Re:locate T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R H R & R E L O C A T I O N P R O F E S S I O N A L S

Winter Issue 2010/11

Cross-borderworkingDon’t getcaught out!

RemovalsPreparing for the upturn

Russia

AwardsYour chance to shine!

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CONTENTS4 Re:editor’s letter

Fiona Murchie looks at what’s in store this issue

6 Re:news & viewsKey industry happenings,personalities and comment

8 Re:hot topicThe ins and outs of cross-border working

11 Re:trendsWhy relocation professionalsmust become insight driven

12 Re:propertyWhat recent developmentswill mean for relocation

16 Re:internationalThe impact of partneremployment on relocation

18 Re:conferencesLessons learned at ERC’sGlobal Workforce Symposium

20 Re:removalsHow the industry is rising tocurrent challenges

23 Re:developmentBright ideas for relocation

24Re:locate returns to Russia

32 Re:awardsYour chance to enter the 2010/11 Re:locate Awards

35 Re:recruitmentThe benefits of niche online jobs boards

36 Re:service deliveryHow the bid managementprocess is evolving

37 Re:educationTypes of school entranceexam, plus an update on education developments

Hot Topic

Awards

Education

3CONTENTS :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

This issue, we bring you coverage of some of the fascinating themes that emerged from the ERC, ARP and CIPD autumn conferences courtesy of a

variety of inspiring speakers. Talent management is still at the top of the agenda. We look at engagement, happiness and luck – all fascinating areas to explore. We’ll be covering these topics in detail in future issues and on the website.

This issue’s hot topic is cross-border working. Mobility consultant Sally Lockhart looks at six common types of short-term cross-border assignment, and highlights the potential HR risks associated with each of them. Even with the shortest overseas business trip or commuter assignment, there are risks to be considered – risks you can’t afford to ignore. We’ll be exploring the key risk areas, plus other topics, infuture issues and on our website.

Whether you’re moving people within the UK or internationally, whetheryou’re new to relocation or a seasoned professional, our new Pocket Guide to Relocation, free with this issue, contains the key information you need tooperate successfully. Pass it on to colleagues, to ensure they understand the importance of your role and the implications for your organisation. The guide forms part of our continuing commitment to providing you with the support and information you need, and to help you to educate, and share knowledge with, other stakeholders in your organisation.

Our Country Profile revisits Russia – one of the destinations to watch in relocation terms – providing an in-depth analysis of setting up a business,working and living in the Russian Federation, with coverage of immigrationissues, cultural considerations, and the huge opportunities available inthis vast land. Ruth Holmes’s report will be invaluable for those already operating in this market, or thinking of doing so.

If you’re breaking new ground, even in a small way, are part of a team that has gone the extra mile, or know a relocation professional at the top of their game, I urge you to enter this year’s Re:locate Awards, showcase your achievements, and increase your success. Find out more on p32.

Fiona MurchieManaging Editor

TheTeamManaging Editor: Fiona Murchieeditorial@relocatemagazine.com

Design & Photography: Andy Newsoninfo@andrewnewson.co.uk

Sub Editor: Louise Whitson

Advertising: Garry Testergarry@relocatemagazine.comads@relocatemagazine.com

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© 2010. Re:locate is published by Profile Locations, Spray Hill, Hastings Road, Lamberhurst, Kent TN3 8JB. All rights reserved. This publication (or any part thereof)may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of Profile Locations. Profile Locations accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents orany opinions expressed herein. ISSN 1743-9566.

Coming in the SPRING 2011issue of Re:locate magazine

IMMIGRATIONWhat is happening in the UK?

SERVICED ACCOMMODATIONThe latest from this vibrant industry sector

WHAT’S LUCK GOT TO DO WITH IT?Ensure your relocatees are in the right frame of mind

Showcase your achievements, and increase your success!

“

”

4 WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

Enter today!see page 32

Re:locate Awards 2010/11

INDUSTRY NEWS & VIEWSIf you have news and views that you’d like to see aired on these pages, contact us at editorial@relocatemagazine.com

THREE IN FIVE EXPATS‘motivated by ambition’Nearly three in five British expats choose to leave the UK in search of a better career or salary, according to a new survey commissioned by Lloyds TSB International.

A third of those who are motivated by career and salary are aged 45 to 55, and, once they have relocated, over half of this group do not plan to return home.

For further details, go to www. lloydstsb-offshore.com

NEW SURVEY highlights HR challengesThe latest HR Outlook survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows that HR priorities are at the heart of business challenges.

Within UK organisations, 2,266 HR professionals, including 319 of the profession’s most senior practitioners, took part in the survey. The results showed that respondents at the top of their organisations are fully aligned with the needs of their businesses, and are keenly aware of the many challenges restructuring and cuts for some, or emergence from recession for others, will mean for the HR function.

The senior sample identified their top three priorities for the next 12 months as ‘managing change and cultural transformation’ (50 per cent), ‘employee engagement’ (41 per cent), and ‘improving performance management and reward’ (38 per cent).

‘Employee engagement’ emerges as the number-one priority for the private sector across the total sample, which supports findings from other CIPD research that it is key to sustaining performance through turbulent times. It was missing, however, from the top three priorities identified by public-sector respondents, a finding that the CIPD believes may change over the coming months as the budget cuts and service-delivery challenges confirmed in the Comprehensive Spending Review are translated into action. The public-sector respondents were strongly aligned with ‘managing costs’ as their top priority for the next 12 months.

Says Jackie Orme, the CIPD’s chief executive, “The next few years offer tremendous opportunities for ambitious and aspiring HR professionals. The last two years have seen the biggest shift I remember in my lifetime from an old order to a new one, an economic shift from west to east, and fundamental changes in attitudes to business … I’m excited by the picture the survey paints of a confident, capable profession, increasingly well-equipped to deliver on its priorities, yet clear on how it needs to adapt to thrive in the future.”

Don’t miss Sue Shortland’s feature on how HR professionals must adapt in order to be successful in the new economy, on p11.

NEW SALES DIRECTOR for Re:locateRe:locate has appointed Garry Tester to the newly-created post of sales director.

Over his 20-year career, Garry has held a number of senior sales and marketing roles, including international business development manager for Europe, the UAE and South Africa with BCG in association with Times Online, and international sales and project manager for the UAE, Central Asia and West Africa at Almasco International.

In his new position, Garry will provide tailored advice and solutions across the Re:locate family of media, including Re:locate magazine, www.relocatemagazine.com, the Smart Move and UK area guides websites, and the prestigious Re:locate Awards (see p32) and events.

Phone Garry on 01892 891334, or email garry@relocatemagazine.com

6 : NEWS & VIEWS WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

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SERVICED ACCOMMODATIONsector thrivingAt the first-ever national conference of the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP), held in October, the 140 member delegates received confirmation that their sector is experiencing significant growth in 2010.

Third-quarter figures released by the association confirmed the increase in demand. London occupancy averaged an unprecedented 94 per cent for Q3 (a 4 per cent increase on Q2), and overall occupancy for the rest of the UK climbed to 80 per cent (up 5 per cent on Q2).

ASAP, whose membership has now doubled to 44 serviced apartment companies, represents more than 7,500 properties throughout the UK.

On p12, we look at what current trends in the property market will mean for relocation. Don’t miss our special feature on serviced accommodation, in the Spring 2011 issue of Re:locate.

SPECIALIST RELOCATIONjobs board relaunchedThe Re:locate jobs board now has a fresh new look and improved functionality. As the only targeted jobs board for relocation, it features all the latest posts across this growing industry, for both HR and suppliers.

New functions for recruiters include the abilityto search Re:locate’s extensive database of high-qualitypre-registered candidates. We’ve also made it easier to upload vacancies and pay online.

Jobseekers can now upload different versions of their CV and covering letter, track applications, and take advantage of the new Job Alert email service.

For more about this exciting new resource, see p35.

STARTER KIT helps employers understand Equality Act obligationsThe Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched an online starter guide to the Equality Act 2010, to coincide with most of the legislation enshrined in the act coming into force.

In order to ensure that the private, public and voluntary sectors are aware of their obligations under the act, the Commission has created nine bite-sized learning modules setting out the essential points of the legislation.

Find out more at www.equalityhumanrights.com

7NEWS & VIEWS :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

FIDI CELEBRATES 60th anniversaryFrom left: Boris Populoh (managing director of FIDI), Albert Lopez (Interem, Dubai), Sharon Stewart (Nuss Relocations, Australia), Orphee Beinoglou Moschopoulos (Beinoglou International, Greece/the Balkans and president of FIDI) and Nigel Mayo Saunders (Nuss International, Sydney).See removals feature on p20.

8 : HOT TOPIC WINTER 2010/11

Managing cross-border working

The phrase ‘cross-border working’ can cover any kind of business undertaken across an international border. It

may refer to anything from an employee in one country going to another country for two or three days of business meetings, to a full international assignment lasting a number of years, or almost anything in between.

The risks associated with international transfers and assignments of more than a year’s duration are assumed to be known and understood, although some of what follows is also relevant to long-term assignments. Below, we outline the main kinds of short-term cross-border working and some of the risks associated with each. And, because wherever there are risks, there are also opportunities, we look at ways to mitigate and manage those risks.

Six ways of workingFirst, let’s look at six kinds of cross-border working:

1. Business travel – An employee travels to another country on business. The work is related to the home-country entity and is limited to attending meetings, negotiating contracts, and so on. The visit may last just a few days

(although it can last longer), and, in many places, work authorisation is not required, as no ‘productive work’ will be undertaken.

2. Commuter assignments – An employee of one entity is seconded to work in another entity in the same organisation. The assignee is able to live at, and commute from, home to the place of work every week, every two weeks, or every month. The assignment period is defined – that is, the employee will commute for, say, two years and then revert to working in the home-country entity, and the work is generally for the benefit of the entity to which the employee is seconded (though this may not be the case for short commuter assignments).

3. Cross-border commuters – A resident of one country chooses to work in another country (or, if already working for the employer, decides to move to, and live in, another country), commuting across an international border each day or each week, from home to the place of work. Work is always for the benefit of the employing entity, that is, the entity to which the employee commutes, and the employee has no connection to any entity in his or her country of residence.

4. International project assignments – A project assignment is the term generally used for an assignment where an individual or group of individuals is sent to another country to work on a specific piece of work or project for a short period of time. Projects are often,

Re:locate

Mobility consultant Sally Lockhart examines the HR risks associated with doing business internationally.

9HOT TOPIC :WINTER 2010/11

but not always, undertaken for a client of the employing company, and may even be based at the client’s site or offices. The project assignee remains tied to the home-country entity, which is responsible for all costs incurred by the project worker.

5. ‘Stealth expats’ – Not just used to describe individuals in almost any of the above categories whose regular business travel is not known to mobility managers unless and until something goes wrong – for example, they are denied entry to a country or the tax or immigration authorities become aware of their activities.

6. Short-term assignments – A short-term assignment is a full international assignment which usually lasts for less than 12 months, although the actual length can vary according to company policy and business need. Such assignments are generally for the benefit of the entity in the location to which the employee is seconded, although, for some very short-term assignments (perhaps for training and for less than six months), the costs may be borne by the sending entity.

Potential risk areasWith all the above, and indeed with any form of international working, employers need to consider the following potential areas of risk:

1. Immigration.2. Individual and company income tax.3. Social security.4. Costs, budgets and intra-company charges.5. Benefits and allowances.6. Family members.7. Company policy or guidance.

Risk 1 – ImmigrationIn the majority of countries, non-nationals require permission to work. The permission may be automatic, because of nationality or marriage, or it may have to be requested. Working, whether on a project for six months or for several days each week, may need permission, and business travellers and their employers who ignore, or are unaware of, the relevant immigration legislation may regret it. The employee could be barred from entering the country, and, for the employer, fines and bad publicity can create significant difficulties and may result in the loss of future business opportunities. Technically, even one day of work can require a work permit or visa, and, while most countries do not apply this rigidly, every country is different, and it is essential to check for each country and each nationality before anywork begins.

