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Taking Another Look at Short Term Assignments and Talent Mobility

Corporate Relocation , Domestic Relocation , Employee Relocation , Talent Mobility

The Covid pandemic has spurred companies and employees to reassess work models and locations, and to consider more flexible, cost-effective ways to achieve business objectives. While not new, short-term assignments can be an effective workaround to current obstacles to employee relocation —from reluctance to relocate to a frenzied real estate market and global restrictions.

Short-term assignments are a “lite” form of talent mobility, enabling businesses to achieve specific, finite project objectives with less expense and disruption. International short term assignments have a longer history, arising as a relatively inexpensive alternative to global relocation . Domestic short-term assignments became more popular over the past 15 years, as the U.S. recovered from the Great Recession.

Objective of Short-Term Assignments

Companies originally devised short-term assignments as a developmental opportunity for high potential, junior-level employees. The employee had the opportunity to meet and work with employees in a different company location, master new skills and hone leadership abilities. This opportunity can increase the employee’s job satisfaction and loyalty and help the company to retain a promising employee. Employees who shine in STAs can be candidates for promotion and future STAs or possibly a traditional global assignment.

Short-term assignments also can be an effective way for more experienced employees to share their expertise with other parts of the organization. A company might deploy a manager to oversee the opening of a new company location, lead a merger or acquisition or bring specific IT or other technical expertise to another company location. In these examples, permanent relocation might not be necessary, but a brief business trip wouldn’t be enough.

Tax Implications of Short Term Assignment Jobs

The IRS treats short-term assignments more like business travel than relocation expenses . Relocation expenses are employee benefits and must be reported on the relocating employee’s W-2 for the year. Most companies gross many of these expenses up to cover the tax obligation, creating another expense for the company.

The IRS definition of a short-term assignment is very precise: the company must expect it to last for less than one year and it must actually last for less than one year. In this case, the IRS considers travel, lodging and certain other expenses to be business expenses that are deductible for the employer and not W-2 benefits to the employee.

Assignments can change in scope or length once underway, and this can influence the tax treatment. The minute an employer determines the assignment is going to extend longer than a year, the reimbursed expenses from that point forward become a taxable benefit to the employee. This applies whether the company reimburses the employee directly or pays expenses on his/her behalf.

So short-term assignments can last longer than a year (this is particularly common with rotational assignments), but the company will sacrifice some of the cost-savings of shorter-length assignments. The scope of work will be one consideration in deciding whether a short-term assignment or relocation makes better business sense.

Learn More About Short Term Assignments

Within the mobility arena, short-term developmental assignments are gaining traction with companies looking to support business growth and employee development while controlling costs. This creative strategy allows businesses to deploy talent where needed without making the financial commitment inherent in a permanent domestic relocation or a long-term international assignment, but not without careful consideration. Download the Short Term Assignments White Paper

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Short-Term Assignments: Key Considerations and Essential Information

By Tracy Langlois, CRP, GMS

Short-term work assignments have been steadily increasing over the years and certain factors like the pandemic have shined a light on vulnerabilities within numerous industries. For instance, the demand for travel nurses has never been higher, as certain staffing agencies need to fill voids and provide additional support at hospitals all over the US. Other companies are asking employees to train new hires at different locations or attend workshop programs and conferences out of state. Those working in media may need to spend days, weeks, or months in different locations covering news stories. HR representatives are focusing on talent mobility, which may require employees to take on short-term work assignments for specialized training and upward growth within a company.

No matter the industry or reason, employers are recognizing the value of short-term assignments, as well as the logistical steps required to smoothly transition their employees from point A to B. With that in mind, CapRelo put together an overview of short-term assignments, so your company knows what is needed to assist your employee during the hectic transition of a short-term assignment.

What is a Short-Term Assignment?

A temporary assignment is defined as a work stint lasting for one year or less. A short-term assignment can be a series of shorter rotational assignments or an assignment that requires an employee to stay in one place for the entire duration. Similar to temporary duty assignments in the military, short-term assignments are not permanent and are meant to carry out a specific purpose. Companies may send one employee or a whole team out on temporary assignments, depending on the industry and work goal.

What is the Purpose of a Short-Term Assignment?

There are plenty of different reasons why companies would send their staff out on short-term assignments. For instance, an employee may need to assist a branch that’s struggling to perform and help them to increase their sales numbers. It’s also not uncommon for staff to oversee different departments during a company merger, requiring temporary assignments to ensure company policies are being carried out consistently across the board. Perhaps limited resources have prevented staff at different locations from being properly cross-trained, necessitating the need for temporary work trips.

Whether three weeks or three months long, short-term assignments typically require companies to cover lodging, food, transportation, and other travel-related expenses with stipends.

Benefits and Challenges of Short-Term Assignments

While short-term assignments sound like a breeze, they can pose some serious challenges for both the employee and the company itself. International short-term assignments can pose tax and immigration issues if companies don’t comply with the laws and regulations in each country. Secondly, some countries have turbulent landscapes, which could potentially put staff at risk. Employees may also get stranded in the assignment country due to canceled flights or COVID-related concerns, further implicating the company when temporary assignments do not go according to plan.

On the flip side, a company can create a robust talent mobility strategy with initiatives that reward current and new hires willing to take on short-term assignments. For instance, paying employees during travel time can lead to higher retention rates. Companies can also train staff across locations to improve their skills, eliminating any consistency errors. A change of scenery might help employees to improve productivity as well, especially in locations that offer plenty of sunshine and warm weather for post-work relaxation.

Short-Term Assignment FAQs

• Are Short-Term Assignments International? Short-term assignments can be either domestic (within a country) or international (across country borders). Certain companies like Amazon, FedEx, and Apple are known for leading the way with the most corporate travel, requiring employees to rack up airline miles to fulfill their job duties.
• How Does the IRS Define Short-Term Assignments? The IRS defines short-term assignments as work in one location that can be reasonably completed in one year or less (and is). Employees typically file taxes with their home state. If a work assignment lasts for longer than a year then it is considered an indefinite assignment, prompting an employee’s tax home to change.
• What is Relocation Tax Assistance? Before 2018, any moving-related payments or reimbursements to employees were not included in their annual reportable wages. These expenses did not require withholding taxes and would have been paid by the employee and later deducted. The Tax Cuts and Job Act of 2017 changed the way payroll handled relocation expenses. Nowadays, employers can offer relocation tax assistance or tax gross-ups . A tax gross-up simply means that a company provides a larger payment sum to the employee to compensate for the taxes that will be withheld from their payment if that employee is relocating somewhere new.
• Do Family Members Join Employees on Short-Term Assignments? When it comes to temporary assignments, most companies do not assist families to join the employee in the new location if the assignment is expected to have a duration of six months or less. Assignments greater than six months may include company support for family accompaniment. Some companies will offer to pay for visits home after a certain amount of time has passed for employees who are not accompanied. This could be anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks after the start of the assignment but depends on the company’s unique policies.

How Can Companies Assist Employees?

Companies should have well-defined relocation policies in place before sending employees out on temporary assignments. The policy should include details on the relocation services and benefits which will be provided to employees and who will be assisting them with these services. It is important to note for international cases that proper immigration documentation is required before the start of the assignment. Letters of assignment (LOA)s should also be created for employee and company signature and should include specifics on the location and duration of the assignment and specific benefits. Companies should have a dedicated budget in place to assist with short-term assignment relocation expenditures; a comprehensive cost estimate including tax costs can be prepared in advance to ensure appropriate approvals can be obtained. A survey of HR professionals conducted in partnership with CapRelo found that 33% of participants stated their relocation policies have been updated to accommodate employees’ mental health and well-being, which is another factor that should be taken into consideration to help employees cope better with their new surroundings.

Do You Need a Relocation Program?

So, you’re ready to send your employees out on short-term assignments, but don’t know where to start? Whether you need help transferring one employee intra-country, or flying a whole team across the globe for specialized training, we can help.

At CapRelo , we provide relocation solutions for companies that need them, covering a host of services including cost estimate preparation, corporate housing, auto shipment, property management, travel services, immigration coordination, and much more.

Our team specializes in seamless transfer operations and sorts out all of the logistical steps before your employee’s short-term assignment so you can have peace of mind knowing that they are in the best of hands. Allow us to take one more thing off your plate and contact our highly qualified team at CapRelo today to get started.

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Insights + Resources

Navigating civil unrest: protecting global assignments and employees, caprelo insider july 2024, winning the balancing act: duty of care and cost containment, caprelo insider june 2024.

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Short-term assignments 2022 report: 10 takeaways

Short-term assignments (STAs) continue to be a popular option for global mobility and are quickly evolving into an ED&I Mobility vehicle. These opportunities have the potential to allow more diverse employee populations to gain experiences that will enhance career paths and diversify an organization’s leadership pipeline. This makes it more important than ever to ensure STA policy lines up with typical practices.

• 68% of policies are from EMEA-based companies. This predominance reflects the use of STAs globa­lly. Given the geography of the EMEA region (vs North America), STAs are a realistic option for many reasons that companies transfer employees (e.g., skill development, filling a position gap, etc.).
• Half of the policies specify that STAs are unaccompanied, typically attributed to the limited assignment duration, which most commonly ranges from three (62%) – twelve (83%) months.
• Immigration assistance (addressed in 89% of STA and LTA policies).
• Travel to the host location (87% of STA policies vs 92% of LTA policies).
• Cultural training (61% STA vs 67% LTA).
• Language training (61% STA vs 78% LTA). Just as in LTA policy, the use of cultural and language training typically requires approval.
• 90% of policies address health insurance for short-term assignees. It is becoming common to provide an international program for short-term assignees, as stated in 41% of policies (55% use this approach for LTAs).
• 34% of STA policies address settling-in assistance, compared to 46% of LTA policies. Assistance typically focuses on single assignees who are in country for a limited duration that might require: assistance with establishing a bank account, locating shopping facilities, public transportation, local services, religious institutions, and social opportunities.
• Home leave is addressed in 84% of STA policies (vs 90% of LTA policies). The major difference is the timing of the trips. For STAs, the most common frequency is one trip every three months (33%). Though many policies vary frequency based on assignment circumstances such as duration, accompaniment status, or distance between the home and host country.

