THINK GLOBAL PEOPLE REMOTE WORKING


work from home but are able to travel relatively easily between company sites


as necessary across country


borders (for example where countries are geographically close such as in parts of Europe). Of course, not all expatriate roles can be serviced virtually, so a talent deployment strategy using virtual assignments (supplemented as needed by physical presence) must take a realistic approach as to the effectiveness of remote work. A further factor to bear in


mind concerns leadership and management attitudes to remote working. Line managers must be on board with any remote working talent management strategy. The relationship between an assignee/ employee and their immediate manager is critical to fostering employee engagement. Managerial guidance on carrying out a job role is also necessary for successful performance outcomes. Hence, it is important that if a remote/ virtual approach is to be used, management must be supportive of it and still be able (and willing) to provide guidance as necessary. This may require management training and development to identify how best to manage this aspect of the employment relationship. The organisation’s leadership


must also sanction and support remote working in order to build an organisational culture that facilitates positive performance outcomes. In essence, it is crucial that there is alignment between senior leadership attitudes towards the use of remote working and its actual use. Mere toleration of remote work will not provide a supportive work environment; there must be top level support for it. In addition, it is critical to consider


the implications of using virtual assignments or remote working for the management of local workforces. Expatriates traditionally take an active ‘being seen’ role in the assignment location, leading local workers conspicuously. Indeed, expatriates have traditionally reported that they find it difficult to strike a good work- life balance as they have to be seen to be carrying out their leadership roles, necessitating long hours of on-site working. If expatriates are working virtually, it is necessary to ensure that local workforces understand the leadership and managerial functions that virtual assignees are performing.


This may need to be reinforced with training interventions and strong organisational communications. A further aspect that needs to be


considered for virtual assignments as part of the organisation’s talent management strategy concerns the support offered via assignment policies. It is likely that traditional relocation policies that support long- term and short-term assignments will not be suitable for virtual assignees. It is advisable therefore to consider introducing a mobility policy that is tailored to the types of remote working being used in an international context.


GLOBAL TEAMS Working remotely does not mean working alone. Today, individuals increasingly work as part of multi- functional and multi-cultural teams. Communication between team members is critical for creativity and high performance outcomes. Working remotely has therefore resulted in increased use of technology to enable conference calls and meetings to take place virtually. It is important to remember


though that working virtually via technology is simply not the same as interacting face-to-face. Some 70% of communication is regarded as non- verbal. We pick up significant cues as to people’s understanding, meanings and acceptance/rejection of ideas from body language. While visual forms of online communication can provide access to facial expressions, we do not fully see all body language and nuances can easily be


lost


through time delays in transmission of pictures and speech. Cross-cultural communication


is difficult at the best of times but it becomes even trickier without direct interaction. It is therefore suggested that


cross-cultural


training should be provided for those engaging in international virtual assignments. Indeed, global mobility professionals might wish to consider recommending cross- cultural communication coaching as this can be more personally tailored to individuals to help them improve their own communication styles when engaging in virtual work.


FUTURE TRENDS There is unlikely to be a vaccine or treatment for Covid-19 in the immediate future and so we are


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likely to see the use of remote working and virtual assignments for a while to come. Indeed, 86% of participants in Air Inc’s “The future of remote work and Covid-19’s impact on mobility” survey reported that they expect to see an increase in remote work requests in 2021. Even if the pandemic is controlled


such that there can be a return to the use of traditional international assignments, it is likely that employees may request to work virtually if they find this more enjoyable and suited to their personal circumstances and family lives. As such, global mobility professionals will need to think ahead and ensure that strategies for talent management, including assignment reward policy, and global team training and development are all in place for a potentially very different future mobility landscape.


IT IS LIKELY THAT EMPLOYEES MAY REQUEST TO WORK VIRTUALLY IF THEY FIND THIS MORE ENJOYABLE AND SUITED TO THEIR PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND FAMILY LIVES.


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