Risk 2 – Personal and company income taxTax is an emotive topic that many people find difficult to understand; however, the risks of ignoring the tax implications of international mobility can be huge. Individuals generally become liable to income tax based on a definition of residence, but tax could also be payable where they work. For internationally-mobile employees, this may be in addition to their country of residence. Employers must determine whether employees will be tax equalised or tax protected, or whether they will be responsible for their own tax liabilities. If employees are tax equalised or tax protected, employers often seek professional guidance to ensure that the right

Re:locate

amount of tax is paid, in the right place and at the right time, by, or on behalf of, the individual, and also by the employer.

Business travel, of a few days or even a few weeks, rarely creates a tax or social-security liability. But regular business travel might do so, and it is vital that managers monitor the number of days they – or their staff – spend in any one location. Many tax authorities will claim tax from an individual who spends at least 183 days in any 12-month period in their country (including workdays, weekends and holidays). However, the number of days can vary from country to country and depend on the kind of work involved. Companies which do not look into, and take account of, potential tax costs in their pricing or budgeting could have some unpleasant, and expensive, surprises ahead of them.

From an employer perspective, it is important to be aware of the risks of creating a ‘permanent establishment’ in a tax jurisdiction in which the employing entity has no entity of its own, or, if it has, where the individual – often a project worker – has no link to that entity – for example, a secondment agreement. Again, professional advice is needed to structure the secondment or project appropriately, and this should be secured at a very early stage, to ensure full compliance before the work is undertaken.

Risk 3 – Social securityOften ignored for short periods of international working, social-security liabilities can cause significant issues. Employers need to investigate social-security liabilities forall internationally-mobile staff, whether on full-length,short-term or commuter assignments, or projects. Social security may become payable long before there is any income-tax liability.

If social security is payable in the specific circumstances, the employer may be able to secure a certificate of coverage to avoid a dual liability. Workers from a country with no social-security scheme, or with one which does not have a social-security agreement with the host country, will usually expect their employer to pay, or compensate for, this additional and, perhaps, unexpected cost. Employers need to know that doing this may be considered a taxable benefit to the individual.

Of particular concern is the cross-border commuter who contributes to social security in their country of employment. If the individual does not live in that country and spends more time in their country of residence, social security entitlements may not be payable if the employee seeks to claim, for example, maternity or unemployment benefits. Employers generally believe that an employee can choose where to live and from where to commute, but, as social security is paid by the employer as well as the employee, may want to consider who will pay if the employee’s chosen place of residence results in higher employer social-security costs.

Risk 4 – Costs, budgets and intra-company chargesPreparation of a cost estimate – fairly standard practice for a long-term assignment – is rare for project or commuter assignments. However, if done, it can not only show thecosts that should be budgeted, but also highlight some ofthe risk areas.

Companies bidding for project work too often ignore the sometimes-significant costs of tax equalisation or protection, of additional social-security charges and other related expenditure, of scarce and, therefore, expensive accommodation, or of immigration timeframes. All of these,

10 : HOT TOPIC WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

if unanticipated, can result in lower-than-expected profits. These costs, and, in the worst cases, fines and penalties imposed for non- or late compliance, can wipe out anyprofit altogether.

Remember also that, in some cases, tax liability canbe determined by which entity bears the costs of the individuals undertaking the work. So, if costs are charged from an entity in the home country to an entity in the host country, income tax may be payable in the host country.

Short-term or project assignments can be structured to minimise additionaltax costs.

Risk 5 – Benefits and allowancesEmployees working internationally expect, at the very least, to be reimbursed for their travel and any out-of-pocket expenses. Without documented guidelines (see below), these expenses can multiply and become very difficult to monitor and challenge.

As well as an expenses policy, employers need to determine, and state their position in relation to, an employee’s income-tax and social-security liability while working outside his or her home country, and, significantly, whether the employee or the employer willbe meeting any related costs and/or benefiting from anytax savings.

Risk 6 – Family membersMost company policies assume that all these kinds of short-term working will involve the employee only, and no allowance is made for a partner or spouse, or for any other family members. However, it may be that an employee will ask, or expect, to be accompanied by a family member. As well as having a policy stating what, if any, benefits are available to, or for, this person, employers need to consider immigration

implications (a spouse may not be the same nationality as the employee, may not be able to work), the provision and cost of larger accommodation, and the tax implications of reimbursing travel and other expenses for a non-employee:

will the company bear the tax cost as well as the actual cost?

Risk 7 – PolicyWhile it is advisable, and usual, to have a policy for short-term assignments, and many companies have policies for business travel, only a minority have documented guidance for international project workers, commuter assignments, and employees who choose to live in a different country. Even if the company thinks it has no commuters or project workers, it is worth checking (see ‘Stealth expats’, above), because the penalties can be harsh. If the company has a policy, or at least some guidelines, anyone involved in international working will be aware of allowances that

can be claimed, of the support available to them, and of the risks they may be running.

Sally Lockhart can be contacted via www.slim-consulting.com

Download your FREE relocation policy factsheets NOW at www.relocatemagazine.com/factsheetsFurther titles to follow throughout 2011. Build your knowledge with factsheets thoughout the year!

Follow the streams highlighted on our website for step-by-step guidance on managing international relocation.

See also our new Pocket Guide to Relocation, free with this issue. It contains all the key information you need to do mobility successfully, and is ideal, too, for less-experienced colleagues.

11TRENDS :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

To be successful in what they do in the new economy, relocation professionals need to rethink the way they operate. Rather than focus on process, the way ahead lies in being insight driven. Sue Shortland explains.

Relocation professionals perform a key function within the HR professional family. They need to hold deep

functional knowledge, have sound business knowledge (with awareness of drivers and goals), and use these to deliver strong practices that are both business and employee (and family) friendly. This has served the profession well over the past few years.

But, as Jackie Orme, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) CEO, notes, it is no longer sufficient to continue as normal. She argues that a new message needs to be promoted to HR professionals – the importance of being insight driven rather than process driven.

Speaking at a recent CIPD conference, Ms Orme clearly spelt out the world we are now living in. It is one not yet of recovery but of a ‘new normal’ involving slower growth, reduced public services and higher taxes. As we face crises of work and leadership, new approaches are required by those in HR to promote performance, productivity and wellbeing.

Issues and problemsOver the past decade, unemployment has been low and job security of little concern. The past ten years have seen increased job generation, an increase in the use of flexible working, improvements in workplace communications, and better-informed employees. There have also been improvements in employee attitudes towards management. However, despite these positive aspects, it is notable that job fulfilment and engagement have not improved. Employee attitudes towards their organisations and leadership have not become more positive. Work intensity and stress have risen, and, as unemployment now begins to increase, so, too, does the likelihood of these issues becoming less favourable.

Leadership has come under increasing scrutiny as chasing short-term shareholder value is recognised as not providing long-term improvement in business performance. Pursuing growth over and above the development of people can lead to catastrophic failures.

While the purpose of HR has been thought to be helping the business become more profitable through effective management of people, this does not provide a complete recipe for success.

There is no doubt that HR (and relocation professionals within this function) has become more businesslike and has developed more efficient and effective processes. Yet this has led to a crisis of purpose for those managing employee relocation. If people are to be relocated, they need to have trust in their

organisations. Trust is critical to individual and business success. It takes

a long time to build, but can be quickly and easily destroyed. Trust will become ever-more important in the ‘new normal’, and this is an issue that relocation professionals will need to address. Moving family and home requires huge trustin the employer to ‘do the right thing’ by individuals andtheir families.

Looking aheadRelocation and HR professionals will need to consider their ‘agility’ – how responsive and willing they are to change, to measure external drivers, and to strike a balance between the short term and the long term. It is important for HR to maintain an independent voice. To move forward, relocation professionals will need to define their agenda and activities.To do this, Jackie Orme recommends insight.

First of all, it is critical that, as HR professionals, relocation specialists must understand their organisations (and those they partner with) – the goals, barriers and enablers that drive performanceSecond, they must understand what goes on at ground level – what gets done, and how it gets done. It is equally

important to understand what does not get done, and why. This involves an insight into leadership styles and the culture of the organisation

Third, they must understand context beyond the confines of

the organisation but within which it operates (for example,

the demographics, technology and globalisation trends and actions)

Underlining these issues is the need for relocation professionals to hold a clear point

of view and maintain direction to keep the organisation aligned

strategically. Using insight can also help build influence within

the organisation, helping to strike a balance between the achievement of both business and employee objectives.

An insight into the future of relocation

For latest developments, see www.relocatemagazine.com, and sign up for Re:locate Extra, our monthly e-newsletter.

Fiona Murchie reports on what recent trends in the residential property market will mean for relocation.

When 850 property professionals turn up for a residential property conference and the numbers are 250 up on

last year, it is surely testament to a stronger market. The RESI 2010 conference, entitled Opportunities for a New Decade,took place as the property industry emerges from “two incredibly hard years” with, hopefully, the “scary dark times” behind it.

The residential property market, be it purchase or rental, is at the heart of relocation, so understanding what the professionals have to say is always pertinent to our industry. Now, with talk of a double dip and signs that the property market is slowing, it is more essential than ever that HR managing relocations, and the relocation professionals who support their employees, are in touch with the property industry’s views.

The economist’s viewWhat the economists say influences our decision-making – but then again, there is an economist to back every viewpoint. The RESI conference selected Roger Bootle, MD of Capital Economics, to provide its audience with a reality check. A regular Monday property columnist for The Daily Telegraph,Mr Bootle is well used to rebutting comments from ‘Irate of Tunbridge Wells’, who feels they have a better finger on the

pulse of the economy than the property professionals. Roger Bootle’s view is that the housing market is

“seriously overvalued” and that falling house prices would ultimately be a good thing for the economy. Consumer real income will be squeezed, owing to weak wage increases and unemployment that is set to rise with the impact of public-sector job losses. Mr Bootle’s great hope for the UK economy is the trade balance, with the private sector able to pull off greater exports and import less.

Current and future property pictureFast forwarding to the current state of the property market, the recently-announced cuts in public spending, combined with ongoing high inflation, widespread wage freezes and the forthcoming rise in VAT, form the backdrop to a market that is in a continuing state of flux, with rising supply and falling demand exerting downward pressure on prices.

As 2010 draws to a close, commentators are issuing their predictions for the property market’s performance during 2011 – and, perhaps surprisingly, it’s not all doom and gloom.

Savills Research is standing by its forecast, first published over a year ago, that average mainstream UK property prices will experience a “second slip”. However, says Yolande Barnes, head of residential research, “Unlike the doomsters, we are

Property promise?12 : PROPERTY WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

14 : PROPERTY WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

not forecasting a deep double dip, and there will be tiers of the market – like grade A prime London properties – that may well escape the downturn virtually unscathed.”

The Halifax’s Martin Ellis comments, “We do not believe that prices are set to fall sharply over a sustained period. Interest rates are likely to remain very low for an extended period, which will continue to support the improved mortgage affordability position for homeowners. Low rates and stable employment levels are benefiting homeowners.”

Rob Abbot, VP, Domestic Operations, at Cartus, believes that the spending cuts may have a significant impact on relocation. “Leading commentators indicate that the public-sector cuts could impact consumer confidence and concerns over job security could potentially lead to challenges in the economy and the property market. Whilst this might, in some instances, influence an organisation’s decision to relocate an employee permanently, or impact an employee’s financial ability to move during this economic downturn, it could also lead to the possibility of increased short-term transfers and moves due to business rationalisation.”

Rentals boomingLetting agents from across the UK are reporting a significant shortage of rental properties as tenant demand far outstrips supply.

Says Ian Potter, operations director of the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA), “The market has bounced back in a way that no one could have predicted, to levels of demand that have not been seen since the last century. More than 70 per cent of our agents have stated that consumers coming to their offices are being forced to rent because of the pressure exerted on potential homebuyers.”

