Global Mobility Alert March COVID-19
The global spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has meant that many employers have had to take some difficult decisions, trying to balance the health and safety of their employees with the need to keep the business running. As your Global Mobility provider, we are here to help you deal with the unexpected and fast moving situations that, only a few weeks ago, we would never have dreamt of.
MANAGING GLOBAL MOBILITY IN THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
In these unprecedented times our first thoughts turn to the health and wellbeing of our family, friends, colleagues and clients. We do hope that you and your family are keeping healthy and that the same goes for your colleagues and employees.
The global spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has meant that many employers have had to take some difficult decisions, trying to balance the health and safety of their employees with the need to keep the business running. As your Global Mobility provider, we are here to help you deal with the unexpected and fast moving situations that, only a few weeks ago, we would never have dreamt of.
Many of our clients are already describing a variety of changes that they are having to manage, such as:
- Employees returning home earlier than planned
- Assignments being cancelled or postponed
- Employees choosing to or being obliged to work from home in a different country
- A massive reduction in business travel
- Employees being stranded abroad with limited travel options
Mazars Global Mobility teams across the globe are available to guide you through these difficult times and we have put together some “best practice” ideas for things that you can doing right now.
- Communication is key in this very fast moving environment – your employees are going to be anxious and have many questions. Make it easy for them to find the information they need by regularly updating your internal networks and message boards.
- Ensure you have an up to date record of all your travellers including:
- Location;
- Family details;
- Contact information;
- Nationality;
- Travel plans.
- Work with your immigration and tax advisor to ensure clarity on the requirements to enter or exit each of your affected countries as they are all rapidly evolving.
It seems inevitable that before long companies will need to focus their attention on reducing costs and as expatriates are generally recognised as high cost employees, we can expect to see change. The future work environment may look very different once the outbreak has subsided, but a level of expatriate activity will always be needed.
Mazars Global Mobility are here to help; by cutting through the noise, by sharing reliable, practical information, by listening to your concerns and offering a helping hand. Please contact your local Global Mobility and/or tax contact for more advice.
Take care and stay safe!
Mazars
Global Mobility Services
Mazars ALTOS