NINE HR CHALLENGES FACING GLOBALLY EXPANDING ORGANISATIONS
International expansion is a great strategy to grow a business of any size, but it is a game-changer for mid-size companies looking for a competitive advantage. While the expansion process is exciting, it can also be quite complicated. Many times companies make the mistake of assuming that foreign markets will operate exactly as their home market does – compromising their ability to react when they discover that nothing could be further from the truth.
While navigating your global expansion, it is imperative to keep in mind the unique challenges facing your HR team. To really understand this, you have to identify HR challenges that are present in various regions to realise the larger impact of these issues.
As no two global markets are the same, understanding these initiatives and developing plans to address them will ease your global development.
Cultural differences: Middle East
Cultural differences are generally the first roadblock organisations face, as the day-to-day operations they know from their own workplace experiences rarely transfer to another country.
The Middle East provides a variety of cultural workplace practices that are particular to their region. For example, female employees have work hour restrictions that organisations must respect. In addition, employers must recognise that workers will require time for prayer throughout the work day.
Jul-Sep 2016 Issue
Safeguard World International