This is a potentially worrying situation for employees planning to rent a home when they relocate, though it should be good news for those planning to let their property. Cartus’s Rob Abbot comments “Certainly, we are experiencing a buoyant rental market in the UK currently, as demand for tenancies by relocating employees wishing to rent outstrips supply.”

ARLA is highlighting the return of the ‘reluctant landlord’ – a term coined during the recession to describe homeowners forced to let their properties because they were unable to sell – something that relocating employees may be forced to consider.

Furniture ready for tomorrow …It is, perhaps, a too-well-kept secret that you can rent furniture at practically any budget, and have it delivered tomorrow. You can even include in your order linens and kitchen items, and have relocating employees ready to take up residence in their new home straightaway.

Renting furniture has been a well-used stopgap solution for the relocation industry for many years, and more corporate HR new to relocation would benefit from knowing about this service-driven niche supplier sector.

Roomservice by CORT is a regular sponsor of the RESI conference, and, with the housing market representing 60 per cent of sales, that is hardly surprising. The company has produced a white paper which makes interesting reading, Furniture and the UK Rented Residential Sector. According to its research, 23 per cent of landlords have had a tenant decline to rent or renew a lease because of issues relating to furniture.

For those looking for an international service, Roomservice by CORT is part of the CORT group, offering a single point of contact, but with a global reach in over 60 countries worldwide.

Dress to sellA perennial problem for corporate HR relocating UK employees is marketing the property the employee leaves behind when they relocate to a new area in the UK and need to sell their property. In a sluggish property market, marketing is all. Guaranteed Sale Price options and marketing-assistance programmes via a relocation management company are solutions, but a quick fix may be to give the property an internal facelift. This gives the opportunity to focus the appeal on the right potential market.

Another well-established name in the relocation world, Fully Furnished, also offers this service, as does newcomer

Photograph: Roomservice by CORT ‘Platinum Range’.

their advantage. “Foreign exchange can appear very daunting. Our aim is to

demystify the currency markets by providing an easy-to-use, proactive market monitoring service.”

Nat Davison highlights an issue that has particularly affected individuals. “Over the past three years, banking institutions have had reduced revenue streams and are using foreign exchange as a viable replacement for lost revenues. Unfortunately, the private client and the individual investor have had to bear the brunt of these charges. As such, it is in the bank’s interest to make a substantial margin to justify undertaking the transaction. We only deal in physical foreign exchange delivery for our clients, and, consequently, our overheads are far lower. This enables us to pass on far more attractive prices to our clients.”

Mr Davison has a final message for HR directors and mobility managers. “It is a good idea to have a currency partner, for the use not just of your company but also of your staff or clients. We work with a number of companies that refer to us, ensuring they have peace of mind that each individual is starting off their new life on the best-possible financial footing.”

Going forwardChallenging conditions in the property market look set to persist in the short to medium term. Relocation professionals will need to continue to come up with creative solutions.

15PROPERTY :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

to the relocation market David Phillips. It may be worth exploring the options with the flexible furniture rental industry the next time you have a property that sticks.

Currency can be keyCurrency issues – most recently, the woes of the beleaguered euro – make headlines on an almost daily basis.

Most companies are well versed in analysing the currency markets to safeguard their own profitability, but do they consider the impact of exchange-rate fluctuations for staff who have relocated from overseas – and their managers? It may be worth assessing such issues under the international assignments umbrella; doing so can add value, in a very visible way, to the HR department’s role within the organisation.

For an expert perspective, Re:locate spoke to Nat Davison, head of Private Clients at Personal FX.

“When an employee starts a job in a new country, it is not just their wages that could be affected; they are likely to have other expenses that will require the transfer of savings,” says Mr Davison. “One of the first things for which they may need local currency is initial payment of rent. If the relocation is long term, they may look to buy a property.

“As the amount of the transfer goes up, every movement of the market is magnified. If someone transferred €100,000 into sterling on 23 August this year, they would only have received £81,300. Just two months later, the same amount would have purchased £89,300 – a difference of £8,000.

“Traditionally, private individuals have used their bank for such payments, but there has been an increase in the use of specialist currency brokers. Employing expert advisers can help reduce risk and make the currency transaction work to

Keep up to date with property issues on the Re:locate website with monthly property news roundup, and refer your employees to www.smartmoverelocate.com

16 : INTERNATIONAL WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

In today’s economic climate, spouses and partners who accompany an expatriate abroad

Sue Shortland explores the effect of spousal employment on international mobility.

The most recent Brookfield survey reports that half of spouses who were employed before their partners were

expatriated were not employed during the assignment, and that less than one-tenth of accompanying spouses were employed both before and after an international move. These figures alone demonstrate that spouse employment is likely to act as a major brake on international mobility.

Spousal satisfaction with both lifestyle and career is an important determinant of assignment success, and thus employer action to support accompanying spouses is of paramount importance.

Work permits One of the key issues facing working spouses is the work-permit or visa regime of their receiving country. According to a Permits Foundation survey of over 3,300 spouses, when asked whether they would relocate to a country where obtaining a permit to work was difficult, around 60 per cent of spouses said that they would be unlikely to relocate. Only 6 per cent said they would definitely go, while only just over a third said that they would probably go. These statistics are interesting, as they demonstrate the scale of resistance to an international move if there is no (or only a low) chance of obtaining employment.

Key issues raised by the respondents related to the importance of the spouse having his or her own career, income and the social connections that come from the workplace. Those who said they would go, even if they were unlikely to be able to work abroad, cited reasons such as career precedence for their spouse, taking retirement or planning to have/looking after a family. Perhaps not surprisingly, male spouses were less willing to relocate than women if their employment prospects were low.

A major difficulty concerns the fact that, under many visa regimes, the accompanying spouse needs to have a job offer from a specific employer. One of the key problems is that, when moving abroad, there is frequently insufficient time to make contacts, find employment and then obtain the necessary paperwork from the host-country authorities. Local employers also usually prefer to hire people who do not require work permits, as this reduces their administration and the time it takes to complete the recruitment process (and the knock-on costs of this). The complexity of the process also acts as a disincentive to accompanying spouses.

Practical aspectsGiven these barriers, it may be questioned what employers can do to assist working spouses who wish to continue in

Spousal employment: the impact on international relocation

17INTERNATIONAL :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

employment in the foreign location. The Permits Foundation survey asked their sample of spouses and partners about this, and received some interesting suggestions. For instance, some 85 per cent of the spouses and partners surveyed said that information on local opportunities would be very much welcomed, while almost 80 per cent said they would appreciate a network of contacts and/or vacancies. Another popular suggestion concerned employers providing job-search advice or guidance. Career counselling was also considered to be helpful, as was advice to be given on tax and pensions implications.

By contrast, the forms of assistance most frequently provided by employers to working spouses and partners were language training and an education or training allowance. While the spouses and partners surveyed did find these interventions useful, there was a noticeable mismatch between what employers did to help and what the spouses themselves found to be most helpful to them.

The value of communication and networksEven if employers do provide greater levels of support in relation to career counselling, local opportunities and networking, there is no guarantee of spousal employment locally. Spouses recognise this, but would appreciate their partners’ employers taking more proactive steps to provide direct communication and support. This might include advice on training, job search and working-visa processes.

Expatriate spouses are a potential source of talent. Information on their CVs detailing their skills and competencies, which could be shared among employers in the host location, could be very useful in filling local skills gaps (either within other foreign operations or in local companies). This requires employers to collate such data, and also to operate networks to share it (subject to any data-protection laws). A difficulty can arise here in respect of recognition of qualifications locally, but nonetheless such an initiative can go some way to helping working spouses to make the necessary contacts to find employment.

Even when it is clear that paid employment is not possible abroad, this does not mean that employers should simply wash their hands of the issue. Continuing to communicate with spouses and to assist them with future career planning is considered to be very valuable. A gap on the CV can be filled with meaningful, worthwhile and highly-enjoyable voluntary opportunities – many of which can develop spouses’ competencies and can be used effectively as personal development or continuing professional development.The skills required to work effectively in the voluntary sector can be turned to a spouse’s advantage on his or her CV on return home.

One of the key issues raised by spouses and partners who are unable to work is the reduced social opportunities available to them. The work environment provides a place to make friends and build a social life. It can prove to be very lonely if there are no such opportunities to meet people, particularly in a new country where the spouse lacks his or her usual networks and friendship groups. Employers can provide social support to spouses via informal networking groups, and by mentoring arrangements whereby newly arrived couples are paired with established expatriates and their families. This is a low-cost intervention, with

great benefits.Another important factor in not being able to work, or in

taking unpaid work, concerns the financial loss when both partners were working before the move. Although expatriate packages generally make good provision for financial issues, they are rarely so generous as to cover any lost second income.

There is little an employer can do in this regard, as, clearly, it is unreasonable to compensate for the loss of the second income. That said, an allowance to assist spouses with education and training, to undertake professional qualifications or to pursue personal endeavours, such as to kick-start a small business, could prove to be money well spent. The sums do not need to be large; the appreciation by spouses who receive them often far exceeds the actual value of this investment.

Paying dividendsSpousal happiness is critical to the happiness of the assignee and, in turn, their settling-in and productivity. It is, therefore, very important that companies continue to pay attention to spouses and their employment and social status, even though the recession suggests that employer focus should rest purely on direct business matters.

In the current climate, organisations require their employees to be highly mobile, to seek out and develop business opportunities as they arise globally, and to respond to competitive pressures. If married and partnered employees refuse to move because of dual-career and employment concerns for the spouse/partner, the talent pool for expatriate selection is reduced to singles. Posting a single worker abroad may prove to be cheaper in terms of expenses and benefits, but, if that person is not the best for the role, the added value achieved in the overseas environment may not meet organisational objectives. Such a false economy may result in significant lost opportunities for the business.

Like it or not, spouses and partners are part of the expatriate deal. They require sensitive treatment and support. If effort is paid to communicating with them, responding to their fears and concerns, and meeting, as far as is practical, their needs in respect to employment in the foreign location, this will pay dividends in terms of assignment success. If expatriates are to get the most from their assignments and generate business opportunities for their companies, they need to be sure that their spouses and partners will be able to benefit from their assignments as well. It is, therefore, fitting to close by citing the following extremely pertinent comment from a spouse responding to the Permits Foundation survey:

“In my experience, most employers prefer to ignore spousal employment issues. However, from my personal observation, how well a spouse settles is key in determining how an employee will perform. If spousal employmentis important to that couple, then companies ignore it attheir peril.”

Source: Global Relocation Trends Survey 2010,Brookfield Global Relocation Services, www.brookfieldgrs.com

International Survey of Expatriate Spouses and Partners – Employment, Work Permits and International Mobility, November 2009, Permits Foundation,www.PermitsFoundation.com

18 : CONFERENCES WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

Conference report

AT ERC’s Global Workforce Symposium on the themeof The Game is Changing ... are you?, which took place ??

in Seattle in October, the emphasis was on shifting globalmobility from a transactional process to a strategic position as partners in talent management.

The future was seen as a more consultative approach,with the opportunity for those in global mobility to take up adynamic new leadership role. This also fits with the CIPD’s agenda for HR as a strategic business partner.

In Re:locate s Autumn issue, we examined the growing eimportance of talent management as the future path for relocation. Is talent the way forward for mobility? Let us haveyour views.

The power of innovationGary Hamel, world-class business thinker, gave the thought-provoking keynote address at the symposium. The capacityto innovate is key to future success. We are moving on from a knowledge economy to a creative economy, in whichorganisations will be judged by their capacity to innovate.

Mr Hamel believes in deep human creativity – “we wereborn to create” – but also believes that most organisationsdon’t get the most out of their people. Successful companies need people who are passionate about how they make a difference in the world. Apparently, less than 20 per cent ofUS employees are truly engaged in their work, and I suspect the percentages would be the similar in the UK.

Imagine the potential for the economic recovery iforganisations were to place more faith in innovation and creativity.

