versa. This is a nuance that the more open companies in Silicon Valley have learned. A global...