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HR Trend #3 — Bringing in Expats

CEO: “We need to hire someone from the outside into this position, as there is no expertise in this area in the region. Do we have a programme in place to help them to assimilate once they get here?”

VP-HR: “Huh?”
CEO: “How about their family?”
VP-HR: “Hmmm….”
CEO: “Does it make a difference if they are coming from another Caribbean island?”
VP-HR: “To be honest, I have no idea….”
It’s a good idea for human resource professionals across the region to ensure that when the above conversation takes place they are ready. What are some of the things that they should be ready to tell the CEO? How can they prepare themselves to address what is quickly becoming the norm for most progressive companies? What are the essentials they need to address?
Here are some facts that the VP-HR needs to know at the onset:
  • They will probably underestimate the difficulty of the expat’s adjustment (especially if they have not lived abroad recently).
  • The emotional issues are intense, and come in all flavours.
  • The main success factor will surround the experience of the “trailing spouse” (usually a woman). 67% of failures can be traced to the trailing spouse.
  • The non-working spouse will probably be a professional who has had to give up their own career.
  • A simple set of policies created from the beginning will make things much easier.
  • The move will cost up to US$1million for an executive and family.
  • Of all age groups, teenage children have the most difficult time adjusting.
  • The pre-transfer trip and negotiations will be critical to the success of the transfer, and must include the non-working spouse.
  • Preparing the company for the arrival of the expat will be important (especially in terms of understanding, and expectations).
  • There will be varying degrees of culture shock experienced as the family makes the transition.
  • Few companies offer assistance to either spouse in making the cultural adjustment (and end up paying for it in the long term) .
  • At times a professional mentor, a trained counsellor or a psychologist are needed.
  • Expats who build their network of friends around other expats, rather than locals, will not be as successful.
  • The couple needs a way to escalate their issues and concerns outside the regular company hierarchy.
  • A transition from one Caribbean island to another is no easier than any other transition, IMHO.
  • Some expats have mastered the art of adapting to local conditions, and of working in developing countries
These are just some of the issues that a VP-HR can prepare the company to deal with. The better prepared they are, the greater the chance of success from everyone’s point of view.
In the worst cases, when there is a failure and early termination, the couple and the company end up at loggerheads, blaming each other for things going badly.

The job of HR is to make sure that the company’s investment is not wasted, and sometimes it may require them to say no to someone who they think will just not make it. Saying “No” is not easy to do, but it could be the very best thing for the working spouse and their family.

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HRPS Conference 2007 and HRTrends

I thought this blog was particularly interesting, as it was a blog created specifically for a conference, as a way to share information about the HRPS Conference 2007.

I thought that this was one very quick way to connect to what’s happening, especially for those who could not attend. It could be updated from session to session throughout the conference days, and allow those who are at their desks in their offices to feel like they are a part of the happenings.

This is one of those solutions that could be particularly effective for our regional conferences, given the high cost of travel from one country to another.

Also of interest on that page are the results of a survey done on HR Trends.

Hopefully, there will be a conference next year, as it seems to cover some useful information.

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Using an Editor

I am a recent convert to the idea of using an editor, but once I got my ego out of the way, it has turned out to be a wonderful addition to my virtual staff.

My first editor came from elance.com It turns out that she went to the same university with me, but I have not met her, and neither have I spoken to her on the phone. She has worked for me on different projects for almost a year now, and I don’t recall whether she ever told me which city she lives in.

I recently also started working with a local editor, who I also met on the internet, but this time through her blog. She happens to be editing this blog for me, and is doing a great job in fixing the typos that creep in from time to time. We are yet to meet in person.

It’s been great working with them, and they have become indispensable to me, in helping to shape the words that have been coming out faster than I can write.

I recommend them, and their services, and they are becoming typical of the kind of relationships that are needed in this age to get work done. In other words, a professional who is limited to only working with people in flesh and blood is likely to be limiting themselves severely, and not know it.

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Open Positions at Framework Consulting (update 10.14.07)

Consulting Project Consultants: None at the moment

Administrative Non-Consulting Positions:

1. Web Designer (part-time): We are looking for someone to refresh and monetize the Framework blogs. We also want to use GoogleAdwords advertising to advertise the website in key places.

Job Description: Preferably living in Jamaica, the Web Designer must have a working knowledge of html and php and display a high standard of work, plus a healthy regard for due dates.

Volunteer Positions:

2. HR Researcher (part-time): We are looking to expand CaribHRForum, the online community sponsored by Framework, to a wider audience of professionals, and to include more students across the region. We also want to gather more pertinent information for the benefit of our members, and to launch initiatives that deepen the participation of the HR community across the region.

Job Description: This individual will support CaribHRForum, an online community, with key information. Good internet skills are needed, as well as sound research skills and a great attitude. The work will be done virtually, and the researcher may reside in any country that allows them to use high speed internet service on their own computer.

3. Contributing Writer (part-time): We are looking to collaborate with other business writers in publishing FirstCuts, The One Page Digest and this blog, Chronicles from a Caribbean Cubicle. Interested writers should become familiar with past issues, and with the general style of writing and topics of interest before deciding their interest-level.