In the pages of Re:locate, we continue to try and reconcilethe constraints of corporate compliance with the values ofauthenticity, innovation and creativity

Unexpectedly, given its rather uninspiring title, the session Generational and culturally diverse talent mobility turnedyout to be a real gem. With research and years of personalexperience behind their presentations, W Stanton Smithand Jack Keogh offered contrasting styles of delivery that combined to give both an astute and an entertaining insight

into managing globally-mobile young people, viewing the world of work from their perspective and leveraging theirconsiderable talents. The art of listening will go a long way.

The session on the changing role of the global mobilitymanager was full – not surprisingly, as, since 2007, everyone has been experiencing change, and there are more demandsdaily on those managing international assignments. Speakersfrom PepsiCo, National Semiconductor and Cisco revealed their daily and wider stategic challenges. They don’t have all the answers, but sharing problems is half the solution.

It is always good to learn at first hand from the peoplemanaging relocation in challenging locations. Speakers fromLloyds TSB International Retail Banking, CH2M Hill, Dean Foster Associates and Cornerstone relocation group didn’t disappoint with their expert advice on Brazil, Russia, Vietnamand Mexico.

Industry well representedEuRA took the opportunity to hold a reception in Seattle. It was very well attended, and the mood was buoyant. Itwas good to see such a strong turnout from Europe – not to mention Peru, China and other exotic locations. A sign of thetimes, which is to be celebrated as the industry moves into new destinations.

The front line ARP members debated the changing world of relocationat their annual conference in Oxford earlier in the autumn. Destination service providers are at the forefront when companies make changes, and daily juggle the needs of the corporate client with time and cost constraints and the growing expectations of fast-moving, internet-savvyassignees and their own desire to provide a quality service.

How will the inevitable conflicts be resolved in our compliance- and procurement-driven world? We will explorefrom both side of the fence next year. See p36 for a hint of things to come.

Peggy Smith, CEO of Worldwide ERC, welcomes a record number of guests to its Global Workforce Symposium in Seattle.

Picture courtesy of The FIDI Global Alliance.

Keynote speaker at the Worldwide ERC meeting was Gary Hamel, aleading business strategy expert.

Picture courtesy of The FIDI Global Alliance.

Fiona Murchie reports on some of the key themes that emerged from ERC’s recent GlobalWorkforce Symposium, which will be explored further in future issues of Re:locate and oneour website.

Does your international medical insurance reach this many people?

+44 (0) 1273 322 084www.bupa-intl.comor contact any of our worldwide distributors

Bupa serves over 10 million people in 190 countries around the world. So your employees have peace of mind wherever they are.

20 : REMOVALS WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

2009 was a tough year for the removals sector, but service innovation has been driving the business forward into a rosier 2010 and beyond. Ruth Holmes talks to removals professionals to learn how they are preparing for the upturn.

upward curve continues, especially with the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review casting a long shadow over domestic confidence this summer.

Global viewThe picture may well be more positive in this half of the year if the experiences of international and domestic removals firms we have spoken to hold true across the industry. Scotland-based Matt Purdie & Sons, which has carried out 3,500 moves this year and won BAR’s acclaimed Domestic Mover of the Year award, says that the sector is reasonably stable. One trend this firm has noticed that is bucking the trends is the noticeably quieter markets in Spain and France.

It also seems that, while the UK endures public-sector cuts, these are turning into the southern hemisphere and removal sector’s gain as public- and service-sector workers migrate. “We are doing lots of moves to Australia and New Zealand, where they are crying out for hairdressers, nurses and other skilled workers,” says Matt Purdie. “A move there is still reasonable, with an average-sized move costing around the £4,000 mark, putting it in reach of, particularly, lower-salaried and younger workers. Storage and self-storage is also

Where next for removals?

The removals industry is well used to adapting to business on the ‘bust’ side of a booming property market. Many

of its best-known and most respected companies have histories stretching back far into the previous century, and have seen out many recessions. The most recent downturn was no different. Companies with their sights set firmly on the future, and on maintaining quality, are emerging fit for the future as both industry and wider economic trends move tentatively in a more positive direction.

One of the most reliable indicators of activity is the British Association of Removers’ (BAR) twice-yearly report. The figures for the first half of 2010 reveal an “encouraging outlook for the domestic industry”. The removals market saw a rise in the first six months of 2010 compared with 2009. UK moves increased by almost 11 per cent, February alone showing an increase of almost 22 per cent.

For moves to European countries, “2010 compared to 2009 by month has been erratic, to say the least,” notes BAR. Nevertheless, these peaks and troughs in demand are settling and still played out in year-to-date figures showing approximately a 2 per cent increase in 2010 compared with 2009. On the other hand, international removals have seen significant decreases. Posting an overall decline of almost 17 per cent on the previous year, the international figures are, perhaps, a lag indicator signalling the tail end of the post-credit-crunch retrenchment, especially as the rate of decline reduced markedly in June and July.

The next set of BAR results will be available in the new year, and it will be interesting to see if the overall

WINTER 2010/11

a very big market for us. People are selling while they can, andthen renting until they can find a house to buy.”

Steve Blackmore, international sales manager at FoxMoving, has also recognised the shift to Australia and New Zealand. “A lot of our business is in the US, Canada and Australia, which have remained steady. We have noticed more moves across the Middle and Far East, in light of the expanding global markets. Really, we move people everywherenow, especially as we are part of global alliances like FIDI, and have a US partner with Atlas, which is a huge company.”

Roy Smith, of BTR International, a partner of numerousglobal flagship companies, is also cautiously upbeat about future prospects. “We are seeing a significant increase in corporate removals to Asia generally, in particular to China and India. In addition, prospects to emerging SouthAmerican markets are improving, with demand to Brazil beingparticularly buoyant.”

Cost pressures top priorityWhile it seems true that there is largely positive news for the sector, the economy here and elsewhere is still recoveringfrom major shocks. This is evident most clearly in terms ofcost; Interdean’s European Mobility Challenges 2010 survey 0shows that cost control is top priority among respondents.

The pressure to control costs is being compounded byrising costs in other areas – container shipping in particular. FIDI reported earlier this year that cargo ships have been laid up as western demand declines, squeezing supply and raising prices that have to be absorbed somewhere.

“People are very focused on saving money, and I’d say thatthe competition has increased threefold since 2007,” says Steve Blackmore. “Whereas people used to get the standard threequotes, now it’s not uncommon to be in a tendering process with seven to ten other firms. The source of business has alsochanged in recent years. Many enquiries now come via theinternet from the six or so web-based ‘lead providers’ thatallow customers to request quotations from several removals companies at a time. The difficulty for customers is that thesesites lump ‘man-and-van’ providers together with top-flight, fully-accredited removers, and they risk leaving themselves without support if something goes wrong.”

This increased competition and sharper cost focus in thewider economy are highlighted in BAR figures that show marginally fewer removals vans on the road and decreasing staff numbers, despite the number of moves increasingslightly. “People have been packing items themselves,presumably to save costs,” notes Matt Purdie. “We have seen this quite a lot in our non-commercial business.” However,such cost control can come at a price. Boxes packed by customers need to have a full written inventory, something the removal company would do in every case were they topack, and have to be left open for checking for insurance and overseas customs purposes by the removals company.

“Insurance is an important area that people seem to neglect at the moment,” adds Steve Blackmore. “MarineTransit Insurance policies used to be taken out in 100 per cent of cases, but this seems no longer to be the case.”

Customs – changes afootCommissioning bonded, accredited removals experts ensuresthat pitfalls in service quality and coverage are avoided, particularly when it comes to customs. A destination agent – most often a network alliance partner of the domestic

by those regarded as market leaders,” says Steve Blackmore, of Fox Moving. “For us, this means having a small, tight team that knows exactly at what stage every move is at.”

Comments John Sammon, at TEAM Relocations, “TEAM has seen corporations’ requirements evolve in regards to reducing administration and cost whilst improving quality, transparency and, ultimately, the employee experience. A key focus is our flexible and integrated service-delivery model, which is tailored to each client’s requirement on a national, regional or global basis. This model and our employees’ consultative approach continue to deliver results in key areas to our clients.”

Rhonda Olsen, group sales director at Robinsons Relocation, says, “Operational openness and transparency have become the Robinsons hallmark, benefiting our customers not only by identifying costs but also by passing subsequent savings back to the client.”

Some removers are turning the internet to their advantage, offering online storage calculators that take the business to customers, wherever they may be. These service innovations, backed by the security of fully-bonded network partners and local expertise, create more-streamlined processes that carry through to a more competitive offer and a smoother move for employee and employer.

It is clear, therefore, that the resilience and professionalism that have seen the sector though previous downturns are still very much in evidence.

22 : REMOVALS WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

removers – who knows the local customs system inside out is essential. This is particularly vital now, as recent changes to customs procedures in some of the largest countries are causing chaos following recent events.

In the US – one of the busiest relocation routes – a notification was issued by the US government in mid-November, ahead of what is, traditionally, one of the busiest times of year. This has embargoed the import of personal effects and household goods cargo – on passenger planes, at least. Russia, too, has made, and is still making, significant changes to its customs procedures on the basis of efficiency. Reducing the number of customs depots and personnel, it introduced, in summer 2010, a new €4 levy per kilo on imports, making importing personal items more expensive and time consuming, hampered also by concerns that customs officials are estimating the weight of belongings overzealously.

For those employers and expats tempted to go it alone, especially those who are trimming their relocation packages towards more local deals, such changes, and the current uncertainty, represent a potentially costly, worrying and time-consuming route, with costs likely to exceed somewhat any expected savings.

Rising to the challengeRemovals firms are finding that the key to differentiating themselves from the competition starts with accreditation of respected and recognised national and international bodies, like FIDI/FAIM and BAR. Companies are now also “focusing on ensuring a level of service above and beyond that offered

0208 256 1730corporate@britannia-movers.co.uk

www.britannia-movers.co.uk

Moving you closerto your dreams

For the latest on removals, see www.relocatemagazine.com, and refer your employees to www.smartmoverelocate.com

23DEVELOPMENT :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

Fiona Murchie attended the CIPD National Conference, and came away with some bright ideas – and magic – to inject into the relocation equation.

To be honest, I often struggle to find sessions of relevence to managing international assignments and relocation

when I scan conference programmes, but that is part of the joy of visiting these occasions on behalf of Re:locate – discovering the new trends and exploring the potential of ideas that can be applied to the relocation context. I usually fall back on the advice of an esteemeed journalist and academic, who advised me, many years ago, to do what she did and attend what really interests you.

Over the past six years, I have tried to bring you some of the inspirational people, trends and ideas that will not only help engage the staff you are relocating but also add to your own professional development. As I hear stories of HR professionals who can’t even find the budget for the train fare to attend a conference, let alone the delegate fee, I bring you a taste of some of the delights that were on offer at this year’s CIPD conference, attended by XXX delegates, including XXXinternational attendees. I also bring you hope, because, for the price of a book or two, you can inject some real innovation and creativity into managing mobility, and give yourself a huge boost of energy into the bargain.

There was, literally, magic in the air when Richard Wiseman took to the stage to deliver a highly entertaining and impactful seminar on Creating Your Own Happiness: the science of luck. Professor Wiseman started his working life as an award-winning professional magician before pursuing an academic career. He has now established an international reputation for his research into unusual areas of psychology. His research has featured on over 150 television programmes, including Horizon (BBC) and Body Shock (Channel 4), and he is regularly heard on BBC Radio 4.

Professor Wiseman’s bestselling book The Luck Factor documents his ten-year research project into the psychology of luck. Armed with this evidence, you can start to put your international assignees, relocatees and their families on the trail of success, and ensure they have the luck, and the psychological tools, to function effectively in the new location.

Simply adapt Professor Wiseman’s ‘Luck School’ principles to guide assignees into doing something different, to break routine and shift perception of their next move, urge them to keep a relocation diary of positives, avoid a fatalistic mindset, and instil a gratitude attitude. His latest book, 59 Seconds: think a little, change a lot, debunks some popular self-help myths.

