HR must adapt to manage multinational employees or risk missing out on being part of the international workforce, according to a management expert.
HR must adapt to manage multinational employees or risk missing out on being part of the international workforce, according to a management expert.
Dr Ian Williamson, associate professor of management at the Melbourne Business School, said Australian HR managers and recruiters how to manage relationships among co-workers in different time zones and make the most of local markets around the world.
“It is important to know how to communicate and resonate with each individual market that your people work across.
“HR managers will increasingly need to be able to manage cross-cultural social relationships and effectively implement the business’s vision across various regions, particularly as companies expand or do business overseas,” he said.
Williamson, who will be addressing the issue at the Australasian Talent Conference in Sydney on 26 May, added that the best multinational organisations are those that tie HR strategy to global business decisions and by utilising the knowledge and experience of local employees, multinational organisations can capitalise on the local environment.
“It needs to work seamlessly. As organisations are increasingly looking overseas to increase their revenue, HR managers need to be proactive in providing guidance and tackling employee issues that result from operating in different countries.
“Managing the social component of global employee relationships requires managers to assess the attributes of the external environment and decide what business strategy best aligns with the organisation’s vision,” Williamson said.