• STA policy rarely includes the shipment of household goods; rather, most (52%) assist with an air shipment of personal effects or excess baggage charges only (30%).
• Few (23%) provide a pre-move trip. P­­rimarily because most (72%) provide furnished accommodations rather than have the employee find their own housing.
• Fewer (47%) provide temporary living for STAs than the 98% that address it in LTA policies.
• It is not as common to provide a hardship allowance for STAs (32%) as it is for LTAs (53%).
• Use of a relocation allowance is not as common for STAs as it is for LTAs: 47% vs. 84%, respectively.
• Most companies (63%) retain employees on their home country compensation and provide a per diem or reimbursement for daily living expenses while on an STA.

The lower cost profile of short-term assignments – due to single status, shorter duration, simpler support – continues to contribute to the popularity of this move type. For companies reviewing their STA policies, it can be very beneficial to see what the typical practices are and how they differ from their LTA counterparts.

Five common myths about short-term assignments

Myth #1: an sta is pretty much the same as an lta – just shorter..

Fact: The differences between these two assignment types are notable and significant. Long-term assignments are typically investments in the future. Their considerable use of resources (people and money) makes them worthwhile for business-building initiatives such as leadership training, market expansion, management roles where local candidates are not available and new product development. These are all goals that require a long term to complete. Short-term assignments are better suited to initiatives that can be completed in under a year. Global exposure, filling a job gap, short-term projects and skill building are examples of realistic STA assignment objectives.

Myth #2: Employees on short-term assignments need less support than those on long-term assignments.

Fact: Replace “less” with “some of the same but also different” and you would be correct! For example, short-term assignees need assistance with some of the same things as long-term assignees (immigration and tax compliance, travel, arranging housing, becoming familiar with the assignment location, etc.). But they also need different things, given that most short-term assignees remain on home-country compensation and retain many home-country expenses. For example, they need a per diem to cover daily living costs in the host location. Since many STAs are single-status, employees may have left immediate family in the home location. Therefore, trips home are a greater need for STAs than they are for LTAs.

Myth #3: It sounds like an STA is really just a glorified business trip.

Fact: Aside from the primary distinction that a business trip is typically no more than a month and an STA is typically 3-12 months, the business objectives are different, too. This is a key issue.

Myth #4: Short-term assignees don’t need the same cultural or language training as long-term assignees.

Fact: The fact that short-term assignees need to quickly get up and running, live in the local area and succeed in the business environment often dictates that they require the same or similar training as long-term assignees. Of course, there are times when a short-term assignee is needed for work that is primarily solitary and does not require local language skills. In this case, more condensed training may be sufficient.

Myth #5: We should be more concerned about the challenges of long-term vs. short-term assignments, given their bigger goals, longer time in the host country and greater cost to the company.  

Fact: STAs may impact a more diverse pool of employees than LTAs do. Companies may not recognize the challenges different demographics may encounter on STAs as they do for LTAs. For example, an employee may turn down an LTA because a same-sex partner cannot accompany but that employee may undertake an STA single-status. However, that employee still needs to be successful in the local environment. Similar ED&I considerations may be necessary for many populations (women, younger employees, older employees, etc.). It is important to address the same factors for these employees on STAs as one would if they were embarking on an LTA.

To benchmark your STA policy and discover more emerging trends, download our 2022 expert report here .  

If you have any questions regarding this article or would like to find out more about other services, please contact Lisa Johnson (Global Practice Leader, Consulting Services) at [email protected] .

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Short-Term Assignments: The Challenge to Do More Faster

Introduction: why short-term assignments.

Deployment of talent on short-term international assignments is one of many trends that global companies are accelerating to cope with the global financial crisis. Short-term assignments were already on the rise due to changing workforce demographics, the need to offset recruiting gaps, increased focus on strategic global projects, and the desire to provide greater flexibility to employees. Assignees are sent to one or more key global locations to implement a particular set of tasks without the large investment of time or expense associated with a full-fledged global assignment. Other changes that have recently impacted more traditional global assignments include limiting the number of expatriates worldwide while focusing on highly strategic roles, accelerating the development of local leadership, and moving some expatriates to “local hire” status. Given the heightened significance of short-term assignments in these difficult times, it is worth looking at best practices that can help to ensure the success of projects vital to growth and effective operations in key world markets.

Potential Challenges

Just because an assignment is shorter in duration does not mean that it is easier. In fact, a strong case could be made that a short term international assignment is actually more fraught with potential pitfalls than assignments of three or more years. With a tight timeframe in which to get the job done, short-term assignees are under pressure to hit the ground running and to accomplish a lot in a hurry. They do not have the time to take their first few months on assignment to get settled in a new environment, listen and learn, recover from early mistakes, and gradually build effective working relationships with their local colleagues. Due to time constraints, they may not have the full support of a short term international assignment management strategy. Indeed, the conventional wisdom that employees become fully engaged and effective during their second year abroad is unacceptable for short-term assignees, as their assignments may be over within a fraction of a year.

Short-term assignees, with their aggressive goals and deadlines, are possibly more susceptible to common expatriate mistakes such as failing to build key relationships to gain support and ownership for new initiatives, introducing headquarters practices with insufficient knowledge of local circumstances, and alienating local colleagues and counterparts by pushing too hard and too fast. Yet, they are afforded less time to recoup from such missteps.

The expatriate nemesis known as “culture shock” also affects short-term assignees. People living in a very different environment can begin to feel isolated and ineffective in the absence of a personal support network, sufficient language skills, or access to local resources. Many short-term assignees make the move solo, leaving behind close family members and/or significant others. They also tend to live in sterile hotel rooms or other temporary accommodations. For these reasons, they are missing the immediacy of personal ties and comforts of home that can help longer-term expatriates find the resilience and resourcefulness to cope with temporary lows. The temptation to spend free time working may curtail the short-term assignee’s participation in informal social events that would otherwise enable him or her to forge new relationships and learn cultural lessons.

Preparing Short-Term Assignees: Ten Key Questions

A good global mobility strategy for short-term expats is important for ensuring positive initial contact and for ensuring expats have the resources they need to thrive during their assignments. A range of global mobility solutions for short term assignments are available to give expats the freedom and ability to interact meaningfully with global colleagues.

Consideration of the following ten questions is a good starting point for assignees who want to overcome the obstacles and best leverage the investment that both they and their companies are making:

1. What can you do to develop your personal network in advance?

Regardless of where you are located, there are often contacts available that allow you to start building a personal network in your destination country and to acquire relevant knowledge before leaving home. Sources for such contacts might include:

• Assignees from your future host country who are residing in your current location;
• Former expatriates who lived in that country and can provide introductions;
• Residents of the broader community in which you live (there are large foreign contingents from many parts of the world in most major urban areas);
• Alumni associations; or,
• Web-based platforms such as LinkedIn.

2. Are you being introduced in the right way?

The way that you are introduced to new colleagues is crucial. For instance, in some cultures hierarchy and group affiliation — “whom you know” — are valued over “what you know.” In these environments, your credibility and the importance of your project can be underscored through an introduction by a high-status individual whose views carry weight in the host culture, or undermined by a haphazard or unmediated introduction that does not position you appropriately in the eyes of host nationals.

3. What is the level of local input and support for your agenda?

There is a big difference between a project that has been planned and driven primarily or entirely from headquarters and one with local involvement and strategic contributions from the beginning. What was the origin of the effort with which you are involved? Is it new to your host country colleagues, or has their input been incorporated already? Depending upon the answers to these questions, you may need to take a different road towards implementation. In the case of a headquarters-driven initiative, you will probably have to work harder to provide a rationale for going forward that makes sense in the context of local business circumstances, and modify the project as you proceed. Neglecting to do this invites outright rejection or feigned compliance – in the case of a short-term assignee, local colleagues do not have to wait very long for the foreign “typhoon” (that is, you!) to pass.

4. Do you understand the perspectives of local stakeholders?

Try to identify and meet with a group of local stakeholders who can provide input and advice. What do they want from your stay in their country? How aligned are your goals with theirs? What advice and insights do they have about local customer needs, employee capabilities, and organizational priorities? If you can engage such key stakeholders early on, you are more likely to establish targets and adopt implementation methods that fit their business context.

5. Are your fellow team members ready and willing to participate?

For many team or project leaders, especially temporary assignees, matrix reporting relationships are a fact of life. If your team is essentially rented out from other managers, do you have the buy-in of those managers for your initiative, and are they encouraging your team members who report to them to participate fully? Misunderstandings and dysfunctional team behaviors occur most often when participants on the same team are driven in divergent directions by conflicting metrics, priorities, and leadership demands.

6. Is your role clear to everyone involved?

You may have a perception of your role on assignment that is not shared by your new colleagues. Are you a team leader, a project coordinator, a liaison with headquarters, or an individual contributor? What is your role in making decisions that will impact other team members? What is the project timeline, and what are the key objectives that you seek to achieve? At the outset of your assignment, it is useful to share your understanding of your role with fellow team members and to hear their understanding of both your role and theirs at the same time. Any gaps in expectations are best addressed sooner rather than later, and could require consultation with key stakeholders and/or higher management in order to avoid having team members work at cross-purposes and blame misunderstandings on one another.

