Globetrotting careers aren’t limited to photojournalists and flight attendants anymore. Many job postings are beginning to include the label “mobile professional” which is precisely what it implies, an employee on the go. Their company may have offices in the United States but the work that they do is scattered across the world. Instead of hiring and training employees in the areas where they are working, companies find it more cost effective to send a trained team to work on location until the project is complete.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, “Business travel in the U.S. is responsible for $246 billion in spending and 2.3 million American jobs; $100 billion of this spending and 1 million American jobs are linked directly to meetings and events. For every dollar invested in business travel, businesses experience an average $12.50 in increased revenue and $3.80 in new profits. A 10 percent increase in business travel spending would increase multi-factor productivity, leading to a U.S. GDP increase between 1.5 percent and 2.8 percent.”
Because of the added benefits for employer and employee, the demand for mobile professionals is on the rise but not all of these opportunities are created equal. Business Finance Magazine breaks it down into three different categories of international commuters:
Commuter Assignments: An international assignment involving travel between the home and destination countries for a specified number of work days per month, with a set maximum of return trips home.
Extended Business Travel (EBT): an international assignment of one to three weeks in duration.
Rotational Assignments: A series of two or more international assignments, which last one to three months; in between assignments, the employee may return home for a brief stint.
International business travel can be an exciting adventure for many employees whether they are staying for a few days or a few months but there are pitfalls jet-setting professionals encounter that grounded employees don’t have to consider. Faced with the possibility of political and natural disasters, personal safety is the most important concern of all international travelers and their employers.
Kevin Duffey, managing director for Northern Europe, International SOS explains, “Proactively looking after your people is not only the right thing to do - it's much less costly than managing incidents once they've happened." Locations that have recently moved to the top of the "highest-risk" destination list include Nigeria, Pakistan, India, Mexico and Russia.
Seasoned travelers recommend knowing where the consulate is located and carrying copies of important documents in the event of an emergency. Jason Kaufman, senior manager, service innovation, MacNair Travel Management/American Express tells Inc.com, "In general, you want to make sure that you have the ability to get in touch with someone who can assist you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. In a crisis situation you want to have as much information as possible to make an informed decision."
The best defense against an unbearable business travel experience is research. It’s important to have an understanding of the culture, currency exchange rate and at least a minimal grasp of the language.
Image courtesy of Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot at FreeDigitalPhotos.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!