Foreign assignment? It's a pain

Indian multinationals are falling short on soft issues as spouse support measures and repatriation planning while sending employees on international assignments.

These issues often take second place to daily operational aspects of international assignment management, according to a report by global human resource consultancy major Mercer, titled Expatriate management Survey-India, which is based on contributions from 40 of the largest corporations in India and addresses India-specific nuances and practices as these companies send employees on international assignments.

Says Rupam Mishra, who leads Mercer's Global Mobility Practice in India: "The returns on investments for these companies will not be as per expectations if these soft issues are not taken care of."