7. Can you relax and learn about the local culture at the same time?

Every culture has rules and assumptions that are not immediately visible or articulated. For example, how is true agreement expressed? Is information commonly shared on the basis of one’s function or through long-standing personal ties? Should feedback be given and received in more direct or more indirect ways? How should one demonstrate respect for persons in executive roles? Who needs to be consulted when major changes are proposed?

By spending time with colleagues in informal social settings, you have the chance to see them in a different context and listen to their views about questions like these. They may feel freer to offer advice in such an environment, and by taking part in cultural events — dinners, entertainment, ceremonies, festivals, sporting contests, etc. — you will gain insights into workplace interactions. At the very least, the camaraderie generated in these settings usually makes your host country colleagues more inclined to cooperate with you and your agenda, especially in relationship-oriented cultures.

8. Have you allowed sufficient time for any knowledge transfer that must occur?

If there is a significant body of knowledge to be transferred to the new location, the most prudent strategy is to take the time you would normally expect to invest in this transfer and double it. A host of issues can affect the smooth movement of knowledge between one location and another. Factors that it may be necessary to consider are fear of job loss on the part of those in the host location conveying the knowledge and a related hesitation to share information; problems in linking IT platforms; different or insufficient technical backgrounds on the part of trainees that require recalibration of materials and methods; learning styles that call for extensive “hands-on” involvement of the trainer; and the need for spoken and written translations into other languages.

9. How will you maintain your own personal support system?

Although your assignment may be just a few months in duration, it is not a good idea to go it alone. Simple steps, such as setting up a web-cam connection that allows you to see loved ones as you speak with them, or arranging in advance to have others visit while you are on assignment, can provide you with sources of enjoyment, support, perspective, stress release, and a “sanity check” when work becomes difficult. Investing energy in making new friends and acquaintances through common interest groups will also give you the foundation for a local support network and ways to learn about your host country. These kinds of personal experiences can turn out to be as valuable in many ways as your professional ones.

10. Do you have a local partner who can carry on your work after you’re gone?

Being in a rush to complete assignment tasks successfully comes with the territory during a short-term stay. However, a critical error that many assignees make is that they neglect to identify and groom local owners for their initiative. The result is that when the assignee leaves, the initiative loses momentum and fades away. It is essential to identify local partners at an early stage and bring them into projects in a manner that allows them to identify with the progress to date and take responsibility for the next steps. The ideal outcome is for them to champion your initiative to the extent that you are no longer needed. Without this, a short-term assignment loses its meaning, either because it has to be extended or because its impact does not live on beyond the assignment itself, an outcome that is not optimal for the assignee, the host organization, or the company as a whole.

Effectively managing short term international assignments can help firms that are trying to grow their business in key global markets while simultaneously reducing costs. Assignees who prepare themselves by taking steps such as those outlined here will be better able to overcome the inherent hazards of trying to get a lot done in a hurry in a new environment, and will increase the chances of completing their assignments successfully. Companies can help by offering support and comprehensive short term assignment policies.

If you’d like to help your team succeed on short-term and long-term assignments, our Global Mobility solutions. We offer a wide range of solutions for companies and teams requiring the skills and global intelligence needed for international work assignments. We’re proud to have supported over 16,000 individuals and their families in developing the tools they needed before, during, and after assignment. We look forward to being part of your success story.

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International Short-Term Assignments

International short-term assignments are a useful global mobility tool, that provide companies with a resource to support critical strategic needs while mitigating mobility program costs. Short-term assignments may also be used in a developmental capacity providing high potential employees an opportunity to grow in their career. Short-term assignments commonly range from 3 to 12 months in duration.

One of the biggest challenges of global mobility is compliance with applicable immigration, tax, employment, and permanent establishment laws. Laws that change quickly and vary from country to country can take companies by surprise. A carefully crafted short-term assignment program and comprehensive policy can help avoid potential hazards. Having a consistent program with clearly defined parameters will allow the focus to remain on compliance.

Program Development

As with all mobility programs, short-term assignments can be structured as a single policy applicable to all, tiered based on factors such as business need or job level, or as a structured core/flex program. When developing a short-term assignment program, whether for the first time or revising an existing policy, these initial steps are recommended:

• Consider the overall company culture, mobility philosophy, business objectives of the international short-term assignment program, and common assignment objectives.
• Identify employee job levels and demographics.
• Reflect on the importance of the employee experience as well as how the assignment policy can support DEI initiatives.
• Determine the most common assignment durations and locations, if possible, to estimate the anticipated cost of the benefits under consideration.

These initial steps will, in turn, help the company determine the desired parameters of the program. A common example of how a company’s overall company culture influences mobility policy can be seen in eligibility of family members under a short-term assignment. Some companies may decide that short-term assignees may not be accompanied by families and reflect that in policy eligibility language. Some companies will not support families going on the assignment, but do not expressly reject families from accompanying at their own expense. While others with a more family focused culture will allow accompaniment and provide some supporting benefits.

Assignment duration is also a key factor in short-term assignment program design. These assignments can have varying ranges from as short as 30 days or up to 18 months. They are most commonly defined as longer than 90 days or up to one year. However, knowing company intentions regarding durations helps in determining parameters and components. For example, if assignments are typically shorter in duration, the policy may not include parameters for home leave. If the assignments are typically the full year, the company may decide to include a home leave. If there is a possibility that the assignment may extend beyond 1 year, the company should be prepared to address whether benefits change or the employee transitions to another type of mobility policy. If short-term assignments are a new phenomenon and assignment durations are unknown at the time of program development, it will be important to revisit the policy as the assignment program matures.

A brief description of the components commonly found in international short-term assignment programs follows. It is important to note that note every component has to be included in order to have a successful program, and regional variances/culture may also dictate which components are included. There may also be variations on the inclusions and descriptions below as these descriptions are based on an unaccompanied employee. 

International Short Term Assignment Program Components

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Make the Most of a Short-Term Assignment

Short-term assignments, transfers, or rotation programs can have big advantages: You’re exposed to new geographies, functions, cultures, and people. But these temporary positions often come with little or no training, so it’s your responsibility to get up to speed fast. Here are three ways to make sure you’re getting the most from a short-term assignment: […]

Short-term assignments, transfers, or rotation programs can have big advantages: You’re exposed to new geographies, functions, cultures, and people. But these temporary positions often come with little or no training, so it’s your responsibility to get up to speed fast. Here are three ways to make sure you’re getting the most from a short-term assignment:

Source: Adapted from “Maximize Your Learning in Short-Term Assignments,” by John Coleman

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July 18, 2022

Short-term Assignments Can Give High-Potential Employees a Reason to Stay

Counter the “great resignation” by offering short-term assignments to your high-potential employees and build engagement.

Short-term assignments, whether in the same country or abroad, have been a major trend in relocation over the last few years and we believe this trend will continue in the years to come. Short-term assignments, which are typically less than 12 months, can be a way to attract and retain talent by offering interesting challenges as the employee gains new skills, experiences, and builds a network of colleagues.

While there are clear benefits to utilizing this policy type – especially instead of a long-term assignment that can be quite costly – corporations must maintain compliance with respect to payroll, taxation, and immigration if the assignment is overseas.

In the U.S., a short-term assignment must have a clear start and end date and must be less than 12 months to claim some expenses tax-free for the employer, and in many cases, international short-term assignments can avoid host country taxes if there is a totalization agreement between the home and host country and the employee spends less than 183 days there.

Whether it’s for finite projects, developmental job positions, new business or branch openings, there are many reasons and benefits for sending an employee on a short-term assignment. Instead of tradeoffs, we often see synergy across different priorities, such as when productivity is maintained, headcount is not increased, and high-potential employees are given an opportunity to build leadership qualities.

Benefits of Short-Term Assignments

A short-term assignment costs less than permanently relocating an employee Short-term assignments can be more cost-effective than a long-term assignment (typically 1 to 3 years) or permanently relocating the employee. In fact, it allows company initiatives to proceed without the costs of selling a house and asking members of an assignee’s family to relocate with them.

A short-term move is less stressful on employees than a permanent move Unlike long-term assignments or permanent relocation, employees do not typically move with their families during a short-term assignment. Whereas this eliminates some added challenges that could arise from searching for adequate housing, enrolling children in a new school, or a spouse looking for employment, we recognize that living apart from family can be stressful and therefore recommend regular home leave to ensure a successful assignment.

Short-term assignments are great opportunities for employees to grow Short-term assignments can give your staff opportunities to learn additional skills and gain new perspectives, helping to create a more diverse and inclusive organization. Knowledge sharing upon their return to the origin location is a bonus to going on short-term assignment, benefiting the employee, colleagues, and the company.

Most short-term assignments range between 3 and 12 months; assignments that are shorter tend to be considered Extended Business Travel with some different considerations to keep in mind. There are employers that allow accompanying family members on an assignment that is less than 1 year; other organizations consider any assignment under 2 years as short-term.

Setting up your Employee for a Successful Short-Term Assignment

While the needs of employees will vary, it’s important for companies to have a standard program that allows some flexibility. Setting clear expectations and communicating those to the employee helps achieve success.

Here’s our key advice for employers to consider when creating a short-term assignment policy.

Help employees find short-term housing Short-term rental agreements with corporate housing specialty companies are often the best option because they are fully furnished and typically offer a variety of amenities to help renters feel at home.

Some of these organizations own properties while others source properties and fill with furniture, and if your organization frequently sends people to the same location, they can set up rotational agreements whereby the accommodations are maintained for your organization and employees can rotate in and out as necessary. This can eliminate the hassle of searching for new housing each time an employee is relocated for a short time. Alternative housing options can include extended-stay hotels or vacation-type rentals such as Airbnb.