4. Thought Partner – Time Management (part-time): This position is for someone who has read our time management blog and likes the ideas enough to have some different, original ones of their own. Read the 2Time Mgt blog here: http://2time.wordpress.com

Send email to me fwade99@gmail.com

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Creating a Signature Experience

I recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review that spoke to the idea of “Creating a Signature Experience” for employees.

The idea is simple — what do employees experience as they work within the company?

I have worked as a consultant to several, and can think of a few examples of companies that left me with strong impressions. A few were so “strong” I have vowed never to do business with them again — this as a paid contractor.

For employees, some companies create the experience of chaos. Others are stingy. Some are challenging, with high standards. In others, anything goes.

I don’t think that any one experience is necessarily better than another, but I do get the impression that few companies actually give much thought to the experience they are creating for their employees.

This is too bad, as a good reputation leads to good people being hired, and vice versa. Also, some business results are better achieved by certain corporate cultures than others. For example, a culture of accountability is always a good thing — never bad.

Companies need to define the experience and its various drivers if they are serious about the destination they are headed in.

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Outsourcing Customer Service

I think it would be a great idea if companies in Jamaica were to outsource their customer service. Apart from the hotels (which give service to tourists and rely on Jamaican pride as an essential component) our service levels are low.

In a prior post I explained that there are three kinds of service: Tourist Service, Friend Service and “Res’ a Dem” Service.

I think that many companies would benefit from simply outsourcing their service to a company that could

  1. train their people to deliver better, more friendly service
  2. hire fewer people
  3. pay them better

There are too many places in Kingston selling expensive goods while delivering service that just does not make the cut. If I were interested in running this customer service business, I would probably partner with a security company (they have experience hiring a lot of people on contract) while developing a method of hiring people who have the ability to give good service.

Actually, the same company would do well in Trinidad and Barbados, where the same problem pertains.

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The Cost of a Broken Promise

In an earlier post, I mentioned this idea I have of a promisphere.

To take the idea a bit further, I have been wondering: what is the cost of a promise that falls through the cracks?

In other words, what happens when a promise is broken, by virtue of it being ignored, forgotten, or misplaced?

The follow-up question is simple. If companies found a way to improve the degree to which promises were kept, what difference would that make to the bottom line?

To answer the first question:

  • Cost to the the individual: I don’t know about you, but I remember those people who are unable to keep promises. I don’t ask them to do very much, or if I must, I replace their faulty memory with my reminder system. This costs me time and effort, but it also causes them to lose a bit of their personal brand in my eyes. I may stop doing business with them altogether if I realize, for example, that keeping the promises they make is just not important to them.
  • Opportunity cost: Projects fail, and opportunity costs are incurred as the project’s goals remain unmet
  • Rework cost: A failed project sometimes must be restarted. Efforts are duplicated and precious resources are wasted.

These seem to be the main costs of a lack of promise management.

The way I would fix that with some magical technology is that I would have a device hanging around my neck that detects whenever a promise is made. This “promise-keeper” would record the promise, the due date and the accountable person. It would automatically remind the person at regular intervals, and also send a request for an update whenever I wondered for just a
moment what the latest update might be.

In other words, I would not have to worry about promises. This system would do all the work for me.

Of course, others might find it to be a pain, because it would offer a perfect way to remind both of us when a promise was due. I would be able to accept hundreds and thousands of promises.

Unfortunately, such a system does not exist.

But Promisystem does, and is well on its way to becoming a magical way to keep track of promises.

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Vote Here for a New Paradigm in Time Management

Recently, I made a proposal.

On ChangeThis.com I recently proposed that the old methods of thinking about time management as a bunch of little tips is bankrupt, and that a new paradigm is needed.

The cool thing is that if you are impressed by the proposal I submitted (reproduced below), you can vote on it. If the proposal gets enough votes, then I will be asked to “Write a Manifesto” which they will post on the site. (There is no cost or payment involved.)

So, should I “Write this Manifesto?” — let the world know and follow these steps, if you’d like:

1. Read the “Proposal” below

2. If you like it, vote for it by clicking here to be taken to the site and then click on “Yes, write this manifesto.” Then pass on the link to others so that they can vote on it also.

3. If you LOVE it, visit the 2Time blog that outlines the 11 Fundamentals of 2Time Management

4. If you go beyond loving it, let me know by sending me an email — francis@fwconsulting.com or by leaving a comment on the 2Time blog.

I will post the outcome after October 19th, when voting closes.

Here is “The Proposal”

On Time Management: Toss Away the Tips, Find the Fundamentals

Author(s): Francis Wade

There is a stew of tips floating around on how to improve one’s time management skills, confusing the professional who is trying to become more productive.

However, neither a professional basketball player nor a concert pianist becomes great by learning a bunch of tips. Instead, their expertise comes through practice, learning, coaching and reflecting on the fundamental techniques they learned at the very beginning.

To witness Michael Jordan sinking free-throws, or Leonard Bernstein practising scales, is to know that their public triumphs were won long before the bright lights were turned on. Working professionals have never been taught the fundamentals of time management, and are stuck chasing after the latest tips and coolest gadgets.

Imagine MJ chasing after the latest sneakers…

What are the unalterable, fundamental elements of time management? How can they be learned? How can they be practiced? How can they be coached? How can they be perfected?

The Answer Is…

Remember, if you like it, vote for it by clicking here, and then on “Write this Manifesto” and pass on the link to others so that they can vote on it also