Week 7
Global and Virtual Work Challenges
Massive changes have affected organizations and how they conduct their business. The push to expand markets has made many businesses into enterprises that expand the globe and operate cross-culturally. Work teams are devised representing diverse countries and cultures. The challenges of working globally extend beyond operations and marketing, but also internally into how the human resource department addresses the needs and requirements of various employee groups. In addition to cultural variations, employee work teams may be comprised of a mixture of part-time, full-time, and contracted (gig) employees. Compensation and benefits plans must be considered from various lenses, such as employee status, culture, and legal requirements. Travel costs, relocation and residency costs, and even educational costs all become part of the mixture when considering benefits for global employees.
An additional challenge for organizations was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. As states and countries closed down, many organizations that were office-based found they had to evolve to remote work settings. Technology enabled employees to continue to work, but many employees needed additional support in terms of equipment or training. Some employees used the opportunity to relocate to lower-cost communities, even though they were already distant from the home office. Remote work in various locations has posed a challenge for considering the compensation of those employees. If a wage or salary was based on a higher cost of living in the home office community, should it also be extended to the new lower-cost location where the employee now resides? Working from home during the pandemic also had employees seeking new types of supports and benefits, such as mental health benefits or access to specialized health services. The remote work concept is not a trend that will dissipate quickly. Many employees discovered they liked working from home and could be just as productive there as well. In turn, organizations saw the benefits of empowering employees while reducing overhead, such as maintaining ample office space. Some organizations were able to reduce or eliminate some of these costs.
The pandemic also produced a shortage of employees, especially those in the retail and service fields, such as restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores. Many organizations revealed their inability to locate enough employees to keep their business sustainable or even open. Many businesses are offering higher wages and alternative benefits to attract and retain workers. These approaches have created new compensation and benefits plans just to recruit and retain necessary workers.
Human resource professionals are now charged with reviewing organizational compensation and benefit plans to ensure they are still meeting employee needs and requirements. The Board of Directors and managers within organizations may need to reconsider what they will offer employees to retain good talent. Just as the recruiting field opens up for organizations that operate virtually, so do opportunities for key employees. These challenges will result in newer and possibly even more creative compensation and benefit plans being developed. Your signature assignment this week will challenge you to explore these issues in greater detail as the field of human resources continues to evolve.
Weekly Resources and Assignments
Review the resources from the Course Resources link, located in the top navigation bar, to prepare for this week’s assignments. The resources may include textbook reading assignments, journal articles, websites, links to tools or software, videos, handouts, rubrics, etc.
Week 7 – Signature Assignment: Investigate the
Current Compensation and Benefit Challenges in
Global and Virtual Organizations
Assignment
Overdue – February 13 at 11:59 PM
For your signature assignment, you will complete a case study using all of the information gleaned so far in the course. Be sure to incorporate your professor’s feedback up to this point while preparing your assignment.
Case Study Scenario
Upwire is a large bank and financial firm. It has grown considerably and is expanding its reach to new global markets. In addition, Upwire has hired many new American employees working remotely and the addition of numerous international employees, most of who work from home remotely. The company’s CEO has asked members of the HR department to review and update all of the company’s compensation and benefit packages.
Assignment Criteria
Using all of the information you have gained within the course and outside resources, develop a written proposal that provides recommendations on how to best address the compensation and benefit needs of the company’s international and virtual employees. Be sure to address the following:
Develop pay structures and pay models for the various employees.
Consider intrinsic and extrinsic compensation.
Illustrate how your proposal is competitive with similar organizations.
Use charts and graphs to support your recommendations.
Within your proposal, consider that some employees may be part- or full-time, expatriate, or even temporary gig workers. Explain what the expectations of the various groups may be and what the organization could reasonably provide based on its budget.
Length: 12-15 pages, not including title and reference pages
References: Include a minimum of 7 scholarly references.
The completed assignment should address all of the assignment requirements, exhibit evidence of concept knowledge, and demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the content presented in the course. The writing should integrate scholarly resources, reflect academic expectations and current APA standards, and adhere to the Northcentral University’s Academic Integrity Policy.
When applicable, conduct a Turnitin pre-check and then upload your completed assignment and click the Submit to Dropbox button.
