After-effects of recession-forces companies to re think work strategies

Mumbai: If globalisation is seen as inexorable then companies, to a greater or lesser extent, will need a globally mobile workforce tasked with administering their far-flung but rapidly growing operations.

With demand stagnating in Western markets, the pressure to expand abroad in the search for revenue growth is intensifying, especially in emerging markets where the operating environment can be particularly challenging.

But getting the right people in the right place for the right length of time to execute that international strategy involves an array of considerations, such as the type of assignment and its remuneration; investment in staffing and places to work; and numerous professional, cultural and family pressures that can overwhelm the hardiest executives.

International companies expect to post many more executives abroad in the next five years, according to a new research report, Up or out: next moves for the modern expatriate, from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), sponsored by workplace solutions provider Regus.

As part of the research, the EIUconducted a global online survey in July 2010 of 418 senior executives working in 77 countries, over half of who were board level or C-suite and the the rest were in senior management roles.

Interstingly, almost two fifths worked in companies with annual global revenues below $500 million and 28 per cent in companies above $10 billion.