1. Group brainstorming is a bad idea; instead, brainstorm individually, and then come together.

2. Behave like a stressed person and you will be more stressed,

but behave like a calm person and you will be calm.3. Visualising your perfect future doesn’t help; instead,

visualise yourself taking the first steps to achieve your goal.

Harnessing diversityNowadays, everyone is impacted by globalisation, and probably mergers, acquisitions and strategic partnerships are firmly on the agenda at your organisation. Fons Trompenaars is renouned as a cross-cultural expert and famous for his international best-seller Riding the waves of culture: understanding cultural diversity in business, which underpins the thinking behind most professionals working with international teams. To attend his masterclass, Riding the Waves of Innovation: harnessing the power of culture to drive creativity and growth, was something special, and his audience left the conference inspired and energised.

Mr Trompenaars claims 70 per cent of mergers and acquisitions across borders fail partly because of cultural issues, and therefore innovative ideas are required to combine values and staff in a culturally smart way. His solution is to harness diversity, look at how to combine opposites, and use innovation as a process to take advantage of diverse values.

In his new book, The Global M & A Tango: how to reconcile cultural differences in mergers, acquisitions and strategic

partnerships, Mr Trompenaars recommends a four-step approach:

1. Recognise – increase awareness.2. Respect – appreciate cultural differences.3. Reconcile – resolve cultural differences.4. Realise and root - implement reconciling actions.

The proposition is that ‘innovative leaders have the propensity and competence to

help organisations and their teams reconcile dilemmas for sustainable innovation’. Mr

Trompenaars also makes tangible the concept of ‘synectics’, the powerful force that is increasingly being

recognised in organisations and alliances, and which willbe the great hope for bringing us out of recession. Innovative companies like Apple have it in abundance,and there are many creative SMEs you can learn from and work with, too.

Keynote speaker Ram Charan explored the theme of putting people before numbers. He urged HR to become the champions of talent and the trustees of the people side of business by recognising the potential in future leaders. Find out more in his new book The Talent Masters: why smart leaders put people before numbers, published in January 2011, and watch out for Re:locate’s masterclasses in 2011.

Luck, happiness –and making a difference

24 : COUNTRY PROFILE WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

With a new political wind blowing across Russia’s great expanse, what can prospective

Russian Federation? Ruth Holmes investigates.

Russia has a name for itself as one of the more challenging of the high-growth BRIC emerging developed

economies, having been blighted by decades of infrastructure neglect resulting from chronic underinvestment. Vladimir Putin’s reforms brought Russia back from the brink following its 1998 currency crisis, achieving the objective of securing energy superpower status and setting the Federation on the fast track to economic success. Until 2008, Russia’s annual GDP growth touched 10 per cent – fuelled by its vast natural resources feeding the insatiable global demand for raw materials, particularly from its BRIC compatriots Indiaand China.

While Putin’s bullish diplomatic stance did little to court foreign investors, the mothballed production lines in Soviet-era factories rolled once more. Projections for the Federation’s growth remain resilient and almost uniformly encouraging – in part a testament to the country’s handling of the crisis and its natural resource advantages. This led the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in October 2010, to upgrade Russia’s growth prospects to 4.5 per cent this year, with the manufacturing sector set to grow even faster.

Open for overseas business?The IMF’s renewed optimism – significant for overseas investors, such as those in the UK, one of the largest foreign investors in the Federation, worth around £10bn annually – stems from President Medvedev’s announcement of a radical shift from Putin’s economic legacy. Revealing plans to diversify Russia’s economy from its reliance on energy, amid the Duma’s [Russia’s lower house of parliament] fears for

long-term growth, the Federation’s leadership seems now actively to be encouraging foreign investment, recognising it as fundamental to Russia’s economic future.

The first stage in this process is reversing centralised control, with plans for a $50bn privatisation, in full or part, of Russia’s energy and infrastructure assets, banking and telecommunications. This move may also enhance Russia’s ranking in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, where it currently languishes in the bottom 10 per cent. Qualifying the IMF’s thumbs-up in autumn 2010, analyst Poul Thomsen explained, “The overarching challenge facing Russian policymakers is to boost potential growth by improving the investment climate. There is a need for fundamental reforms, not least in the public sector, to curtail interference of the public sector on all levels of economic decision making … This is the key to achieving modernisation and diversification of the economy.”

The international business community, which had often complained of bullying and intimidation by state-owned firms, has also universally welcomed these reforms as bringing the cross-sector opportunities afforded by the sheer scale of the country’s latent consumer market one step closer to realisation.

Boosting competitivenessEarlier reforms to make Russia a more appealing place for overseas investors are already paying dividends. Changes to the property registration process and tax payments, for example, have been moving Russia slowly up the rankings of the annual Doing Business surveys compiled and published by

in the Russian Federation

Photograph: Intermark Relocation Services in Russia

ensure businesses seeking facilities in Russia can communicate through local staff.

Besides the production plant and operatives, the facilities at Yarolslavl include modern offices occupied by local staff and managers, plus support engineering. Together with the network of approved builders and strong relationshipsLindab-Astron has with architects, consultants and otherprofessional advisers, this allows the organisation to bring together a bespoke team, where necessary, to service clients wishing to build premises in Russia.

In order to service international businesses planning cross-border projects, such as UK companies investing in, or relocating to, Russia, Lindab-Astron has a Key Accounts Division that provides construction services and coordination.Using support from the Yarolslavl team and Russian builders,together with their insights into the relevant legislation, it ismaking massive efficiency improvements to the build process,cutting the build time by half and delivering significantbenefits in the process in terms of early occupancy.

Such partnerships are emblematic of the possibilities forinternational companies.

Increasing numbers of overseas and Russian companiesare seeking efficient, purpose-built buildings, such as manufacturing plants, warehouses, commercial units and offices. They frequently locate themselves in one of the many new business parks that are being developed across this huge country, in one of the rapidly-evolving business zones.

To keep pace with the changes in Russia, Lindab-Astronhas built and maintained strong relationships with the developers of industrial parks, real-estate advisers, respectedconsultants and local authorities. This is enabling the company to combine global know-how with local knowledgeto deliver significant efficiency savings. Its work with Komatsu, for example, reduced the actual construction time for this production facility by up to 50 per cent.

This example shows what opportunities there are for both Russian and British businesses, especially taking into account the benefits in terms of early occupancy, one-source supplyand budget requirements.

ConclusionAs the statistics and other evidence show, operating a businessin Russia is by no means easy. However, the recent legislativeand political changes look set to dismantle at least some of the key state-influenced obstacles to business performance andare a clear sign that Russia regards itself as very much open to overseas investment.

Companies like Lindab-Astron are on hand as trustedpartners backed by a demonstrable track record of success inRussia and across Europe, to advise and work with investors looking to set up operations. Combining a more benign statewith private-sector innovation and expertise, investors in Russia can look forward to a future very much built on firmfoundations – at least as strong as those that withstood therecent global downturn – and realise the economic promise this vast market holds, as befits its BRIC status.

For information on building in Russia, see next page.

To find out more about the service Lindab-Astron offers, please visit www.astron.biz. Alternatively, please call Mark Kirby on +44 (0)7748 335725, or email M.KIRBY@astron.biz

25COUNTRY PROFILE :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

the World Bank and International Fund for Reconstructionand Development. Visa requirements have also been relaxed,especially for the specialists with the technical know-how to help Russian businesses grow.

Such measures have helped UK investment in Russia grow21 per cent year on year, according to government body UKTrade and Investment (UKTI), which advises UK exportersin Russia. Over 1,000 British companies like Rolls-Royce,JCB, HSBC, Marks & Spencer and Monsoon, as well as manyin the energy and financial and professional services sectors,are already well established here. And it’s not just the UK’sengineering and high-street icons that are blazing the trail.

Highlighting the plentiful opportunities across many sectors, companies as diverse as toy distributor RenArt and Delta AG, asupplier of graffiti-removing technology, are flying the Britishflag in the Russian Federation. A wealth of opportunities is also on offer in the biotechnology and engineering and service sectors, not least with the capacity and services required for Sochi’s hosting of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Cutting bureaucracy and

At the same time, Russia lags behind its competitors in terms of the ease of building premises and dealing withconstruction permits. World Bank figures show that it takes, on average, 704 days to build a warehouse – another example of the bureaucracy that has bedevilled foreign investors and exacerbates Russia’s productivity shortfall. Setting up and registering a company and property may be relatively straightforward, but securing premises that will maximise competitive advantage and serve the local market can be far more difficult.

Owning fit-for-purpose modern premises from whichto operate, and which are of fundamental importance ascollateral in raising essential investment capital for further expansion, is a turnkey issue for many investors. Companies such as plant equipment manufacturer Komatsu, and furniture manufacturers and suppliers Mebel and Kronostar, are just some that have maximised their opportunities by partneringwith a reputable supplier of bespoke, purpose-built pre-engineered buildings.

One company that has expanded into the Russian marketvery successfully, and that can advise and provide for UK firmslooking to invest in Russia, is Lindab-Astron, Europe’s largestmanufacturer of commercial and industrial steel buildings,established in over 40 countries, operating for more than 45 years, and having completed in excess of 50 million square metres.

Lindab-Astron’s headquarters, combined with one of its manufacturing plants, are situated in Diekirch, Luxembourg, with production facilities also located in Prerov, Czech Republic, and the newest addition completed during 2009 inYarolslavl, which lies some 155 miles north east of Moscow.The manufacturing facilities are highly-automated plants affording high-quality production, where virtually all the main components of each building are provided, to avoid the need for multi planning and purchasing by the customer. Businessesand developers take confidence and the benefit of combining Western European standards produced and delivered in Russia.

The company has nine engineering offices throughoutEurope, one of these being in the UK. This is situated in Kirkcaldy (Scotland), while the southern UK district manager, Mark Kirby, is based in Epping, Essex, to provide interface within this country and coordinate with the Astron team to

26 : COUNTRY PROFILE WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

Building in Russia: partnering Astron

Key benefits

customers’ needs

approach ensures a faster time from project conception to completion compared with traditional construction

dimensioning to suit customer requirements

Services

Astron buildings are constructed under the close management of the Key Accounts Division whilst supported by local building contractors to offer a complete turnkey solution to end customers and their architects. Lindab-Astron can provide assistance through the support team and consultants or advisers to

regulations

Clients benefit from an international resource combined with the skills of a local expert who offers a single-source solution to their building requirements.

Printing facilities for Pareto Print in Central Russia Mark Kirby of Astron (right) assessing building plans

Products

SSB: tailor-made single-storey buildings

integration of traditional construction materials,such as glass, wood and brickwork, into Astron building façades, to suit architects’ and customers’ requirements

MSB: tailor-made multi-storey buildings

companies

Locations

As well as its manufacturing facilities in Russia, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic, Astron has nine engineering offices, staffed by over 200 engineers. All its manufacturing sites have their own engineering units.

Additional engineering offices are located in:

Budapest (Hungary)Kirkcaldy (UK)Mainz (Germany)Paris (France)Nyiregyhaza (Hungary)Warsaw (Poland)

Representative offices are located in:

Bucharest (Romania)Kiev (Ukraine)Minsk (Belarus)Moscow (Russia)Padua (Italy)Vilnius (Lithuania)

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28 : COUNTRY PROFILE WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

Immigration issuesOn 1 July 2010, Russia introduced a new immigration process for ‘highly-skilled’ workers. The new process, available for limited companies or branch offices (but notrepresentative offices) is much simpler, less intrusive andfaster than the ‘standard’ work-permit process, which wasextremely tedious and administrative. Companies withoperations in Russia got quite excited. But how does itreally work? And does it really solve anything?

The standard work-permit application process is as follows (with average timing for each step in brackets):

1. Labour Forecast and Quota – Before it can begin to think about work permits, the Russian entity mustforecast foreign labour needs for the coming year (by 1 May of the previous year), in order to obtain anallocated quota of places for foreign workers.

2. Work Force Demand (4 weeks) – The position must be advertised for 30 days, to prove that there are no suitable local Russian workers available.

