Privacy Policy

Policy Brief & Purpose

Our international recruitment policy outlines the practices and strategies we use to hire people worldwide. We explain the different approaches to international recruitment and when to use each one.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees, offices, and branches of our company, regardless of location.

• “Parent country” refers to the country where our company was founded or is headquartered.
• “Host country” refers to a country other than our parent country where our company has employees and operations.

We will consider our employees’ wishes and plans when deciding on transfers and relocations. We will never use international transfers as a means to discipline or retaliate against employees.

Policy Elements

There are four approaches to international recruitment: ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric, and geocentric. We primarily operate as a [geocentric company/polycentric company/etc.], but we may occasionally use other approaches based on our needs.

Here is a description of each approach with recommendations on how and when to use them:

What is Ethnocentric Staffing?

The ethnocentric approach to recruitment means hiring people from our parent country to fill positions worldwide. For example, to fill an executive role in a foreign country, we might:

• Relocate one of our existing employees who is a permanent resident of our parent country.
• Hire someone from our parent country who lives or wants to live in the host country.

We use the ethnocentric method when [opening a new branch in a new country to facilitate the transfer of our company’s policies and procedures from the parent country to the new branch]. As a rule, expatriates from our parent country should comprise less than [20%] of a foreign office to minimize total hiring costs and avoid losing touch with the local community.

What is Polycentric Staffing?

The polycentric approach to recruitment means hiring locals to fill positions in a host country. For example, we could advertise on local job boards or contract with a local recruitment agency.

We use the polycentric approach when [we need local skills to conduct our business. For example, if we want to expand our clientele in a specific country, we’d hire a local professional who knows the market and can coordinate our sales operations]. If we haven’t found qualified candidates after [four months], we’ll consider other approaches.

What is Regiocentric Staffing?

The regiocentric approach to recruitment means hiring or transferring people within the same region (like a group of countries) to fill our open positions. For example, we might transfer employees within Scandinavian countries. If we need to hire someone in Sweden (a host country), we could transfer an employee from Denmark, another host country in the same region.

We use the regiocentric approach when [the costs of transferring an employee from a host country are lower than transferring them from the parent country]. When deciding to use this approach, consider any language or cultural barriers that may exist.

What is Geocentric Staffing?

The geocentric approach to recruitment is hiring the best people to fill our positions without regard to their origin or current location. This means:

• Hiring remote employees. We use this option when we want to hire someone in a place where we don’t have offices. For example, we might hire a customer support agent in another time zone to support our customers there.
• Relocating our employees. This includes bringing foreign talent into our parent country and relocating people to a new host country. We use this approach when we need someone to be physically present at a specific location, but the best person for the job is living elsewhere.

To use the geocentric approach, we need a global outlook on recruitment. For example, when a position opens in a host country or our parent country, the hiring team could:

• Advertise on global job boards first before using local job boards, clearly mentioning the job location. Also, advertise on job boards focused on remote work when possible.
• Source candidates online without considering their current location.
• Check our global employee database to find internal candidates who may wish to relocate.
• Ask recruiters to suggest candidates they met at international career fairs or events.
• Ask for referrals from our existing employees, as they may know someone suitable for the position and willing to relocate.

International Recruitment and Selection Process

Whenever a position opens, hiring teams should follow this process:

1. Decide which staffing approach is most suitable for this particular case. Use this policy to determine whether the regiocentric, ethnocentric, or polycentric approach suits best. Discuss the budget with finance to ensure you can apply the chosen approach and whether another one could work equally well with lower costs. If there’s no particular reason to use any of them, then the [geocentric approach] should prevail.

2. Determine the recruitment methods that work for this approach. For example, if you decide on the polycentric approach, consider local job boards and locally-based recruiters in the host country.

3. Allocate your budget. Ensure you can coordinate recruitment activities by looking into your budget. For example, if you choose the ethnocentric approach, you’ll need to factor in relocation costs for your new hire. Also, you may need to meet candidates from the host country in person, so pay attention to travel expenses. Work with [finance/HR] to determine the available resources.

4. Evaluate candidates. When it comes to resume and phone screening, we evaluate all candidates the same way. You could also use video interviews for remote candidates. Each role demands a different skill set, but to ensure our employees can work well together, look for people who:

   • Are self-motivated and can work independently (especially if their manager is remote).
   • Can communicate well across cultural and language barriers.
   • Have a global mindset.
   • Are tech-savvy.

   Additionally, depending on the approach, make sure to discuss if a candidate is legally permitted to work in the country where the position is located. If agreed upon, discuss immigration procedures.

5. Close the hire and discuss paperwork. Once a candidate accepts a job offer, ask HR how to proceed with any legal procedures regarding visas, immigration policies, or taxes. Maintain close collaboration with the new hire until everything is resolved.