The labour market in China is incomparably different from that in Germany, and Italy in turn is unlike the United States. As a consequence, international companies often have rather fragmented reward policies, lacking the desired transparency.
So the first thing our international clients ask for is to gain insight into their various branches’ reward policies. BexerHamstra’s consultants achieve this, using qualitative as well as quantitative data. We chart the reward structures in each branch and use market data too, to allow the client to compare the information with that for other international organizations. In addition, we interview recruiters, HR staff and business leaders of the branches concerned to get an idea of the world behind the figures. And finally we also include relations with trade unions or other local employees’ organizations, if any.
Once we have achieved an overview of the entire reward situation, clients often ask us to structure and unify the whole. Globally active organizations often want to be more than a collection of different companies. And so they want a reward policy in line with their strategy, that enables their staff to be mobile internationally. At the same time there will always be some ‘couleur locale’. The Dutch bonus culture is completely different from that in the United States, for instance. Setting up a framework that provides unity and yet leaves room for local differences is almost an art – and BexerHamstra’s consultants know it better than anyone. ‘Freedom within a framework.’ That is the essence of setting up an international remuneration policy.
