Problem
Jenkins Consulting is a company operating in the domestic market and providing organizations and companies with consulting services needed to improve the performance of the business management and the effectiveness of business operations of any kind. The company has about 200 offices across the country and requires assistance in the process of expanding its operations abroad. One of the companies located in London requires full-scale consulting services from Jenkins to launch the new project.
It is a large project that should take up to 2 years. Jenkins needs to relocate the chosen specialists to the UK for the time the project is to be developed and implemented. The problem that Dale Kugar, the HR director of the company, has two significant sub-issues.
The first issue is the compensation plan that has to be used by Jenkins to provide the ex-pats with fair compensation for their efforts abroad. The difficulty occurs because of the UK’s internal economy processes and dollar/pound exchange course that is unfavorable to the dollar. The second issue is the potential impact this assignment may produce on the careers of the chose specialists. These consultants will be far from the decision-makers that can influence career growth, so they have reasonable doubts regarding this assignment.
Options
The following three options can be proposed to choose from. Option I is to evaluate the potential trends that can influence the economic situation in the UK, create a compensation plan based on these trends and assumptions, adding an extra 20% to the future salaries of the specialists. As for career growth, it is necessary to promise these consultants that in 2 years, Jenkins will open the office in London, and they will be promoted to the executives.
Option II is to connect the salaries with the current economic situation in the UK and adjust compensations according to the upcoming changes. The promotions should be discussed after the completion of the project individually according to the results of the project. Finally, Option III is to send the consultants to the UK with their current salaries and without any promises about promotions and career future. They need to perform the duties that Jenkins delegated to these consultants in any setting and environment.
Recommendation
After careful consideration, Option II has to be chosen. The reasoning is as follows. Option I is too optimistic, and it can be cost-ineffective. Option III is too discouraging, and the specialists will not work in full, and they can even sabotage the project, disrupting the company’s image. Kugar needs to evaluate the situation with taxes and tax returns in the UK to determine the compensations appropriate in the current situation (US ex-pat in the UK? Tips, 2016; What do American ex-pats living in England, 2016).
Then, it would be necessary to provide the chosen consultants with the appropriate training regarding the traditions and peculiarities of the environment they are going to be relocated to for the next two years. The experience of the ex-pats who lived in the UK long enough to adapt to this environment can be very useful for these training sessions (Heisey, 2012; Marchant, 2013). Additionally, Kugar should go to the UK with the consultants for several weeks and see how to make their work and life there as comfortable as the project’s budget allows. It would encourage specialists and help to facilitate the adaptation process during the first weeks in London.
References
Heisey, M. (2012). How to live in Britain without getting your American head kicked in. Web.
Marchant, D.R. (2013). US expat describes the best and worst things about England. Web.
US expat in the UK? Tips for filing your taxes in the United Kingdom. (2016). Web.
What do American expats living in England dislike and like? (2016). Web.