3. Company Work Permit (4 weeks) – A blanket permission to employ a foreigner of a designated nationality in a designated position must be obtained. This can cover more than one employee.

4. Personal Work Permit (4 weeks) – Permission for theindividual employee.

5. Work Visa Invitation Letter (2–4 weeks) – An invitationletter for the individual based on the above personalwork permit.

6. Consular Visa (1–5 days) – This application is made,using the invitation letter, to the Russian embassy orconsulate in the country of residence. The visa will be valid for 30 days, single entry.

7. Arrive in Russia and have a medical – Seven medical tests, at a local Russian clinic: for AIDS, syphilis,leprosy, chlamydia, chancres, tuberculosis, and addictionto narcotics.

8. Visa Extension and Registration (2–4 weeks) – Thepassport is submitted to the Russian authorities and thevisa converted to multiple entry and extended to up to one year.

9. Contract Notifications – The authorities must now benotified of the start of the employment contract.

10. Ongoing notifications of entry and exit – Every time the foreign national exits his or her region of residencein Russia, the authorities must be notified within two days. Notification of entry to Russia, if exiting and re-entering, must be made within three days of arrival.

The Highly Skilled Worker Process allows a company to bypass steps 1, 2, 3, 7 (the medical) and 8 above, saving at least 12 weeks and providing a lifeline for companies that have failed to submit the labour forecast. In addition,personal work permits and visas can be issued for up to three years, avoiding the time-consuming and costlyrenewal process. Perhaps the biggest relief of all is the avoidance of the dreadful medical test, which requires the would-be work-permit holder to trail round Russianpolyclinics (no going to the American health centre) tobe examined for STDs and to have a little piece of paper stamped seven times.

There must be a catch, right? Well … yes. To qualify as ‘highly skilled’, the single most important criterion isthat the foreigner is paid at least two million rubles (aboutUS$65,000) – in Russia. Tax at 13 per cent must be paid onthis, and the Russian company is required to make quarterlydeclarations regarding the salary and tax payments.

Is it worth it? The new process is very much easier,both for the employing company and for the employee – but companies will have to weigh up the pros and cons of paying so much salary in the Russian territory.Source: Pro-Link Global, www.pro-linkglobal.com

Doing business in RussiaRussia has a long history of excellence in art, literature and philosophy. Russians are proud of their country’scontribution to European culture, and it is courteous to recognise this. To develop relations with your Russian contacts, you need at least the basics of the language andsome understanding of the culture before your first visit.If you are going to live there or do business regularly, it is important to learn the Cyrillic alphabet, or you willnot be able to read even signs and notices. Do make the effort, as you cannot expect all Russians to speak English. Many senior personnel do not, so it is advisable to take a professional interpreter to significant meetings.

Meeting Russian colleagues for the first time will be successful if everyone understands the differences between business practices in the two countries. A firm handshake and a serious, well-planned meeting are expected. Small talk, first names, smiling or joking are not part of theRussian business environment until the participants know each other well. Contracts and minutes will be scrutinised,and translations of these must be done very accurately.When socialising, however, Russians expect everyone torelax and enjoy a shared meal or drink.

Russian is a flexible and subtle language that can express poetry from the soul, describe the beauty ofnature, and enable clear, solid technical instructions for

environment, Russia poses many challenges, both practical and cultural. We asked someexperts for their advice on getting the most out of an assignment here.

Operating successfully in Russia

g

29COUNTRY PROFILE :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

building space ships or deep ore mines. It is essential to adopt the right tone and style in your documents. Business communication in Russia needs to be clear, factual and relevant. It is crucial that marketing, technical and legal documents are properly translated by an experienced translator who understands what the modern Russianbusiness man or woman expects.Source: Robertson Languages International,www.robertsonlanguages.co.uk

cities face the future

Outside Moscow, the major cities are St Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod, to the west, and Novosibirsk andEkaterinburg, towards the south east. The principalindustries of these city regions include food and beverages, machine engineering and metal processing, energy, non-ferrous metals, chemicals, and construction materials.

The rising economic tide has raised standards of livingacross most of the country. While upmarket boutiques are now a feature on the high streets of Russia’s top five cities, and frequent international flights the norm at regional airports, quality of life is markedly different from thecapital city’s.

St Petersburg is acting on Russia’s goal of attractingmore foreign direct investment. A new high-speed train

link will cut the commute between Helsinki, Tallinand St Petersburg to three hours, with annual passenger traffic between the cities expected to rise from 400,000to 1.2 million. British-American Tobacco, Ernst & Young and GlaxoSmithKline Healthcare are just some of the more than 100 UK concerns in the St Petersburgregion. Hyundai opened a new car plant here in theautumnNizhny Novgorod is situated “at the crossroads of the European part of Russia”, with excellent transport links to the rest of Europe, to the west, the Indiansubcontinent, to the south, and China, to the east.Traditionally the centre for the Russian automobileindustry, Nizhny Novgorod has an educated workforce,scientific research facilities, and over 300 small, high-tech companies, and is attracting foreign investors likeLiebherr and Saint-GobainNovosibirsk is Siberia’s thriving business centre. A highly-educated workforce, together with a legacy of technological and scientific expertise and renowned academic institutes, means it was well placed for technology investors like Intel and IBMEkaterinburg’s major industries are machinery, metal processing, and ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. The Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and numerous scientific research institutes andestablishments, are situated in Ekaterinburg, Russia’sfifth-largest city

30 : COUNTRY PROFILE WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

Olympic-sized opportunities Demonstrating the scale of the business opportunities available in Russia is the development work currently underway in the Black-Sea coastal city of Sochi – a territory larger than Moscow – in preparation for its hosting of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

The Russian government is using the 2014 Games as acatalyst for development of the city and the whole regionof Krasnodar Krai. Its aim is to create a sustainable long-term legacy that boosts the currently largely-domestic local tourism industry by improved facilities and the region’simminent global exposure to:

destination

ski jumping centre

domestically for the future

There are plans for the development of two clusters – one coastal and one in the mountains – and the construction of 16 new and remodelling of ten existing hotels as theregion seeks to realise its latent consumer market and theleisure opportunities increased wealth brings.

The delivery of such ambitious plans requires a number of other complex infrastructure projects, for example: morethan 100 kilometres of railway lines, including a high-speed rail link between Adler and Moscow; 75 kilometres of highways; 19 flyovers; 20 tunnels; and a port with capacity for ten ships and 300 yachts, plus goods terminalsand port stations. Airport capacity is also doubling totake 2,500 passengers an hour, split four-fifths and a fifth between domestic and international flights.

The Russian public sector, which is financing around 70 per cent of the work, has stated that it is keen towork with leading UK companies operating the latesttechnologies in construction, design and engineering services, project management, security equipment,security control management, legal advice, sound and broadcasting equipment, telecommunications equipment, environmentally-friendly vehicles, and equipment for theParalympic Games and for people with disabilities, as well as education services.

In 2009, the then UK Trade and Investment Ministerand the Russian Minister of Regional Development signeda Host2Host Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Russia. This provides a platform for sharinginformation on strategies and programmes, maximisingtrade development and inward investment arising from theOlympic and Paralympic Games.

A number of British firms have already won contractsto work on the Sochi Games. They are involved in the plans for both competition and non-competition venues, design ofindividual sports venues, construction project management, provision of legal, financial and strategic communicationsadvice, and supply of construction equipment.Source: UK Trade & Investment Sector briefing: Olympic opportunities in Russia

Living in MoscowLondon has the M25, Moscow has the Garden Ring road– an outer ring road that marks the physical boundary of Moscow’s city centre and its extensive suburbs. Because most expat workers tend to stay within close travelling distance of their workplace, many overseas workers do not go beyond this boundary in their search for accommodation.

As well as proximity to work, another considerationfor accommodation location is Moscow’s Metro system. This frequent and efficient network runs from 5.20 am until 1 am, and radiates out across the city centre via 180 or so stations, many of which are renowned for their rich cultural heritage and opulence. Moscow, like other world cities, has major traffic and parking problems, so mostexpats rely on the Metro system for getting around.

Accommodation is mainly apartments. Standards andfacilities tend to be largely uniform across Moscow’s tendistricts, each of which offers supermarkets, restaurants,gyms and other services. Expat workers tend to stay in one of the five neighbourhoods: Tverskaya, Patriarshiya Prudy, Novy Arbat, Ostozhenka and Chistye Prudy.

“Those moving to Moscow who have had little to noexperience in Russia are often surprised that there are no homes in Moscow proper,” says Rick Moncher, of MoscowStar, a lettings agent that counts many multinationalsamong its clientele. “Everyone lives in a flat. Those relocating to Moscow typically prefer the Tverskaya area. Although only about 2 kilometres long, Tverskaya is the main street of Moscow that starts around Mayakovskaya Square and travels through Pushkin Square and ends at theentrance to Red Square and the Kremlin.

“For those without children, this hectic area covers mostof the main tourist sites, as well as thousands of dining,shopping, and nightlife options, so it is very desirable. For those with families and/or offices far from this main area,other areas are usually sought out for the long term.”

Says Irina Yakimenko, of Intermark, “Moscow offers anincredible cultural and living experience which is definitelyworth trying!”

Western-style expat housing compounds are also beingdeveloped outside the Garden Ring road and offer 24-hoursecurity, but these often have waiting lists. The south westof the city is also reportedly more sheltered from the dust and poor air quality that blight Moscow.

Expats living the high life?Expatriate workers in Russia enjoy the best financialstandard of living, according to the latest HSBC Expat Explorer survey. The nation topped the overall table, whichaveraged 3,100 employees’ annual and disposable incomes, ability to save and possession of luxury items across more than 20 destinations and 29 sectors.

Helped by Russia’s universal 13 per cent rate ofpersonal income tax, expatriate workers are often onattractive packages, because Russia can be a difficultcountry to relocate to, and because of the sectors present – financial and professional services and energy companies – requiring highly-qualified workers with specific skills.

Assignees to Moscow are met by high prices, especially for rented accommodation, clothes and food. However, many stillearn enough to have domestic help, for example, nannies and cleaners, as well as to save, as the HSBC survey highlights.

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WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Enter the Re:locate Awards today!

With the closing date for entering this year’s awards fast approaching, we find out from some of last year’s winners how their award has benefited them and their organisation, and show you how to follow in their footsteps.

In difficult economic times, it’s more important than ever to share expertise and celebrate innovation and success. Showcase your achievements by taking part in relocation’s most prestigious awards.

Here, some of our 2009/10 winners tell us what their victory has meant to them, and to their companies. We hope their example will inspire you to enter this year’s Re:locate Awardsand share the secrets of your success!

Turn to p34 for details of how to enter.It’s easy – and free.

32 : AWARDS WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

Sponsors:Relocate Your Thinking

Award categories1. Best Relocation Strategy/Policy

Sponsored byInterdean International Relocation

2. Technological Innovationin RelocationSponsored by MoveAssist International

3. Inspirational HR/Corporate Team of the YearSponsored by Cartus

4. Relocation Service Provider orTeam of the YearSponsored by Newland Chase

5. Best Property Provider or SolutionSponsored by Fully Furnished

6. Rising Star in RelocationSponsored by Roomservice by CORT

7. Relocation Personalityof the YearSponsored by SIRVA Relocation

8. Green AchievementNEW AWARD!Sponsored byConnells Relocation Services

9. Excellence in Employee Support NEW AWARD!

10. Best InternationalDestination Services ProviderNEW AWARD!Sponsored byNatWest Global Employee Banking

Key dates:

Closing date for entries: 18 February 2011

Gala Awards Dinner: May 2011

33AWARDS :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

HR accoladeOrganisations of all types and sizes derive huge benefit from entering the awards.

Says Sandra Barker, manager of the team that won the 2009/10 award for Best Relocation Strategy/Policy and was highly commended in the Inspirational HR Team of the Year category, “The pleasure derived from winning the Re:locate Awards has lasted, as the trophies are prominently displayed. To us, they are recognition of the responsiveness, innovation, care and many, many hours of hard work it takes to create an environment to encourage people to relocate willingly.