Cover all host-location expenses A short-term assignee retains their home property while on assignment, therefore, the employer assumes responsibility for most expenses, including but not limited to housing, utilities, parking fees, as well as travel expenses in the host location and for home leave visits.

In addition, most employers will provide an allowance to offset the cost of meals and incidentals, sometimes in the form of a cost of living adjustment (COLA) or per diem.* This decision is typically based on the expected duration of the assignment.

Provide benefits that will help employees adjust Family separation during a short-term assignment is one of the most common challenges for employees, making the power of continued connection critical. Therefore, taking home leave on a regularly scheduled basis throughout the duration of the assignment promotes closeness, and many companies allow family members to visit the host location in lieu of the employee travelling home. We also suggest offering self-directed online cross-cultural training if the assignment is overseas.

Offer resources to help employees acclimate Whether the assignment is in-country or abroad, Sterling Lexicon recommends providing at least a ½ day orientation tour to ensure your valued employee feels comfortable in the host location.

Employees will appreciate knowing how to navigate in the host location, knowing the location of medical facilities, and knowing how to go about their daily life in a different environment helps people adapt more quickly.

Choose the right relocation management company (RMC) for your relocation and assignment needs Whether relocating permanently or going on a short-term assignment, the right counseling can help mitigate worry while providing an exceptional employee experience. The right RMC can help develop equitable policies and should have an extensive supplier network to identify appropriate corporate housing within budgetary requirements, Destination Services Providers to manage an orientation to the host location, and online tools to support their stay. Additionally, an RMC like Sterling Lexicon can manage the entire expense process from start to assignment completion.

*There are distinct differences between a per diem and COLA, and are usually applied to different global mobility policy types:

Per Diem: a per day payment structure that is designed specifically for employees on assignment lasting from 1 month to 1 year. A per diem is intended to provide a fixed daily living allowance that is equitable to all assignees in the same host location, regardless of salary level or home country.

Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA): a payment structure that is designed to protect assignees from the increased costs of goods and services at the host location by supplementing their salaries. The calculation also takes into account the longer-term nature of living and working in a host location while reflecting the expatriate’s spending patterns. Data providers offer multiple index options and the ability to customize according to company policies.

Leah Johnson

Leah Johnson is Sterling Lexicon’s Director, Client Solutions, and has worked in the global mobility industry for more than 20 years. She has held management positions in business development, operations, account management, and consulting, and had the opportunity to live and work in Tokyo and Hong Kong for six years. She initiated destination services in Hong Kong for a relocation management company and directed global mobility for Goldman Sachs in the APAC region. She graduated from Colgate University, earned an MBA from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and maintains a Senior Certified Professional (SCP) certification from SHRM.

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5 Types of Global Assignments: What’s Best for Your Company?

Last Updated on August 22, 2024

Employers and employees have many reasons for sending employees and other talent on different types of global assignments worldwide . Sometimes, companies need to relocate their employees temporarily for a short-term finite assignment. In other scenarios, they must send talent abroad to work for a more extended assignment to facilitate a business objective successfully.

No matter the type of, or reason for, an international assignment, they are essential in global mobility programs and allow for avenues to ensure international organizations’ success.  

What are Global Assignments?

Global assignments require an employee to relocate internationally and undertake work in a destination country for a specified time. Global assignments can vary in duration , often differentiated by being classified as either short-term or long-term.   

Types of Global Assignments

HR professionals may wonder, “What is an example of a global assignment our company can utilize for the needs that arise in our industry?” Companies have various options for assignments when devising an optimal global mobility strategy.

Employers can leverage multiple forms of global assignments to meet their needs and maximize their ROI by choosing impactful yet cost-effective assignments based on assignment length, location and ultimate business need.

Short-Term Assignment

A short-term international assignment usually lasts for a year or less. Employers generally have a specific goal for the employees they send on short-term assignments, such as facilitating training, completing a particular project, or temporarily filling a vacancy.

Many short-term assignments are single-status, whereby only the employee travels, and dependents do not join for the time abroad. Companies may also make use of short-term assignment options when trying to reduce the cost of conducting work abroad despite a need to have talent present on location abroad.

Long-Term Assignment

Companies also often leverage long-term work assignments for various reasons. Employers often contemplate long-term assignments lasting one to three years. However, it is commonplace for employers to extend assignments due to continuing business needs, the preference of the employee, or a variety of other reasons. Many companies contemplate a maximum assignment length of five years, primarily due to cost. A stay of up to five years is still often considered temporary. Still, assignments longer than five years are more likely to be seen as permanent.

Employers typically send their employees on long-term international assignments for strategic reasons such as expanding the business into new markets, opening new offices, developing talent and establishing teams of global leaders.

Since long-term assignments last an extended period, employers have more factors to consider than those classified as short-term. One key consideration is that employees on long-term assignments will likely need to find housing, which may include renting or buying a house. Another is the tax component, as there are likely to be more significant tax implications where there is an extended stay in a given destination.

Employees with families are more likely to bring their dependents along on longer assignments, which means their family members may also need to find work or education options. You’ll also want to consider transportation and healthcare needs and tax obligations.

Business Travel    

Business travel resembles a short-term work assignment because employees don’t stay at the destination for an extended period. The main differentiator is the type of activities undertaken during business travel are much less associated with what’s classified as work and are, instead, typically limited to hands-off activities and business meetings.    

Employees often  stay in a foreign country for just a few days . However, business travel trips can last multiple weeks in some scenarios. Employees may also travel for business between several countries, creating added considerations employers should consider to ensure compliance.  

Remote Work Visas  

Remote work visas are available in many countries around the world. Some countries introduced them during the COVID-19 pandemic to stimulate their economies and encourage companies with remote work policies to send their talent there without formally relocating.

Remote work visas quickly gained traction, and governments continued establishing similar statuses. They are an increasingly popular option for companies that allow employees to work from anywhere on a remote basis.

The application cost per visa varies from country to country, as does the visa’s duration. Some countries will extend the validity of temporary remote work visas , while others contemplate only a finite period of stay for visa holders. Countries often require proof of income as part of these types of visa requests and may also have provisions for bringing dependents that potential applicants should consider.

Commuter Assignments  

Commuter assignments differ from long-term and short-term assignments because employees regularly commute from their home country to the destination jurisdiction.

While companies use short-term and long-term global assignments worldwide, commuter assignments are typically regional because employees cross neighboring borders. Commuter assignments can be good alternatives for employees who need to work in another country but prefer not to relocate entirely for personal reasons.

What Types of Global Assignments Should Companies Leverage?

HR professionals often ask, “What are the different types of global assignments we can use?”.

Businesses have different reasons for needing to send talent abroad for work assignments. Therefore, employers should carefully consider what they are trying to achieve when deciding what type of global mobility strategy to implement.

Along with the duration of the assignment, employers should consider the employee’s circumstances – are they hesitant to leave family behind, or do they have other obligations that would impact the length of the assignment? Cost is another critical consideration for employers when deciding on a global mobility strategy and will be a decision driver for most programs.

Employers must use various services to ensure a smooth transition no matter how long employees stay in another country. A global immigration services provider such as Envoy Global can partner with your organization to decide on the proper assignment strategy for the company and employee and support the acquisition of the necessary immigration status to allow for a compliant work engagement in the destination country.

Envoy offers valuable services to educate employers on all global assignment types and advise on the assignment strategy that will best ensure your organization’s success. Every company’s HR team partners with a Global Account Manager to create a successful and sustainable global mobility program, including guidance on best practices for leveraging global assignments.

With so many moving parts to global mobility, HR managers can rest assured that working with Envoy’s experienced team helps make relocating talent worldwide a seamless and efficient experience.

Content in this publication is for informational purposes only and not intended as legal advice, nor should it be relied on as such. Envoy is not a law   firm, and   does not provide legal advice. If you would like guidance on how this information may impact your   particular situation   and you are a client of the U.S. Law Firm, consult your attorney. If you are not a client of the U.S. Law Firm working with Envoy, consult another qualified professional. This website does not create an attorney-client relationship with the U.S. Law Firm.

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Pros and Cons of Different Assignment Structures for Mobility Programs

As companies adjust to the new reality of work and reassess their mobility programs, there is an opportunity for them to examine the costs associated with running their mobility programs and explore innovative solutions. We are witnessing a renewed interest in mobility as companies seek to adopt the best structure for their business and employees. While non-traditional forms such as remote and hybrid work are becoming more prevalent, there is also renewed interest in both short and long-term assignments. 

This innovation has already been reflected in the evolution of new mobility policies supporting employees working from outside of their usual office locations, including “ Work from Anywhere ” or “Virtual Assignment” policies. Many companies have also increased their use of non-traditional assignment types such as business travelers or short-term rotations.

Download part one of our "Future of Mobility Survey: Remote Work" to discover how HR and mobility managers are creating policies that tackle the unique challenges posed by a remote workforce.

Based on these evolving trends, it may be easy for organizations to overlook the use of more traditional mobility arrangements to support their business growth and talent management goals. However, long-term assignments, short-term assignments, and permanent transfers each have attributes that warrant consideration when determining the most appropriate way to meet the objectives for your company and employees.

As mobility programs continue to evolve, it is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of traditional assignment types and permanent transfers. Let's take a closer look at the benefits and drawbacks of these options.

Traditional assignment types – long-term and short-term assignments

One of the most commonly used relocation types is an “assignment.” An assignment is the relocation of an employee from one country to another for a specific period of time. A long-term assignment will generally exceed one year, where a short-term assignment will generally be shorter than one year. Below we have outlined some of the benefits and drawbacks for these assignment types.

