The first step is to ensure you have a global mindset in the organization & also in the people you decide to send on global assignments. Nataly Kelly in Harvard Business Review's article writes on the 5 Ways to Foster a Global Mindset she points out that "Many companies talk about “going global,” but becoming a strong global brand isn’t just about expanding to international markets"

The second step is to ensure that you have a global assignment program in place to support those employees you send on global assignments. The reason for this is that up to 80% of assignments fail due to inadequate training & support. There are four key areas in a global assignment program:

(1) Inform - what are the business goals to be accomplished? How will the employee be evaluated? What is the compensation & benefits package? Key here are tax implications & as important career support for significant other.

(2) Train - Does the organization have the right leadership program? Leaders in the global space need to be agile. What language skills need enhancing or developing? What cultural training is needed for specific destination country or region?

(3) Support - Who is the assigned mentor? Someone who has already worked in the specific country is ideal. What kind of virtual knowledge & learning platform is available? Access to other technical experts in different countries who may share knowledge on same areas of work allowing for cultural difference can save a lot of time & resources. Who is the global mobility professional? This point person will support the move, finding the right home, schools, doctors makes the adjustment smoother.

(4) Repatriate - What repatriation program does the organization have in place? Post assignment the employee needs to feel valued and supported as this is a critical point where organizations lose most employees. Turnover of returnees within the first year is as high as 34% where the organization does not have a repatriation program. Most employees leave and join the competition. The cost of global assignments is three times the employee’s salary and the cost of the institutional knowledge lost is also very high.

The author spoke on a panel on the topic of international assignments at the International Conference hosted by the Association for Talent Development in 2019, Washington D.C. USA

Wangari Kamau is the Founder & Principal Consultant at Soma Global Consulting