“The benefits for HR from winning are receivingexternal recognition, engendering pride in ourselves, andthe successful melding of the skills and expertise of the cross-functional team.”

Previous winners of the Best Relocation Strategy/Policy category are PricewaterhouseCoopers (2007/8) and Jones Lang LaSalle (2008/9). According to Jones Lang LaSalle’s Shameel Ahmed, the greatest benefit of winning the award is its contribution to that crucial internal buy in. Combined with internal initiatives, he says, it has enabled his team to counter any initial internal cynicism about their new policy and played an important part in promoting mobility throughout the organisation.

Jane Mabbitt, a member of the Ernst & Young team named Inspirational HR Team of the Year at the 2008/9 awards, says the award has helped promote their Global Exchange Program and further strengthen leadership buy in, a key issue in her organisation. “At Ernst & Young, teaming, integrity, and leadership excellence are not just things we talk about, but part of everything we do. That’s why we were so keen to participate in the Re:locate Awards, and so delighted to win.”

However, these awards aren’t just for HR professionals: there’s plenty of scope for those on the supplier side, too.

Previous supplier category winners have found that their award has helped to establish their brand within the relocation industry. Says Rebecca Hollants van Loocke, of serviced accommodation provider Ascott, “Winning the Re:locate award for Best Property Provider or Solution was a tremendous achievement for Ascott. For our global growth, and high service standards to be recognised by the relocation industry is of special importance to us, as we understand the value of partnering with the relocation industry, and it is our aim for such partnerships to continue to grow.”

Alistair Murray, of removals company Robinsons International, focuses on the motivational power of winning. “We were extremely proud when it was announced we had won the Relocation Service Provider or Team of the Year award. At Robinsons, we are driven to challenge the industry norms to bring better services to the industry. To have that innovation recognised and rewarded supports our passion

Professionalendorsements:

Supporters

THE RELOCATIONUSERS GROUP

How to enter: three easy steps

34 : AWARDS WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

1. Visit www.relocatemagazine.com for details of categories, and to sign up for our awards webinars and the special awards edition of Re:locate Extra, our e-newsletter.

2. Download and complete an entry form.

3. Submit your completed entry form by email.

You can enter yourself, your team, your company, or an organisationthat deserves recognition. Entry is free.

Our winners will be presented with their trophies at the annualGala Awards Dinner, now established as the highlight of the relocation calendar.

for making our customers’ lives easier. Winning was a momentous milestone in the Robinsons 2010 diary.”

Move One’s Jon Harman emphasises the marketing benefits of winning. “The nomination and award created a tremendous marketing and PR opportunity. We continue to get positive PR mileage out of the award, even several months later. And all we had to do was complete an application! The effort has been dwarfed by the reward.”

New sponsors and supportersWe’re thrilled that NatWest Global Employee Banking has joined the list of companies keen to support this year’s Re:locate Awards. It is sponsoring the new Best International Destination Services Provider category.

Says Neil Barsby, “Destination services providers are key to successful relocations and settling employees. We are pleased to sponsor the international professionals who make such a significant contribution to the lives of individuals and the success of global business. At NatWest Global, we understand the value of providing the highest standards of professionalism and customer care in today’s fast-moving corporate environment.”

MoveAssist International is again sponsoring the award for Technological Innovation in Relocation. Robby Wogan says, “We’re proud to encourage new technological advances. As previous winners of this category, we know the opportunities winning the award brings, and look forward to seeing the winners of this year’s award benefiting from them as we have done.”

Pricoa Relocation and the European Relocation Association (EuRA) are the latest organisations to sign up as supporters of the awards. Says Pricoa’s Stephen Fairn, “Pricoa Relocation is proud to be a supporter of the 2010/11Re:locate Awards. There is something for everyone, and it is terrific that Re:locate continues to provide a vehicle for all service providers, HR teams and inspirational individuals to shine and celebrate their successes.”

EuRA president Helmut Berg says, “We are delighted to see a new category dedicated to international destination services providers. We feel very much in tune with the ethos of Re:locate and its focus on quality, and wish the 2010/2011 awards every success.”

Why you must enter!Managing international assignments is a complex process. Organisations like the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) are promoting the role of HR as a business partner, highlighting the valuable part professionals like you play in corporate success.

The Re:locate Awards present the perfect opportunity to showcase how you and your team have been coping with current economic challenges. No team is too big, or too small. Show us, for example, how you’re adapting to the current climate. Perhaps you’re doing the same – or more – with a reduced budget, or managing short-term assignments or business commutes instead of long-term assignments. You can highlight ‘work in progress’, not just completed projects.

Our three new awardsTo mark the fourth year of these prestigious awards, three new categories are being launched.

Green Achievement – Open to any type of organisation involved in relocation, on the corporate or supplier side. If your company has excelled in environmental initiatives and practices – perhaps by having green buildings and facilities, empowering staff to become greener, using renewable energy, reducing and/or recycling waste, and/or implementing green travel and transport policies – this is the award for youExcellence in Employee and Family Support – Open to individuals and organisations, from any sector, who provide a specialist service to relocating employees and their families. Education consultants, schools, childcare services and immigration consultants, plus providers of language tuition, cross-cultural support and concierge services, are just some of the specialists who may wish to enter this categoryBest International Destination Services Provider – Open to all individuals and small companies (up to and including 20 employees) involved in supporting international moves. You will need to demonstrate excellence in delivering core DSP services, including orientation, home search, settling-in and departures, and any other subsidiary services you may offer, such as school search and cultural awareness

So enter the Re:locate awards today – and show you’re a winner!

35RECRUITMENT :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

In today’s tough recruitment market, both jobseekersand employers need all the help they can get.

Jobseekers have to stand out from the crowd by producing relevant, targeted applications, while employers – inundated with speculative CVs and applications from unsuitable candidates – need an effective way of sortingthe wheat from the chaff.

If you need an employee with specialist skills, or are seeking a job in a particular field, a niche online jobs boardis well worth considering. In most cases, candidates can register to receive email updates alerting them to posts thatmeet their criteria, and apply direct to advertisers via anemailable form. A searchable jobs database makes the search process quick and easy. Online management systems allowadvertisers to add, edit and archive vacancies, and manage and track applications.

In this 24/7 age, online jobs boards can be accessed at any time of day – especially useful for those who are working full time and would otherwise struggle to find opportunities forjob hunting, and for time-pressed recruitment managers and consultants.

Simon Richardson, of Total Reward Solutions, sees nichejobs boards as the way forward. “We want quality of applicants rather than quantity. By targeting those in the know, nichejobs boards make it easier – and quicker – for advertisers and candidates alike to find what they’re looking for.”

Specialist resourceThe Re:locate jobs board has a fresh new look and improvedefunctionality. As the only targeted jobs board for relocation, it features UK and international vacancies throughout the globalmobility and relocation sectors, and is used both by employers advertising direct and by recruitment consultancies.

New functions for advertisers include the ability to search Re:locate’s extensive database of high-quality pre-registeredecandidates. It’s also easier than before to upload vacancies andpay online.

As well as benefiting from an improved search facility (by keyword, position, category, salary and/or location), jobseekers can now upload different versions of their CV and covering letter, track applications, and take advantageof the new Job Alert email service. High-profile companies, and even small and medium-sized enterprises, are expandinginternationally and opening in emerging markets. Re:locate’sespecialist readership is a perfect fit for international roles.

So if you’re looking for global mobility, internationalassignment and international HR candidates or relocation professionals, why not get the right person for the job – and save money – by advertising your vacancies on the Re:locatejobs board?

To register vacancies, go to www.relocatemagazine.com, or call 01892 891334. Jobseekers should register via the website.

Our specialist jobs board relaunched!

Re:locate’s specialist jobs board, which is dedicated to matching relocation vacancies across the profession – HR, corporate and supplierpositions – with the right candidates. With growing international markets and HRopportunities overseas, there is huge potential for Re:locate to help you advertise ande

Business Development ManagerFarnham Castle Intercultural Training

Relocation Management ConsultantMoveAssist International

Group International MobilityDirector, ParisRed Recruit

International Mobility SpecialistHuxley Associates

FS Expatriate Tax Senior ManagerBrewer Morris

Global Mobility SpecialistCarr-Lyons Search & Selection

Relocation ConsultantPrimacy Relocation

Business Development ManagerRoomservice by CORT

JOBS: www.relocatemagazine.comCurrent vacancies – at a range of salaries,and in a variety of locations – include:

Pricoa Relocation’s Anna Barker looks at three current trends and considers their implications for the future of relocation and the provision of destination services.

The world of relocation has changed significantly over the last five to ten years, along with the nature of employee

assignments and the key stakeholders involved in supporting and servicing international transferees. As the complexity of policies has increased, so has the need for a better understanding of the level of support required by HR clients, and a more savvy approach to selecting the right providers.

At the same time, as a result of the current trends in the market, culminating in the most severe financial crisis of the last 20 years, additional emphasis on suppliers’ stability – both financial and operational – began to emerge. So did the need to demonstrate capabilities in controlling and managing risk and regulatory compliance. Three major trends have become apparent (see box).

Winning business, over the next five years, will depend on how effectively suppliers manage their resources and capabilities to continue to improve on service delivery in a world of increasing expectations, while, at the same time, demonstrating compliance in areas such as quality processes, cost-containment strategies, risk and regulatory compliance,

which are becoming more and more prominent in being able to acquire clients.

Read the full version of Anna Barker’s article onwww.relocatemagazine.com

Evolution in the bid management process

36 : SERVICE DELIVERY WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

Trends

Cost containmentA clear increase in the proportion of content for areas relating to demonstrating cost-saving and cost-containment strategies over and above delivery of services. This has been, primarily, a consequence of the tight economic environment of recent years and the increasing involvement of Procurement as a business partner to HR. It has been more dominant in the context of global bids, but has also crept into destination services bids.

Quality processesThe development in the level of maturity of the industry, and a closer partnership between Procurement and HR, has also been driving the need for organisations to understand better how their providers continuously monitor quality of service in supporting both HR and the company’s assignees.

Risk and regulatory complianceThe recent crisis has accelerated the need for providers to be able to demonstrate financial stability, robustness of internal controls and compliance in key areas such as anti-money laundering and data protection. The proportion of content in these areas has also increased dramatically over the last seven years, and will continue to feature prominently in future tendering processes.

Possible implications for future needs

cost-reduction strategies at all levels, not just a demonstration of service-delivery excellence

develop capabilities to shift the nature of their relationship from transactional to advocacy in partnering with their current and future clients

will continue to be key and will become part of suppliers’ key competencies in delivering destination services

and will link to the trend above to extend to being able to measure value in terms of cost savings

resources dedicated to it, will become a prerequisite in being able to do business with the body corporate

data and information adequately will become a competitive advantage

For children applying to independent schools, Christmas

can be more the season of stress than of cheer. Many of them will be sitting entrance exams in January or February, with the hope of starting at their chosen school in September.

These will be the schools’ own exams, usually consisting of papers in the core subjects of maths, English and science. Just over the horizon loom scholarship exams in the spring, and, in June, the Common Entrance Exam, for schools who still use this standardised test.

It is easy for parents to become as stressed as children over the papers, but it is comforting to bear in mind that many independent schools will use the exams as ‘qualifiers’ rather than ‘selectors’ – that is, they serve only to confirm that the child does have basic skills. The final offer of a place usually depends on a combination of this exam result, an interview and school reports.

The entry processEntrance to independent schools usually depends on some sort of assessment – most commonly, an exam. Obviously, the younger the child, the more informal the process, with children below the age of nine, within the English school system, at least, generally assessed on the basis of previous school reports, observation and interview.