Benefits and drawbacks of long-term assignments

Long-term or expatriate assignments have long been a popular option for companies who need to transfer or obtain expertise, set up new entities/markets, or provide career development opportunities, especially for future global leaders within the organization. Here, the longer-term nature of the assignment lends itself to building better long-term relationships and in-depth knowledge that can be invaluable to your organization.

From an employee perspective, another benefit of a long-term assignment is the possibility of remaining on their Home country payroll. In this way, employees can often:

• Receive compensation in their Home country currency, avoiding the need to convert Host country currency in order to pay Home country expenses such as student loans or mortgages.
• Participate in the Home country benefit plans. For example, a US citizen/resident employee on a 3-year assignment to the UK can continue contributing to the Home country 401(k), flexible spending plans, and will remain covered by Home country incentive compensation plans.
• Continue participation in Home country social security. In this way, there will be no break in the required time period to meet the coverage requirement for receiving the social security payments upon retirement. For employees at a later stage in their career, continued participation in Home country social security may be a deal-breaker.

Despite these benefits, a major drawback of the long-term assignment is often cost. Assignments can be more expensive to the company due to several factors, including:

• Providing additional allowances and benefits for the assignee. Common examples of these additional compensation elements include cost-of-living adjustments, hardship allowances, Host country housing, and moving expenses.
• Meeting additional compliance requirements. Employees may now have Home and Host country tax filings. And your organization may have Home and Host country reporting and withholding obligations, including related administration expenses such as the cost of establishing and running a shadow payroll.
• Implementing a tax reimbursement policy for your assignee. Tax equalization remains the most common policy for long-term assignments.
• Handling on-going costs incurred for immigration, tax planning, budgeting, internal administration, etc.
• Failing to benefit from the expertise gained by your assignees by not retaining them as employees or finding a suitable position to use their new skills upon repatriation.

It is important to note that proper planning and policies can help to reduce or eliminate many of these drawbacks.

As many factors, including employment, tax, and immigration law, and the availability of bilateral tax and social security agreements can impact the tax and payroll requirements for an assignment, it is important to consult with your mobility tax and legal advisors to make sure the long-term assignment is structured in an appropriate way.

Benefits and drawbacks of short-term assignments

Short-term assignments may allow companies to achieve several of the same benefits as longer-term scenarios, while also addressing several of the challenges. Benefits to the company of using short-term international assignments include:

• Like long-term assignments, an employee on a short-term assignment will often continue to receive compensation in the Home country payroll, seeing the same benefits as described above.
• The company may be able to offer a more modest compensation and allowance package to the employee, helping to reduce the overall tax and assignment costs to the company.
• For US tax purposes, certain reimbursements such as temporary lodging and per diems may be paid tax-free for certain temporary assignments of one year or less. Other countries may have similar rules for temporary assignments.
• Depending on the availability of income tax treaties and social security agreements, Host country taxes may be avoided or limited. For example, an employee on a 5-month assignment from the US to the UK may be able to avoid UK income tax if they will spend less than 183 days in the UK during a 12-month period, remain on the US payroll, and have their compensation expenses continue to be borne by the US entity. The availability of a social security totalization agreement would also provide for the ability to continue on US rather than UK social security through obtainment of a certificate of coverage from the US Social Security Administration.
• Short-term international assignments could result in a larger pool of potential employees for the international assignment program.

Despite these additional benefits, the shorter duration of the assignment may ultimately not provide enough time to allow the organization and assignee to accomplish all the objectives of the assignment. Additionally, the employee may not have enough time to fully “settle in” and develop relationships with the Host country office and clients.

Short-term assignments, as compared to a long-term or expatriate assignment, typically (but not always) result in a lower tax and assignment cost to the company. However, it is important to consider factors that may lead to additional cost, such as:

• Depending on location and the scenario, paying an employee under the expatriate policy may be less costly than providing a per diem and reimbursement of expenses.
• Administering a short-term international assignment may take more time than a long-term assignment. This could happen due to the length of the short-term assignment changing and requiring more constant support by the program administrator and/or tax services provider (e.g., monitoring the assignment).
• There are certain exclusions (e.g., Foreign Earned Income, Housing) and foreign tax credits available on a qualifying employee’s US federal individual income tax return that help alleviate double taxation that might occur as a result of an international assignment. These exclusions and credits may result in a lower tax cost to the company if the assignment is just over one year, rather than short-term.
• An employee on an expatriate assignment will often break state residency during the assignment period; an employee on a short-term international assignment generally will not break state residency. Thus, the state tax cost for the company will often be higher for the short-term international assignment.

Benefits and drawbacks of permanent transfers

Another commonly used relocation type is a permanent transfer or “transfer.” A transfer is a one-way relocation of an employee to a Host country for an indefinite period. In a typical transfer scenario, the individual will become an employee of the Host country entity, with Host country payroll and benefits.

Transferees will typically receive less company support than assignees. For example, instead of receiving allowances designed to keep an individual in a neutral purchasing position in comparison to their Home location (i.e., through provision of housing, cost-of-living, and other allowances), a transferee may receive a local pay package with limited or no allowances. Instead of tax equalization, they may only receive limited tax compliance assistance such as tax return preparation in the Home and Host countries for the year of transfer. Due to reduced support, transfer cases may initially have lower overall costs for the company than assignments.

Permanent transfers are often considered in scenarios where specific skills are needed/not available in the Host location, where the cost of an assignment is considered too high, or for employee-initiated moves . Because of the transfer to local payroll, administrative costs and complexities may also be reduced as the Host country entity would handle any reporting or withholding obligations. In addition, the risk of creating a taxable presence for the Home country entity (e.g., permanent establishment) is also reduced as the individual has severed employment ties in the Home country. However, despite these potential benefits, a transferred employee will likely receive compensation in Host country currency, and Host country benefits may differ from Home country benefits. Transferees are generally not eligible to contribute to Home country retirement/benefit plans such as the 401(k) plan for US employees, or contribute to Home country social security, which may be a significant drawback for those that are at senior or executive level or those approaching retirement. Additionally, employees take on exchange rate risk, potential cost-of-living issues, and potentially higher taxes.

From a talent management perspective, it may also be more difficult or costly to later relocate an employee who has been transferred rather than assigned to a location. A transferee will now be tied to a pay package and cost-of-living in the Host location, which will create a new point of reference for future moves.

What is the best relocation type for your company?

As has been shown, the type of relocation best suited for a given employee and your organization will be based on many factors. Key questions to consider include:

• Why is the employee moving? Is the move initiated by the individual or needed by the organization?
• What are the organizational goals relating to the move? Is the timeline for the proposed relocation reasonable to achieve these objectives?
• Does the employee’s career and personal goals align with the proposed scenario?
• Does the scenario support the longer-term career development objectives for the employee—e.g., will there be ongoing support to make sure the investment in the employee is not lost due to not having an appropriate repatriation plan?

Effective management of cross-border assignments can help firms that are trying to grow their business in key global markets while simultaneously reducing costs. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, hence, every assignment type and policy should be closely reviewed by the company based on the specific assignment objectives.

If you have questions about different assignment structures or how they could impact your global mobility program, schedule a free consultation  with our team. We are happy to discuss your specific situation.

Author: Mark Tirpak

6900 Wedgwood Rd N, Ste 400

Maple Grove, MN 55311

+1.888.486.2695 | [email protected]

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Short-term international assignments: How to achieve consistency

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This article looks at how to structure employment arrangements and ensure the right policies and processes are in place to effectively manage short-term assignments.

We previously discussed how in today's fast-paced business environment, the need to deploy employees to work outside of their home country can sometimes lead to many short-term assignees travelling on a business visa to avoid the expense and bureaucratic process of getting work authorisation. In addition, many managers may inadvertently create ‘stealth’ expats by asking short-term assignees to stay on for another month or two, thereby creating host country tax and social security withholding requirements, and possibly immigration infringements too. 

ECA has also observed more ‘floating employees’ sent to work in countries where the employer has no registered entity and this potentially could create a corporate tax presence for the non-resident employer. To account for these risks and to keep pace with an internationally mobile workforce, companies need to rethink how they structure employment arrangements, policies and processes accordingly.

Important issues to consider include:

Contractual arrangements

When an employee is sent on a short-term assignment, the individual is typically issued with an 'assignment letter', or 'assignment agreement'. This letter outlines the benefits (allowances, reimbursements, etc) that the employee is entitled to receive during the period of assignment to the host entity. However, it is important to consider how any underlying employment contract, with the home company, interplays with the separate assignment letter. In general, an employee on a short-term assignment remains an employee of their home company during the length of the assignment, but with certain rights and benefits suspended/hibernated and replaced by relevant terms and conditions contained within an assignment letter. Hibernating a home country contract can, however, complicate potential dismissals as the home country contract has not been terminated, but will ‘spring back to life’ at the natural end of an assignment or once an assignment has been terminated. 

The role of an assignment letter (agreement)

Short-term assignments are highly complex. Hence, it is crucial to have proper documentation in place to clarify and provide guidance. An effective assignment letter not only benefits the employee, but also the employer (HR, legal, tax and payroll, for instance). The assignment letter should clearly spell out the compensation and benefits (per diems, reimbursements, serviced accommodation costs etc) that the employee would receive during the short-term assignment, thus making all parties aware of assignment entitlements and mitigating any dispute or retroactive negotiations in the future. 

