How many of you took part in ERC’s “Road to Recovery” virtual conference last week? The sessions I attended were very informative, packed with data, ideas, and resources. Despite being unable to meet in person, session benefits were more than the sum of their parts this time.

As we all work in varying degrees of isolation, spending time with others who are experiencing the same challenges is heartening. Hearing from different parts of our industry is educational. Learning from peers whose particular expertise gives us a detailed view of the mobility picture is thought-provoking.

One topic making the rounds is remote work. Given the quick transition companies undertook to shift employees out of offices, it’s no wonder that work-from-home came as a shock to the system for many. Coupled with school children at home, entertainment sources off-limits, and shortages of essential items, figuring out how to be productive at home was a massive change.

Workers may find they appreciate the lack of commute and office wardrobe. Many are finding more time for simple pleasures and family togetherness. Still, they struggle with solitude, changed processes, and the strain of video interaction in place of face-to-face.

Living Abroad’s Content team has worked remotely since 2008. In this, we’ve been fortunate to avoid the stark adjustment many experienced this year when moving to a home office environment. But we are dealing with physical transitions, too. For example, my husband teaches high school math via Zoom from an upstairs bedroom (with a white board clipped to a bunk bed!) while our grown son moved out of New York City and now works at home with us as well.

Randstad, which provides outsourcing and other services – and kicked off Thursday’s ERC session with some great insights – gives us 4 Tips for Mastering Remote Work.  For some physical tips and videos, New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery offers ways to feel better from home. And finally, NPR has a good list of 8 Tips to Make Working from Home Work for You.

For companies, many employers are just coming to terms with the compliance issues remote workers present. Fragomen’s team delivered critical info during Thursday’s ERC session on immigration, reminding employers to stay abreast of country requirements with regard to visas and taxation.

With all that said, remember also to include some levity in your day when you can. Take in the clever, humorous content people are sharing. The original work-from-home-Dad video never fails to make me laugh: Watch Professor Robert Kelly’s famous BBC interview interrupted by his children.

Remember: we are all in this together these days. We may not all be in the same boat, but are weathering the same storm, staying afloat and sharing navigational maps to chart our way to the future.

Be well, everyone.

Written by Ellen Harris, GMS, Product Manager, Content Group

Since much of the world’s interaction has moved online for practical purposes, it’s not surprising that business communication application use has surged. Among others, Skype, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and especially Zoom have all seen an exponential rise in downloads and usage over the last few weeks.

The growth in teleconferencing and other types of online meetings has also presented a new challenge to the newly “virtual” globally mobile: dealing with time zones while scheduling meetings, and setting up one’s own daily schedule.  A simple oversight in determining where and when a meeting takes place can mean being late for it, or even missing it entirely. Fortunately, there’s a website for that!

World Time Buddy provides a handy visual graphic that allows you to enter your own time zone, and then compare your days and times to others around the globe. When I receive an invitation to Zoom with a destination service provider in Johannesburg on Thursday at 1pm, I can simply use the search field and then add Johannesburg as the next row…and know it will not be a lunch meeting for me!

And if I need to schedule a meeting this Friday with colleagues in Paris and Santiago, some quick additions to my entry let me share our options with everyone:

World Time Buddy is just one of countless resources that Living Abroad’s International Relocation Center suggests for doing business and communicating globally. Whether you’re in person or on a webcam, we help you maximize your business relationships, opportunities, experiences, and development.

Written by Erin Fitzgerald, GMS, Content Manager

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many firms and organizations to ‘go virtual’ for those whose jobs allow this. It has also created awkward situations for assignees and their sponsoring companies when borders are closed and “shelter in place” orders are given.

Our current environment, combined with advanced communication technologies, will have an impact on jobs. It may translate to some business trips being replaced by virtual meetings, and perhaps fewer assignments. Companies are beginning to make decisions as to who will be required to come into the office, and who can work at home. Will many international assignees become virtual assignees?

There are several ways this phenomenon can manifest itself in global mobility. A few examples:

1.         Stuck while on holiday: An assignee from Brazil working in Germany was in South Africa on holiday recently and was trapped there when the country closed its borders. He suggested he ‘just work from there.’

2.         Shelter in Place: A UK native lived in France and commuted to her job in Switzerland. She was told to shelter in place, and work from her home in France.