Entry into senior school is another matter. Some independent schools, such as St Paul’s, in London, offer places to pupils from age 11 from state primary schools, if they pass a specific entrance exam. They will place them in their own preparatory (or ‘prep’) – that is, junior – school for two years, until they can enter the senior school at age 13. But the independent system is generally geared to take children from ‘feeder’ preps at age 13.

Children coming from outside this system can also apply at age 13, and often take a slightly different entrance paper, which will take into account the fact that the curriculum they have been following will have been different from that of a prep school.

Entrance is possible at age 16, too, after GCSEs and before the start of A-level courses, usually on the basis of exams in the subjects that the student wants to offer for A level, and, for non-English students, an English-language exam.

Entrance at other ages is usually problematic, with many schools reluctant to take children into Year 10 (once GCSE courses are underway), or midway through A-level courses.

The exam itself is only the beginning of the end of a long process that should have started months (in the case of more-popular schools, years) earlier with the parents registering

an interest with the school they have chosen. This usually involves paying a non-returnable deposit (which can range from under £100 to several hundred pounds).

Types of entrance examOnce their interest is registered, parents are told when entrance exams are to be held, what type they will be – either the Common Entrance Exam (CEE), or the school’s own exams – and what the arrangements to sit them will be. This is particularly relevant if applying from abroad.

Tonbridge School, in Kent, for instance, takes a sizeable proportion of its boys from overseas, in particular from China and Hong Kong. It makes provision for these candidates to take its own entrance papers in English and maths at British Council offices overseas, or, for Chinese candidates, at the offices of Academic Asia, an agency which places Chinese students overseas.

But while these exams for overseas students are held in the November prior to the year when they will start, pupils applying from prep schools will sit the CEE in June for admission in September. The advantage of the CEE is that it offers a standard core of papers, making it easier to compare students from different schools. Maths, English and science are, again, at its core, with pupils additionally choosing from among papers in French, German, Spanish, Latin, Greek, geography, history and religious studies.

The other advantage, particularly for parents and children, is that the child sits the exam in his or her own school, and the paper is then passed on to their first-choice senior school for marking. If that school decides that the child’s results are not good enough, it passes the paper on to the child’s second-choice school for appraisal (assuming that the second-choice school also uses the CEE as its entrance exam), and so on. This saves the child from having to sit several exams if applying to more than one school.

Entrance exams explained

37EDUCATION :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

Fiona Leney explains what relocating parents need to know about the different types, and timings, of school entrance exam.

38 : EDUCATION WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

The Common Entrance could soon change, however, with some schools preparing to scrap the 100-year-old exam amid claims it encourages ‘teaching to the test’ and destroys children’s capacity for independent thought. Many independent senior schools, such as Alleyn’s (London), Winchester (Hampshire) and Sevenoaks (Kent), have already brought in their own exams instead.

Figures from the Independent Schools Council (ISC) show that some 169 schools do still use the CEE as an entrance test – if nothing else, as a way of deciding how to ‘set’ pupils into ability-banded groups once term starts.

For more-able students, the timetable may be different again. Many schools run their own exams to determine the awarding of scholarships. These are usually held in the spring, later than schools’ own exams and before the CEE.

In some cases, however, even these entrance exams are themselves preceded by a ‘pre-assessment’ test taken at least 18 months before entry into the more-popular schools. The idea is to have a first hurdle to eliminate children who would really not be suited to, or able enough to do well at, a school.

In other words, parents who are keen for their children to attend an independent school, particularly a popular one (and, by definition, most of the over-subscribed establishments in London) may need to register interest as much as four to five years before a possible move. Add to this the fairly inflexible exam admissions timetable and problems can arise for relocating parents unless they plan well ahead.

Advice for parentsTo this end, one admissions tutor at a highly-sought-after independent school told me recently (on condition of

anonymity) that parents who know they are likely to be relocating during their careers – and are, therefore, unlikely to have the time or opportunity to visit schools and register closer to the appropriate time – would do well to pre-register their children with any schools they think they might want to apply to in the future. They could then pick which, if any, to choose when the time came.

“I’d look at booking in to three or four schools when the children are still as young as four or five. It may cost a few hundred pounds, but it should be viewed as a form of insurance policy,” the admissions tutor says.

As always, one way around the problem for the mobile expatriate is to consider international schools. Far less insistent on entry exams, and far more able to take children at any point in the school calendar, they generally use a combination of previous school reports and results, together with an interview, to offer places.

Parents considering a move into the American school system, however, need to bear in mind that both schools in the US itself and many American international schools require a standardised test to be taken. Younger children – up to fifth grade (ten years old) – will probably be required to take the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) test for lower schoolers, while older children coming into a new school from within the American system will most often take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

The state systemChildren entering the system from non-American schools take the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE). It’s relatively easy to register for and take; candidates sign up for the exams, which are held regularly, on the ERB website, and can sit the paper in a variety of capital cities listed on the same site. London, Paris and Sofia are just three options.

Here, too, there are deadlines. Registration to sit the exam varies, but can be a month to six weeks beforehand; the exam must be taken in the year that admission is required; and most schools require the exam to have been taken by the February before the child starts school – meaning, in effect, that the child must sit the exam between the September and February before entry.

Children – and parents – wanting to stay in the English state system, but still aiming for a selective school, will be able to enjoy their Christmas a little more these days, with the 11+, the exam retained by the UK’s remaining grammar schools, having been moved from January to September two years ago.

This exam varies slightly, depending on the area using it, but generally consists of a combination of verbal (English-language puzzles), non-verbal (visual and logic puzzles), maths, and sometimes an essay paper. It is the most commonly-coached-for exam in the UK, with good tutors in grammar-school areas, such as Kent, often engaged by parents as much as two years before the actual exam date.

Whether this actually does more harm or good is a moot point; children can easily be discouraged or ‘over-coached’ by endless sessions of working through past papers.

But one thing is for sure: because the 11+ format is so different from curriculum-based assessments, any child taking the exam in September should be beginning to familiarise themselves with the papers and the techniques required as of now.

Refer parents to the new Smart Move website at www.smartmoverelocate.com for information on family-related issues.

Families just know when a relocation works. Whether you are a mom or dad, toddler or teenager, HR or relocation professional, from Texas

or Tokyo, when all the pieces come together, it can deliver one of life’s most rewarding experiences. ACS understands the complex needs of

globally mobile families. We have partnered the relocation industry since 1967 to meet the many challenges that face international families

moving to London. Our campus-specific Admissions, Housing and Transport experts work closely with parent-assisted Welcome Teams,

International Groups, Parent/Teacher Organisations and Buddy programmes to create a smooth, seamless and happy transition. That is why

each year literally hundreds of families from more than 50 countries make ACS ‘the’ London solution to their educational and lifestyle needs.

To find out how we can help meet your relocation requirements, please visit www.acs-england.co.ukAlternatively, call either ACS Cobham +44 (0)1932 869744, ACS Egham +44 (0)1784 430611 or ACS Hillingdon +44 (0)1895 818402

ACS Schools are non-sectarian and co-educational (day and boarding) for students 2 to 18 years of age.

When did a school make you feel this good?

2192_3108_Relocate_ReloFeelGoodIntHS_A4_4c.qxd:Layout 1 31/8/10 15:49 Page 1

For information contact the Director of Admissions on

88 Woodside Park Road, London N12 8SH020 8920 0637 or email vrose@nlis.org

40 : EDUCATION WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

As the dust settles around the Comprehensive Spending Review, it is becoming clear that things will not be as

rosy for education as promised by the government’s pledge to increase funding for schools.

In fact, while the schools resource budget, which covers day-to-day running costs, will grow, the rise in the number of pupils will mean that spending per pupil actually falls.

Furthermore, most schools will also have their budgets cut, unless they have an unusually high number of disadvantaged children, entitling them to claim the “pupil premium” for each child eligible for free school meals.

Ironically, the pressures on the schools’ budget will be increased by Education Secretary Michael Gove’s plan to allow new schools to be created by private groups such as teachers or parents – the “free schools” plan.

The policy of setting up the new schools requires the government to pay for new school buildings – just when money is short. It is becoming clear that the money simply

Education update

.

The coalition government’s education reforms are set to have far-reaching implications for families making private-school, state-school and higher-education choices. Fiona Leney reports.

Read monthly articles by Fiona Leney on key education topics,plus schools information and advice for relocatees, atwww.smartmoverelocate.com

41EDUCATION :WINTER 2010/11 Re:locate

isn’t there to deliver the 26,000 free school places each year which was originally intended.

This is a problem for government and parents alike(especially relocating parents who want to come back in to the state system from abroad, or move around within it). Whathas become screamingly obvious over the last few months,with the publication of new data, is that there are simply notenough school places – and the situation will become worse.

Re:locate reported last year that a study by the think-tank London Councils had found shortages of primary-school places already in London, and warned that more than 18,000 extra reception places would be needed by 2014.

The total school population is forecast to rise by almost three per cent over the next five years, and any spare placesthat there are in the school system tend to be in the wrong parts of the country. Spare places in the South East tend to beconcentrated in weaker schools.

Again, for relocating parents, the somewhat worryingconclusion has to be that if a school you’re considering has several empty places, you should look very carefully at whythis might be.

An obvious place to start would be the school’s positionin the league tables, and although they should be taken with a pinch of salt, a report just out does suggest that league tables which are made public do help raise school standards.

Bristol University’s Centre for Market and Public Organisation compared schools in Wales, which does notpublish league tables, with those in England. After taking intoaccount all other factors, the study found that students at the schools with published league tables achieved, on average, twoGCSE grades better than those without.

For parents of able children who wish to remain in thestate sector, Mr Gove has offered a glimmer of hope thatexisting grammars will be able to create more places but also,crucially, could be given permission to build new premises andstart “satellite” schools.

The move is a significant shift for David Cameron, who controversially ruled out building new grammar schoolsbefore the election.

But ministers now accept that Mr Gove’s free schoolspolicy has made it well-nigh impossible to prevent theexpansion of grammar schools, or even the creation of newones. In effect, the free-school policy means that governmentcan hardly tell would-be free-school projects, “You can start any sort of school you like, as long as it isn’t a grammar.”

A senior government source has confirmed that where there was demand from parents in areas of population growth,existing grammars would be able to expand places.

There’s only one problem. If there is less money in the education pot for capital projects, who will pay for all this?

School leaver optionsAlthough the news that tuition fees at English universitieswill rise dramatically from 2012 came as little surprise aftermonths of debate, the decision carries weighty implications – both for ordinary families and, specifically, for expatriates.

Ministers want to allow universities to raise their fees – currently capped at £3,290 – to £6,000, and, in “exceptionalcircumstances” (for this, read Oxbridge and other highly-regarded universities), to £9,000.

Students will still not have to pay fees up front. Instead, they can take out loans and pay them back when they graduateand earn £21,000 or more. At the moment, graduates start

repaying when they earn £15,000. What this is likely to do, especially for mobile expatriates

whose families are less tied to the UK than many, is raisethe question of whether a university abroad may offerbetter value.

The hike in tuition fees makes English universities less competitive on cost alone, if nothing else, than, for example,their US competitors. It costs much more to attend a USuniversity if no subsidies are applicable, but many institutionsoffer 100 per cent bursaries to bright students – and evenmoderately well-off British parents may find their childrenqualify for some grant.

Some top US universities have, for a few years now,been using recruitment agencies to entice the brightestUK students.

According to a study published by the US-based Instituteof International Education last year, the top destinations forBritish students were Harvard, Central Florida, New York University, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania.

Some top independent schools have reported a doubling in the number of students attracted to the US in recent years.St Paul’s School, west London, sent 28 school-leavers to USuniversities in 2009, up from 20 in 2008. Numbers have alsogrown at St Paul’s Girls’ School, Cheltenham Ladies’ College,King’s College School and Wellington College, Berkshire.

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN ENGLAND

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Association of RelocationProfessionals (ARP)Contact: Tad ZurlindenTel: +44 (0)8700 737475Email: enquiries@arp-relocation.comWebsite: www.arp-relocation.comArea: National

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42 : DIRECTORY WINTER 2010/11Re:locate

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