An appropriately drafted assignment letter can also minimise potential financial or reputational risk for non-compliance and help mitigate potentially adverse corporate tax implications. So, it is important that the assignment letter documents the responsibilities of the home and host country companies if the economic employer principles discussed below are to be avoided. Hence, it should address such issues as:

• The assignment start and intended end date;
• The employee’s specific duties while on assignment;
• The employing entity while on assignment;
• To whom does the employee report while on assignment?
• Who determines the holidays and work hours of the employee?
• Who will be responsible for any disciplinary issues during the assignment? 
• Who can terminate the contractual arrangements entered into with the employee? 

How long an assignment is anticipated to last has an important bearing on immigration and tax compliance regulations. For example, in the United States, it is possible to exclude certain travel, meals and accommodation expenses from federal tax if an assignment is expected to last less than 12 months. However, should the assignment length change from less than one year to greater than one year, the expenses previously considered non-taxable would be deemed taxable from the date of the change in ‘intent’. Consequently, the anticipated or intended assignment duration should be supported through appropriate language in the assignment letter. 

The choice of language used in an assignment letter can also have implications for the taxability of certain allowances and benefits. For example, there is a distinction between an employee sent to Japan for business travel and one sent under a secondment arrangement. An employee ‘seconded’ on a short-term assignment to Japan cannot exempt income from taxation under the 183-day rule, whereas a ‘business traveller’ or ‘visitor’ can potentially do so based on facts and circumstances. An assignment/secondment agreement for employees sent to Japan for short-term projects should therefore use consistent terminology to qualify for the preferential tax treatment. 

Cost allocation

Who picks up the costs of a short-term assignment can be a source of much debate in many organisations when an employee is temporarily assigned to work in another country. This is because costs need to be borne in the correct location to ensure that the appropriate tax deductions can be claimed by the group. 

Consider the potential tax risks when an employee is being assigned internationally to another company within a group. Certain tax authorities adopt an ‘economic employer’ approach to interpreting Article 15 of the OECD model treaty which deals with the Dependent Services Article (economic employer is discussed further here). One of the conditions of Article 15 states that if the assignee’s salary and costs are recharged to the host entity, then the host country tax authority will treat the host entity as being the ‘economic employer’ and therefore the employer for the purposes of interpreting Article 15. In this case, tax relief would be denied and the employee would be subject to tax in the host country even if the individual spends less than 183 days there. Short-term assignments can also create a corporate tax liability in the host jurisdiction if cost allocation is not carefully managed.

To help minimise any unexpected tax surprises, it is advisable to put an agreement in place, which specifies how costs will be managed during an assignment. An inter-entity agreement should be drawn up between the host company and the assignee’s home company. This agreement governs how costs associated with the assignment will be funded. An inter-entity agreement is in addition to the assignment letter (agreement) between the employee and the home company.

Short-term assignments now take all shapes and forms, with short-term projects, weekly commuters, and extended business trips becoming more common. A written short-term policy can be a cost-effective tool as it provides discipline and a framework that enables equity of treatment amongst assignees and reduces the number of employees negotiating their own packages. It can set out logically the steps to be taken in any relocation and the procedures to be followed.

It is advisable that each category of short-term assignment be housed in a separate policy document, as there is a possibility that employees will attempt to leverage off the best parts of other packages to suit their particular circumstances. Additionally, a short-term policy should be regularly evaluated against the current industry trends as well as the company’s business goals to make sure it is fit for purpose.

The short-term policy should address the following key issues:

• Should any host country tax liability arise, will the assignee receive any tax assistance?
• Will the assignee be on the host country payroll, home country payroll, an international assignee payroll, or multiple payrolls?
• Will the assignee’s pay be protected from exchange rate volatility?
• What happens when short-term assignments are extended and change from one assignment category to another? 
• Managing exceptions

Exceptions to policy can be difficult to manage, requiring negotiations between the mobility team, the assignee and the business line for approval. They can also be costly, triggering unaccounted-for expenses and untracked ‘budget creep’, the impact of which is rarely calculated or consolidated across the business functions. 

Exceptions should only be granted under very limited circumstances and require written explanations and approval of the executive board or HR director. If carefully monitored, the number of exception requests can indicate that a particular process or policy component requires re-design or further instruction to a vendor. 

To ensure global equity and minimise budget creep, consider: 

• Creating a detailed policy governance process for identifying and capturing deviations to policy or process with a view to reducing or eliminating exceptions;
• Setting up a centralised system to manage and approve exceptions to help minimise expenses;
• Establishing a process owner for short-term assignments, someone with responsibility and authority to monitor and report on trends in exceptions;
• Creating a formal short-term assignment policy, as mentioned above, to minimise exceptions and foster consistency and clear communications.

Tracking potential risks

Tax and immigration irregularities are common for employees on short-term assignments. Accordingly, it is important to develop an education programme for employees and their managers to inform them about the risks of cross-border work and the consequences of non-compliance. 

Work permit and immigration infringements should not be underestimated as the penalties for individuals working outside their home country without the appropriate work authorisation can be harsh. Not all short-term assignees need immigration approval, but then again, some do. It is important to note that just because an employee may not trigger any host country tax liability it doesn’t follow that they are exempt from immigration requirements. Indeed, staying on the home payroll is one of the most common areas of risk for short-term assignees and it is not an indication that immigration approval is not required.  

For many companies, technology has become the key to achieving and maintaining compliance. Without proper monitoring, an employer may unwittingly be exposed to tax and social security risks. Diligent tracking of short-term assignees and a solid process to be able to identify risks up-front are key to ensuring compliance. 

Once a company’s short-term population reaches a certain size, manual tracking of policy exceptions using Excel spreadsheets is unlikely to be sufficient to ensure compliance with now greater information sharing among tax and immigration authorities. So, if companies want to be ahead of the curve in managing short-term assignees, they need to start tracking them. This will require communications to be established between the business units, tax, HR, legal, payroll, etc early in the assignment planning process, as well as when any assignment extension is contemplated.

Coordination with payroll 

At the heart of the administration process is the payroll team and it is essential that the appropriate home and host country payroll personnel are involved in planning for short-term assignments. They are ultimately responsible for ensuring the accurate and timely delivery of the assignment package to employees, while managing the local jurisdiction compliance requirements with regard to tax and social security withholding. 

The home country payroll must be informed of the intended assignment duration and assignment package to be paid to the employee. The home payroll will need to understand whether the allowances and benefits will or will not be considered taxable to the employee. 

Assignment income, such as a short-term allowance or per diems, is often paid through the home country payroll to comply with standard tax treaty rules. Typically, if income is to be exempt of host taxes, the payroll costs should not be borne by a permanent establishment in the host country. 

If an employee triggers a tax liability, many host countries will require withholding of income taxes through a local payroll. Consequently, the host country payroll will need to be informed of the assignment package the employee is receiving to understand if these may be considered taxable in the host country, even if they are not taxable in the home country. The host payroll will also need the relevant social security applications to be made to ensure that contributions are paid to the appropriate tax authorities. 

Our three-part series of articles on short-term assignments has highlighted some of the complexities in structuring short-term assignments, and some of the challenges concerning immigration, payroll reporting and tax compliance. With proper planning and administration, short-term assignments can be an effective and efficient means of increasing the pool of potential employees for the international assignment programme.

If you haven't already done so, you can read the first two articles of this three-part series on short-term international assignments:

• Key considerations when structuring short-term packages
• Compliance challenges involved with short-term assignments

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Short-term international assignments: How to achieve consistency

We previously discussed how in today's fast-paced business environment, the need to deploy employees to work outside of their home country can sometimes lead to many short-term assignees travelling on a business visa to avoid the expense and bureaucratic process of getting work authorisation. In addition, many managers may inadvertently create ‘stealth’ expats by asking short-term assignees to stay on for another month or two, thereby creating host country tax and social security withholding requirements, and possibly immigration infringements too. ECA has also observed more ‘floating employees’ sent to work in countries where the employer has no registered entity and this potentially could create a corporate tax presence for the non-resident employer. To account for these risks and to keep pace with an internationally mobile workforce, companies need to rethink how they structure employment arrangements, policies and processes accordingly.

Important issues to consider include:

Contractual arrangements

When an employee is sent on a short-term assignment, the individual is typically issued with an 'assignment letter', or 'assignment agreement'. This letter outlines the benefits (allowances, reimbursements, etc) that the employee is entitled to receive during the period of assignment to the host entity. However, it is important to consider how any underlying employment contract, with the home company, interplays with the separate assignment letter. In general, an employee on a short-term assignment remains an employee of their home company during the length of the assignment, but with certain rights and benefits suspended/hibernated and replaced by relevant terms and conditions contained within an assignment letter. Hibernating a home country contract can, however, complicate potential dismissals as the home country contract has not been terminated, but will ‘spring back to life’ at the natural end of an assignment or once an assignment has been terminated. 

The role of an assignment letter (agreement)

Short-term assignments are highly complex. Hence, it is crucial to have proper documentation in place to clarify and provide guidance. An effective assignment letter not only benefits the employee, but also the employer (HR, legal, tax and payroll, for instance). The assignment letter should clearly spell out the compensation and benefits (per diems, reimbursements, serviced accommodation costs etc) that the employee would receive during the short-term assignment, thus making all parties aware of assignment entitlements and mitigating any dispute or retroactive negotiations in the future. 

An appropriately drafted assignment letter can also minimise potential financial or reputational risk for non-compliance and help mitigate potentially adverse corporate tax implications. So, it is important that the assignment letter documents the responsibilities of the home and host country companies if the economic employer principles discussed below are to be avoided. Hence, it should address such issues as:

• The assignment start and intended end date;
• The employee’s specific duties while on assignment;
• The employing entity while on assignment;
• To whom does the employee report while on assignment?
• Who determines the holidays and work hours of the employee?
• Who will be responsible for any disciplinary issues during the assignment? 
• Who can terminate the contractual arrangements entered into with the employee? 

