1) From the e-Activity, recommend two (2) actions that HR managers can take in order to prepare their employees for work in a foreign country. Justify your response.
When sending out an employee as an expatriate, it is upon the Human Resource Manager to ensure that the employee is adequately trained prepared for the expatriate assignment. There are two things that the HR manager can do to ensure the expatriation process is smooth; 1) Provide the employee with labor laws and other relevant laws that they need to be aware of before heading to the host country, 2) enlighten the employee on the traditions and customs of the host country.
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It is important for the employee to have a good knowledge of the labor and other relevant laws in the country. The employer can get in touch with the US state department of Foreign Affairs who will provide them with all the relevant information regarding the laws that will govern the stay of the employee in that country. This information can then be given to the employee to get familiar with. The employer should also ensure the American Consulate in the host country is aware of the employee’s work plan. All this is necessary to ensure that the employee does not find him/ herself in any trouble with the law in the host country, but if in any case it happens, the American Consulate can always be in the know to assist them in the best possible way ( Gölz 2013).
To ensure the employee is aware of the cultures and traditions in the host country, the HR manager can do a number of things including asking for information from the department of foreign affairs, availing the host country’s local news publications, or even try to connect the employee with various relevant networking associations that can help the employee learn more about the social life in the host country and help them settle faster in the country ( Gölz 2013).
2) From the scenario, select a country then examine an issue that may occur during the HR planning process when employees are transferred to work as expatriates. Provide the solution to the issues.
The country of India is quite vast geographically and rich in culture and traditions and considered among the fastest growing developing countries. The work culture in India has a number of differences with the work culture in the US with India having a more relaxed approach to work. People in India come late to work, take long longer lunch and tea breaks, leave work late and are many times guilty of prioritizing their work over their personal lives ( Malik & Pereira 2016). This is directly opposite to the culture in the US where time is highly valued with employees reaching and leaving work on time, taking shorter breaks during work hours and rarely sacrificing personal time to perform a work related activity.
With this in mind, it is important for HR to send an expatriate who has the experience of dealing with people of diverse cultures and backgrounds, and is able and willing to travel to different places. Ability to converse in the local language is an added advantage since this makes the transition easier. From the scenario provided, Susan who has worked in Montrose’s HR department for six years and is fluent in four languages, English, Spanish, Chinese and Indian would be the most suitable for the expatriate position. She has also travelled abroad extensively meaning she is familiar with living within the laws of different countries and also has a higher tolerance and acceptance for cultures different from hers which is important in expatriate work.
References
Gölz N. (2013). Training Expatriates - Crucial Components in Preparing for Overseas Assignments. GRIN Verlag,
Malik A. & Pereira V. (2016). Indian Culture and Work Organisations in Transition. Routledge,