3.         Expat in place: A US citizen living in Philadelphia had just received a job offer that would relocate him to Singapore when Covid-19 made this move impossible. Instead, he offered to work from 8pm-6am daily in Philadelphia, aligning with Singapore office hours, in order to smooth communication with his colleagues. His Singapore employer has no offices in the US.

4.         Being with aging parents: A US employee with Brazilian roots asked to move from Boston to Sao Paulo (on his own) so he could be with his aging parents. He believed he could work virtually from there with ease.

5.         Expired visa: An employee’s visa expired but the pandemic means they cannot return to their home country anytime soon. The host country said they can stay without penalty, due to the circumstances.

To learn what the globally mobile who are caught in brand new scenarios like these should do, I reached out to industry colleagues at Fragomen. Martine Cuomo and Ethan Kaufman are both immigration attorneys with decades of experience. Here is a summary of what they shared with me:

“They should speak with their in-house mobility team, or in-house or outside immigration counsel, to make sure they have correct guidance. The impact of a change in employment circumstances (location, duties salary, hours) may vary widely depending on the visa category.

In some instances, disparate treatment of foreign nationals for immigration purposes – even compliance – raises the possibility of creating potential claims under local employment laws if domestic workers view the accommodations as prejudicial to their interests or simply unfair.”

The rules in some circumstances are clear and in others, given the fluid nature of the government pronouncements, are gray areas with room for interpretation.  Therefore, policies need to be made nationally by country management and in alignment with global mobility and broader legal concerns, but not ad hoc case by case as seems expedient.

All five scenarios present seemingly simple transitions to virtual jobs. However, they raise country-specific work visa issues and can trigger tax liabilities. Being virtual does not exempt anyone. Circumstances vary. For example, for the person whose visa expired but was unable to travel home (#5 above), the host country could hold them blameless and allow them to stay. But could they work? It may depend on who in the government was granting them some room to maneuver.

Shelter in Place (#2 above) may be the easiest to do and have the least risk, but which side of which border and what is happening there requires close watching.

So does the virtual working trend cross over into the global mobility world? Clearly it will, to some degree, but will it result in a new way of working?  It may, if proper visas, taxes and PE (Permanent Establishment) guidelines are followed. Companies could easily have people living in Philadelphia but “working” in Singapore from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. The scenarios above all cross over immigration guidelines, even when there is no immigration at all.

Just because it is easier than ever, doesn’t mean it’s legal. To be sure, talk with your in-house or outside immigration counsel before letting an employee working across borders “go virtual”.

I bet we’re all tired of the depressing news reports all day long.  As the news is currently reported, it’s easy to feel that 90 percent of the world is a disaster and reporters are working to prove this.  We usually don’t hear about the millions of successes, only the one failure a million times.  Our mental health is boosted by balancing the difficult news with some more uplifting stories. So, I got curious and started looking for good news to brighten my day during this admittedly challenging time.

Here are some resources that offer a lighter view with a positive slant on the world news:

• Good News Network
• Today Show
• MSN
• HuffPost
• Reader’s Digest – 80+ inspirational stories from around the world.

Some of the headlines from the good news sites include:

• Popeyes has partnered with No Kid Hungry to feed children during coronavirus outbreak
• Texas couple donates flowers to assisted living homes after postponing wedding
• Americans step up to help animal shelters by fostering pets during pandemic
• Inspiring photo (above) shows medical workers flying to New York to help fight coronavirus pandemic

It’s easy to get sucked down by all the news reports today and bad news is more interesting, and our feelings are stronger when we hear it.  But isn’t it better to feel calm and joy?

Everwideningcircle.com is committed to changing the negative dialogue in the world.  Their slogan, “It’s Still an Amazing World,” reminds us to find the positive in our day.  This site provides ideas and suggestions on how to increase your own optimism.

John Krasinski, former star of “The Office,” launched a new YouTube show called #SomeGoodNews featuring touching true stories during this pandemic.

If you really want a quick pick-me-up, check out amazing animal footage on Explore.org.  These are sure to make you smile.  It really is an amazing world!

Written by Cathy Heyne, GMS-T, Managing Director

When visiting a Peruvian family, it is customary to bring a gift for the host. While some will bring liquor or chocolate, others choose to send flowers. What kind of flowers should be brought?