How long an assignment is anticipated to last has an important bearing on immigration and tax compliance regulations. For example, in the United States, it is possible to exclude certain travel, meals and accommodation expenses from federal tax if an assignment is expected to last less than 12 months. However, should the assignment length change from less than one year to greater than one year, the expenses previously considered non-taxable would be deemed taxable from the date of the change in ‘intent’. Consequently, the anticipated or intended assignment duration should be supported through appropriate language in the assignment letter. 

The choice of language used in an assignment letter can also have implications for the taxability of certain allowances and benefits. For example, there is a distinction between an employee sent to Japan for business travel and one sent under a secondment arrangement. An employee ‘seconded’ on a short-term assignment to Japan cannot exempt income from taxation under the 183-day rule, whereas a ‘business traveller’ or ‘visitor’ can potentially do so based on facts and circumstances. An assignment/secondment agreement for employees sent to Japan for short-term projects should therefore use consistent terminology to qualify for the preferential tax treatment. 

Cost allocation

Who picks up the costs of a short-term assignment can be a source of much debate in many organisations when an employee is temporarily assigned to work in another country. This is because costs need to be borne in the correct location to ensure that the appropriate tax deductions can be claimed by the group. 

Consider the potential tax risks when an employee is being assigned internationally to another company within a group. Certain tax authorities adopt an ‘economic employer’ approach to interpreting Article 15 of the OECD model treaty which deals with the Dependent Services Article (economic employer is discussed further here ). One of the conditions of Article 15 states that if the assignee’s salary and costs are recharged to the host entity, then the host country tax authority will treat the host entity as being the ‘economic employer’ and therefore the employer for the purposes of interpreting Article 15. In this case, tax relief would be denied and the employee would be subject to tax in the host country even if the individual spends less than 183 days there. Short-term assignments can also create a corporate tax liability in the host jurisdiction if cost allocation is not carefully managed.

To help minimise any unexpected tax surprises, it is advisable to put an agreement in place, which specifies how costs will be managed during an assignment. An inter-entity agreement should be drawn up between the host company and the assignee’s home company. This agreement governs how costs associated with the assignment will be funded. An inter-entity agreement is in addition to the assignment letter (agreement) between the employee and the home company.

Short-term assignments now take all shapes and forms, with short-term projects, weekly commuters, and extended business trips becoming more common. A written short-term policy can be a cost-effective tool as it provides discipline and a framework that enables equity of treatment amongst assignees and reduces the number of employees negotiating their own packages. It can set out logically the steps to be taken in any relocation and the procedures to be followed.

It is advisable that each category of short-term assignment be housed in a separate policy document, as there is a possibility that employees will attempt to leverage off the best parts of other packages to suit their particular circumstances. Additionally, a short-term policy should be regularly evaluated against the current industry trends as well as the company’s business goals to make sure it is fit for purpose.

The short-term policy should address the following key issues:

• Should any host country tax liability arise, will the assignee receive any tax assistance?
• Will the assignee be on the host country payroll, home country payroll, an international assignee payroll, or multiple payrolls?
• Will the assignee’s pay be protected from exchange rate volatility?
• What happens when short-term assignments are extended and change from one assignment category to another? 

Managing exceptions

Exceptions to policy can be difficult to manage, requiring negotiations between the mobility team, the assignee and the business line for approval. They can also be costly, triggering unaccounted-for expenses and untracked ‘budget creep’, the impact of which is rarely calculated or consolidated across the business functions. 

Exceptions should only be granted under very limited circumstances and require written explanations and approval of the executive board or HR director. If carefully monitored, the number of exception requests can indicate that a particular process or policy component requires re-design or further instruction to a vendor. 

To ensure global equity and minimise budget creep, consider: 

• Creating a detailed policy governance process for identifying and capturing deviations to policy or process with a view to reducing or eliminating exceptions;
• Setting up a centralised system to manage and approve exceptions to help minimise expenses;
• Establishing a process owner for short-term assignments, someone with responsibility and authority to monitor and report on trends in exceptions;
• Creating a formal short-term assignment policy, as mentioned above, to minimise exceptions and foster consistency and clear communications.

Tracking potential risks

Tax and immigration irregularities are common for employees on short-term assignments. Accordingly, it is important to develop an education programme for employees and their managers to inform them about the risks of cross-border work and the consequences of non-compliance. 

Work permit and immigration infringements should not be underestimated as the penalties for individuals working outside their home country without the appropriate work authorisation can be harsh. Not all short-term assignees need immigration approval, but then again, some do. It is important to note that just because an employee may not trigger any host country tax liability it doesn’t follow that they are exempt from immigration requirements. Indeed, staying on the home payroll is one of the most common areas of risk for short-term assignees and it is not an indication that immigration approval is not required.  

For many companies, technology has become the key to achieving and maintaining compliance. Without proper monitoring, an employer may unwittingly be exposed to tax and social security risks. Diligent tracking of short-term assignees and a solid process to be able to identify risks up-front are key to ensuring compliance. 

Source: ECA’s Managing Variety in International Mobility survey

Once a company’s short-term population reaches a certain size, manual tracking of policy exceptions using Excel spreadsheets is unlikely to be sufficient to ensure compliance with now greater information sharing among tax and immigration authorities. So, if companies want to be ahead of the curve in managing short-term assignees, they need to start tracking them. This will require communications to be established between the business units, tax, HR, legal, payroll, etc early in the assignment planning process, as well as when any assignment extension is contemplated.

Coordination with payroll 

At the heart of the administration process is the payroll team and it is essential that the appropriate home and host country payroll personnel are involved in planning for short-term assignments. They are ultimately responsible for ensuring the accurate and timely delivery of the assignment package to employees, while managing the local jurisdiction compliance requirements with regard to tax and social security withholding. 

The home country payroll must be informed of the intended assignment duration and assignment package to be paid to the employee. The home payroll will need to understand whether the allowances and benefits will or will not be considered taxable to the employee. 

Assignment income, such as a short-term allowance or per diems, is often paid through the home country payroll to comply with standard tax treaty rules. Typically, if income is to be exempt of host taxes, the payroll costs should not be borne by a permanent establishment in the host country. 

If an employee triggers a tax liability, many host countries will require withholding of income taxes through a local payroll. Consequently, the host country payroll will need to be informed of the assignment package the employee is receiving to understand if these may be considered taxable in the host country, even if they are not taxable in the home country. The host payroll will also need the relevant social security applications to be made to ensure that contributions are paid to the appropriate tax authorities. 

Our three-part series of articles on short-term assignments has highlighted some of the complexities in structuring short-term assignments, and some of the challenges concerning immigration, payroll reporting and tax compliance. With proper planning and administration, short-term assignments can be an effective and efficient means of increasing the pool of potential employees for the international assignment programme.

Our Consultancy & Advisory team can help you manage your short-term international assignees as effectively as possible, whether you are looking for assistance with the  design or review of existing policies , the creation of  assignment letters ,  assignment cost projections or other support.

ECA's Short-term Allowance Calculator provides a choice of regional bases on which to create consistent allowances in the host location, whatever the nationality of the assignee. Find out more about the Short-term Allowance Calculator here  or request a demo .

If you haven't already done so, read the first two articles of this three-part series on short-term international assignments:

• Key considerations when structuring short-term packages
• Compliance challenges involved with short-term assignments

Domestic Short Term Assignments: What You Should Know

By: Sam Hoey | CRP, GMS

November 13, 2019

Many companies are using domestic short term assignments to strategically respond to corporate growth initiatives. Some business opportunities may only require a limited focus for a specific length of time. Often companies have current employees with knowledge and experience who can effectively contribute in various capacities. The IRS defines a temporary assignment or job as lasting for one year or less .

For example, the healthcare industry increasingly uses domestic short term assignments. These roles help the industry meet the challenge of hiring and keeping talent with high levels of skills. Many of these employees enjoy going to new locations on a regular basis and thrive in the excitement and adventure of domestic short term assignments.

By leveraging its current pool of talent, a company can quickly respond to changing priorities. Also, it can place a greater focus on growth initiatives rather than recruiting for new hires.

What are the Benefits?

Company benefits of domestic short term assignments.

There are many benefits for companies that can leverage domestic short term assignments. Issues relating to skills, training, and costs can be effectively addressed, often without having to incur significant costs:

• Easier to Attract Talent Interested in Challenging Assignments
• Gap in Skills is Effectively Closed as Employee Fills Role and Provides Training
• Productivity Increases
• Talent Acquisition Costs are Reduced or Eliminated

Employee Benefits of Domestic Short Term Assignments

An employee who fills a short term assignment also benefits in several ways. Often, the employee gains problem-solving skills and they will increase their ability to communicate across the organization. From a teamwork standpoint, the employee may inspire others to participate in finding solutions:

• Experience Increases
• Leadership Potential Rises
• Morale Increases with Recognition for Assignment and Achievement
• Network of Mentors and Peers Expands

What Does This Mean?

Companies that offer domestic short term assignments often gain a significant number of benefits. They can respond quickly and effectively to changing business priorities. Additionally, they can save talent acquisition costs and close skills gaps with placement and training.

Employees also gain many benefits by taking these positions. Their skill levels increase, and they can expand their network of mentors and peers in the organization. As a result, their leadership potential rises and their productivity increases.

What Should Employers do About Domestic Short Term Assignments?

Employers with transferees that fill domestic short term assignments should work with a qualified and experienced Relocation Management Company (RMC) . Often the company’s relocation policy focuses on benefits and programs for employees and family members moving to a new location.

However, employees that fill domestic short term assignments will need a different range of benefits and support, since they will return to their home after the assignment is complete. They may need assistance with travel , temporary housing options, or transportation solutions while at the new location.

