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UK Parliament Votes to Delay Brexit: How this Impacts Global Mobility

| March 18, 2019

This article was originally published on Worldwide ERC:

BrexitFollowing a series of votes this week on Brexit, the United Kingdom (UK) House of Commons ultimately voted last night in support of seeking a delay of the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union (EU). Brexit is scheduled to occur on March 29 but would be pushed back to June 30 under the adopted proposal.

All twenty-seven members of the European Council will need to sign off on approving the delay when they meet on March 21. Prior to the vote, Council President Donald Tusk indicated his support for a delay. However, other EU officials have stated in the past that Brexit should only be delayed to provide time for a vote on a second referendum or a UK special election. Read More

Globalization vs De-Globalization: A New World of Bridges…Or Walls?

| February 4, 2019

Global mobility challenges Until recently, the world seemed to be moving inexorably closer, with “us” and “them” giving way to a more global sensibility. Recent populist political movements, from Brexit to Trumpism to Italy’s Five Star Movement and France’s National Rally Party, have challenged this narrative, advocating for a return of local sovereignty and the primacy of national interests. The implications are significant for global mobility and companies that depend on a free flow of talent.

In a recent TRC Global Mobility/Worldwide ERC Learning Zone webinar, Dean Foster, Founder, DFA Intercultural Global Solutions and Executive Strategic Consultant, Dwellworks Intercultural, discussed how cultures and companies are adapting and responding to the new post-global world. He noted that culture is the DNA of a nation. Everything else—politics, economics, social and business life—is a consequence of this culture.

Dean discussed some on-the-ground daily mobility challenges in three areas: Read More

A More Balanced Real Estate Market in 2019?

| December 13, 2018

While all real estate markets are local, recent data suggests that even the hottest US sellers’ markets are beginning to cool down. For companies that relocate employees, that should be mostly good news as we look at the real estate market in 2019.

“The signs are pointing to a market that’s shifting toward buyers,” says Danielle Hale, chief economist of realtor.com®. “But in most places, we’re still a long way from a full reversal.”

The real estate market has more than recovered from the 2008 economic crisis, and some coastal cities seemed to be entering bubble territory. The median home price in Manhattan rose from $400,000 in 2000 to $1.29m this year. During the same period, the median in San Francisco increased from $415,000 to $1.35m. Part of this growth is driven by booming local economies and constraints on new housing construction—particularly of the more affordable variety. Read More

Considering Gig Workers? Your Relocation Management Company Can Help

| October 25, 2018

Businesswoman pressing finger on world global locationsIn a gig employment relationship, companies do not employ workers directly and permanently. Instead, they contract workers as needed to complete a specific project or to serve for a defined term. When the contracted project work or term is completed, neither the worker nor the employer has any further obligation to the other party. The worker is free to move on to another gig. Subsequent projects might be with the same employer, a different company or sometimes even an industry competitor. Read More

Global Nomads vs. Global Gig Workers

| October 18, 2018

Businessman choosing gig economy button on touch screen “Global nomads” have been a fixture in talent mobility almost from the beginning: employees who left their home country years ago and have progressed from assignment to assignment and country to country. While they traverse the globe for their companies, moving from assignment to assignment and operating almost like gig workers, they are nonetheless permanent employees and managed as such. These individuals do not localize, but remain attached to their home country for the majority of their compensation and benefit coverage. Read More

Repayment Agreements: Today’s Best Practices

| September 25, 2018

Shaking hands on a payment agreementRecent Worldwide ERC® data shows that the average cost for a company to relocate a current homeowner employee within the U.S. is $79,425. International assignments are more complex, and not surprisingly, more expensive, sometimes costing employers $1m or more.

It has always been important for companies to protect this substantial investment, but the continuing talent shortage has added another imperative: your best and brightest employees—the ones you are most likely to relocate or to send on assignment—are prime targets of your competitors. They would be happy to capitalize on your investment in your employees, particularly when it comes to international assignment experience. Read More

What is a Short Term Developmental Assignment?

| June 26, 2018

STDAShort Term Developmental Assignments (STDAs) are an increasingly popular tool for businesses to accomplish specific, finite projects and to develop employees while containing costs. Domestic STDAs really seemed to take off in the U.S. in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Concurrently, international short-term assignments, which have been on the radar longer, grew in popularity as companies looked for ways to reduce the cost of international relocation. Read More

How to Make Relocation Industry Conferences Work for You

| June 13, 2018

By Melissa Seitz-Medford, Manager, TRC Consulting Services

Global relocation industry conferenceAt the recent Worldwide ERC® Americas Conference in Dallas, I couldn’t help but notice how many individuals were wearing “first time attendee” name badges. Although this was not my first time at a WERC conference, I thought it was interesting and exciting to see how many new faces there were, and I looked forward to hearing what they had to say.

Forums like WERC provide a wonderful platform for relocation industry veterans and those who may be looking at global mobility with “fresh eyes” to share thoughts, professional challenges and solutions. Given all of the work that goes into producing these conferences, and the substantial investment companies make to participate, it is worth considering how you can make the most of your time at them. Read More

How are Companies Now Treating Employee Moving Expenses for Tax Purposes?

| April 27, 2018

Employee Moving ExpensesThe passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in late 2017 and its almost immediate effective date of 1 January 2018 took many in the mobility industry by surprise. One key change, the repeal of the employee moving expenses deduction, left many companies wondering about the tax treatment of three common relocation benefits that historically have been tax deductible for transferees:

• Household Goods Shipment (including pet and automobile shipments)
• Household Goods Storage Expenses
• Final Move Expenses Read More

International Relocation Assignments and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

| March 22, 2018

International tax job cuts - scissors with hands and rescue floatThe passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 has had far-reaching effects within the domestic sector of the global mobility industry, however, international employee relocations have been impacted as well.  All of the benefits that are affected from a domestic perspective will have the same implications on international moves if those benefits are included in an international relocation package. For example, household goods shipments and final move benefits are typically included in both international and domestic employee mobility packages.  As of 1 January 2018, both of these benefits have been deemed as taxable, with no distinction between the benefits being administered domestically or internationally.  It will be up to companies on an individual basis to determine if they are going to consider grossing up the taxes for both of these benefits going forward. Read More

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