AstraZeneca is a pharmaceutical company that offers its services to more than 140 countries. The success of the company is associated with a large number of employees who are engaged in international assignments. The assignment of the expatriates is either long-term, short-term, or commuter services. Due to traveling nature to a foreign country, the expatriates had to be accommodated well by the company. The paper will discuss AstraZeneca expat management, mitigation steps, and the decision that the firm will make concerning expatriates concerning the economic downturn.
AstraZeneca Expatriate Management Practices
AstraZeneca views the expatriates as investments who can enable the firm to succeed. As a result, AstraZeneca did their best to ensure that the expatriates and their families were well accommodated in foreign countries. Before leaving for another state, the expatriates were paired with the International Assistant manager (IA), who briefed them regarding the policies of the company ( Bendix, 2015) . Nonetheless, the expats were offered training concerning issues related to leaving their country and also their return. Information concerning the differences between the expatriate country's cultural practices and of a foreign country was offered. The social consideration practices involving dos and don'ts in a foreign land were taught to the employee and their spouse. The new expats were also paired with the previous expats. The organization also offered training in local language for employees and their spouses.
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Although the firm offered the best services to its employees, the gloomy economic situation was posing a challenge to the company’s management. This has caused measures that could facilitate a reduction in the cost of operations. For instance, AstraZeneca has begun shortening the period of an international assignment. Similarly, it is anticipated that the firm might cut on compensation and benefits that their employees have been enjoying at an international assignment. Packages such as education counseling for children of their employees and comprehensive destination support might be reduced.
Mitigation Steps That Astrazeneca Should Take
Working as an expat is entirely a tiring endeavor. It strains one’s mind and body. This is attributed to working in a new place where the cultural practices and languages used differ entirely from that in one's country of origin. Expats also face challenges related to the management of their families and the demand for their work. AstraZeneca should develop mechanisms that can ensure that the expats are fully prepared in the roles they are going to perform to enhance the lives of employees in a foreign country. Primarily, the company should offer workshops and training programs. The platforms will be used in providing information concerning the country one will be offering their services. Important issues, such as culture, language, and social ties, should be discussed exclusively ( Rao, 2015) . The firm should also offer the expats enough time to put their belongings together in preparation for the journey to another country. The strategies will enable the expat to develop sense of comfort, and this will facilitate their departure without pressure or anxiety to a foreign country. AstraZeneca can also mitigate the stress of the expats by providing exceptional packages such as education, compensation, and off days to spend with their families. The mitigations above will facilitate diligent working from the expats since it offers motivation, an essential factor in employee productivity. Providing of International Assistant (IA) to the employees is also important mitigation. Working away from one's country is characterized in most cases with stress and immense struggle concerning natives' culture and languages, which can be challenging to deal with; hence, the presence of IA is vital.
Decisions That Organization Should Make Relating to Expatriates
The measures that AstraZeneca should put in place should relate to cost-cutting initiatives due to the economic downturn. Initially, the cost-cutting steps that entailed the sending of their employees for short-term assignments were necessary for curbing the challenges posed by the ongoing economic recession. The initiative will help the firm to reduce the cost of investing in the employees in case of emerging issues that could prevent the firm from reaping maximally from the business. As stated by Daly, "our recent focus has been less on reducing international assignees and more on making the right decisions about who goes on assignment” ( Rao, 2015). The statement shows how the firm is concerned with continuing investing in foreign employment. However, it works towards concentrating only on what is best for the firm in terms of the right investments.
AstraZeneca can also employ the use of the internet in connecting people to decisions relating to business. The use of internet platforms such as Webcam can help the firm in communicating business information and help in reducing the cost related to sending an expat to a foreign country. The company can also reduce the costs by employing a native in the country that they have business outlets. Such will reduce the costs that the firm could incur in transportation and training of the workers relating to issues such as culture and social ties of a foreign country. Finally, the company should focus on retaining their employees. AstraZeneca employees do not work for long in the foreign assignment, but they complain about the compensation they receive. Therefore, the decisions on the compensation package are normally rushed. The firm needs to provide the expats with enough knowledge and resources before departing as well as the compensation. The strategy will increase the success of the company drastically, regardless of economic cycles being faced.
References
Bendix Marthinsen, E. (2015). Exploring the relationship between a global mindset and performance during foreign market entry. http://hdl.handle.net/10417/5539
Rao, N. (2015). Corporate inversions and economic performance. NYU Wagner Research Paper , (2566429). https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2566429
