| | APRIL 2024MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM9to-date, and non-necessary information requests should be eliminated. Another pain point can be authority processing times ­ the times are hard to predict, and any delays in getting the appropriate permits approved are likely to cause employee frustration. Filing early and good proactive communication throughout the process are the keys to a better employee experience.·Taxation: Understanding the taxation in the new location and former home country can be challenging. Not only will the employee often face completely different filing obligations, tax scope and deadlines in the new location, but their home country obligations may also change. Offering professional tax briefings and filing support is often a must, but even with all the support, the employee may have to spend days gathering information and completing the service provider questionnaires while struggling to understand the terms used and the overall rationale for all the questions. Luckily, recent technologies are making the questionnaires easier to complete, and most of the information can automatically flow to the next year's questionnaire, so there may be less information needed in subsequent years. In addition to efficient technology, having designated service provider contacts (real people, not mailboxes!) significantly improves employee satisfaction.As the rules, regulations and processes around immigration, taxation and insurance are complex, it is imperative that employers provide comprehensive professional support for their relocating employees·Insurances: As regards international assignments, most companies provide their assignees with expatriate insurance. This insurance typically consists of comprehensive medical/health insurance but can also include coverage, e.g., for personal property and travel. Not all employees are familiar with getting coverage under private insurance as some may have been part of a public health care system (this is the case, especially in some European countries). Understanding how the insurance works and what exactly is covered can be difficult for the employee. HR or Global Mobility are often not insurance experts either, so the responsibility to carefully review the insurance policy and related processes generally falls on the employee. Therefore, it is necessary that the insurance policy information is included in the pre-departure and arrival meetings, and it is readily available to the employee on the intranet or other channels at all times. The employee should also be provided with (and reminded of) contact details for people who can support in case of any questions.As the rules, regulations and processes around immigration, taxation and insurance are complex, employers must provide comprehensive professional support for their relocating employees. Simply relying on professional support is, however, not adequate. HR and global mobility teams need to understand the possible pain points and how to mitigate the issues. Efficient use of technology, clear and proactive communication, and real-person support are the keys to a better employee experience. Tommi Rantanen
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