Companies should review their relocation policy to ensure it follows industry best practices for relocation benefits provided to employees who take domestic short term assignments . GMS tailors each client’s program based on specific budgets, needs, and compliance. As a result, clients can offer an industry-leading relocation program designed to fully meet the needs of these employees. This helps ensure successful assignments and increases employee satisfaction.

Industry Benchmarking Studies Help Employers Compare Their Relocation Program

GMS has recently published several Industry Benchmarking Studies to help employers learn whether their company’s relocation program is designed following industry-specific best practices. There are many benefits to a corporate relocation policy benchmarking. For example, employers can learn how benefits provided for domestic short term assignments in their relocation program compare to those offered by competitors in their specific industry.

Industry best practice is to schedule a relocation program and policy review every 12 to 18 months to ensure your company maintains its competitive position . This review will also help your company learn about how the relocation industry is evolving to meet increased employee demands, especially with regard to domestic short term assignments.

GMS’ team of corporate relocation experts has helped thousands of our clients understand how to leverage domestic short term assignments to meet corporate objectives. Our team can help your company design a relocation policy that provides the best experience for employees during their temporary assignments.

GMS was the first relocation company to register as a .com, created the first online interactive tools and calculators, and revolutionized the entire relocation industry. GMS continues to set the industry pace as the pioneer in innovation and technology solutions with its proprietary MyRelocation™ technology platform .

Global Mobility Solutions is proud to be named and ranked #1 Overall, and #1 in Quality of Service by HRO Today’s 2019 Baker’s Dozen Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Contact our experts online to discuss how your company can leverage domestic short term assignments to meet corporate objectives, or give us a call at 800.617.1904 or 480.922.0700 today.

Sam Hoey | CRP, GMS

Senior Vice President, Global Account Management Sam joined Global Mobility Solutions in 1996 and has a unique perspective with her 25 years of industry experience. Samantha offers her clients relocation expertise and a commitment to excellence in her. Her proficiency in orchestrating the BVO and GPO Programs, as well as relocation policy design and implementation, are invaluable assets to the accounts she manages. Her experience in administering Pre-Decision Relocation services to enhance the recruiting process further demonstrates her unique abilities to service her clients. Samantha’s diverse experience, leadership, and outstanding communication skills enable her to manage the relocation process for her clients with finesse and polished professionalism.

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30 Short Term Goals for Work – Examples for Career Growth

By Status.net Editorial Team on October 18, 2023 — 15 minutes to read

• Defining Your Career Goals Part 1
• Creating Smarter Goals Part 2
• Examples of Effective Short Term Career Goals Part 3
• Setting Achievable Short-Term Career Goals Part 4
• Steps to Measuring Your Goals Part 5
• Tips for Goal Accomplishment Part 6

Part 1 Defining Your Career Goals

Setting short-term goals for work is an effective way to stay focused and motivated in your professional life. In this article, we’ll provide some examples of short-term goals that you can set for yourself to help you succeed in your career.

Short-term goals can be as short as a week or as long as a few months. The key here is to break down your bigger objectives into smaller, manageable tasks or targets that are achievable on a shorter scale.

• For example, if your long-term goal is to become a manager in your organization, then a relevant short-term goal might be to take on additional responsibilities in your current role. That could mean spearheading a new project or learning the ropes of a different department. This short-term goal will not only help you develop new skills but also demonstrate your commitment to the company and your ability to lead.
• Similarly, suppose your overarching career aim is to switch from a marketing role to a data analyst position. In that case, a short-term goal could involve taking up online courses on data analytics, attending workshops, or networking with data analysts to gain a better understanding of the industry. This will increase your knowledge and experience in the sector and make it easier for you to land your dream job.

So, by breaking down larger objectives into smaller, more manageable tasks, you can make progress towards your ultimate career aspirations. Here are more examples of how short-term goals can lead towards accomplishing long-term career goals:

• Short-term goal: Attend a networking event and meet three new people in your industry. Long-term career goal: Land a job at a top company in your industry. How it helps: Networking is a crucial aspect of building a successful career. By attending events and meeting new people, you can expand your network and build relationships that may lead to job opportunities in the future.
• Short-term goal: Take a course or certification program to improve your skills in a specific area. Long-term career goal: Advance to a higher position within your current company or industry. How it helps: By continually improving your skills and knowledge, you become a more valuable asset to your employer or industry. This can lead to promotions or other opportunities for career advancement.
• Short-term goal: Set a goal to complete a project or task by a specific deadline. Long-term career goal: Become known as a reliable and efficient professional in your industry. How it helps: Meeting deadlines and completing projects on time is essential to building a reputation as a dependable worker. This can lead to more opportunities for career growth and advancement.
• Short-term goal: Attend a conference or seminar to learn about new trends and developments in your industry. Long-term career goal: Become an expert in your field and a thought leader in your industry. How it helps: Staying up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in your industry is critical to becoming an expert in your field. Attending conferences and seminars can help you stay informed and connected with other professionals in your industry.

By setting and achieving short-term goals that align with your long-term career aspirations, you can make steady progress towards achieving your ultimate career goals.

Try to set realistic, achievable short-term goals tailored to your strengths and current circumstances. Assess your existing skills, take stock of the resources available to you, and plan your goals accordingly. And don’t shy away from revising or adjusting your short-term goals along the way – change is a natural part of any career progression.

Part 2 Creating Smarter Goals

When you set short-term goals, focus on making them smarter. This means they should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound . Let’s dive into each aspect and provide some examples to get you started.

• Specific: Instead of vague goals like “be better at work,” try defining exactly what you want to improve. For example, “increase my typing speed by 20% over the next two months” or “complete the company’s leadership training program within six months.”
• Measurable: Make sure your goals have a clear benchmark. This helps track progress and determine success. For example, if you aim to raise your typing speed, measure it using words per minute (WPM). If you’re learning a new software, set a target number of projects or tasks you’ll complete using that software.
• Achievable: Be realistic about what you can accomplish. Stretching yourself is great, but setting impossible expectations can lead to disappointment and burnout. If you’ve never run a marathon, don’t make your short-term goal to win a race. Instead, focus on finishing a 5K or increasing your weekly running distance.
• Relevant: Align your short-term goals with your overall career aspirations. If you want to become a project manager, for example, developing your communication and leadership skills might be more relevant than learning how to code. Similarly, if you’re a writer, improving your grammar and vocabulary would be more beneficial than mastering video editing software.
• Time-bound: Assign a deadline to each goal. This creates a sense of urgency and encourages consistent progress. You could set a target for attending three networking events within the next 60 days or completing an online course by the end of the quarter.

Part 3 Examples of Effective Short Term Career Goals

1. Improve my communication skills by attending a public speaking course and giving at least two presentations by the end of the month. Long-term career goal: Become a confident and effective communicator in my industry. How it helps: By improving my public speaking skills and practicing presenting, I can become a more confident and effective communicator, which can help me advance in my career.

2. Learn a new software program that is relevant to my industry and use it to complete a project by the end of the quarter. Long-term career goal: Become proficient in the latest technologies and software in my industry. How it helps: By learning new software programs and technologies, I can stay up-to-date with the latest trends and become more valuable to my employer or industry.

3. Attend a networking event to expand my professional network and make at least three new connections that I can follow up with. Long-term career goal: Build a strong professional network in my industry. How it helps: By attending networking events and making new connections, I can expand my professional network and build relationships that may lead to job opportunities or career advancement in the future.

4. Develop a better understanding of my industry’s regulations and standards by attending a training program and being able to explain them to a colleague or supervisor. Long-term career goal: Become a knowledgeable and respected professional in my industry. How it helps: By developing a better understanding of my industry’s regulations and standards and being able to explain them to others, I can become a more knowledgeable and respected professional in my industry.

5. Take on a leadership role in a project to gain management experience and successfully complete the project within the given timeline and budget. Long-term career goal: Become a successful manager or leader in my industry. How it helps: By taking on a leadership role in a project, I can gain valuable management experience and develop the skills necessary to become a successful manager or leader in my industry.

6. Learn how to use a new piece of equipment or technology and apply it to a project or task within the next month. Long-term career goal: Become proficient in the latest equipment and technology in my industry. How it helps: By learning how to use new equipment or technology and applying it to a project or task, I can become more proficient in the latest equipment and technology in my industry. This can lead to more opportunities for career growth and advancement.

7. Improve my teamwork skills by participating in team-building activities and successfully completing a project with my team. Long-term career goal: Become a successful team player and leader in my industry. How it helps: By improving my teamwork skills and successfully completing a project with my team, I can become a more successful team player and leader in my industry.

8. Learn a new language to improve communication with international clients and be able to hold a basic conversation in that language within six months. Long-term career goal: Expand my professional network and work with international clients. How it helps: By learning a new language, I can improve my communication skills with international clients and expand my professional network. This can lead to new job opportunities or career advancement in the future.

More examples:

9. Increase my sales numbers by 10% in the next quarter by identifying new leads and closing at least three new deals.

10. Develop a new marketing strategy to increase brand awareness and measure its success by tracking website visits and social media engagement.

11. Obtain a certification or license to enhance my professional skills and complete the necessary coursework or exams within the next six months.

12. Attend a conference or workshop to gain industry knowledge and identify at least three new trends or best practices to implement in my work.

13. Learn a new skill that will make me more valuable in my current position and apply it to a project or task within the next month.

14. Increase my social media presence to promote my personal brand and gain at least 100 new followers within the next quarter.

15. Develop a better understanding of my company’s financials by attending a training program and being able to read and interpret financial statements.

16. Improve my project management skills by taking a course or attending a workshop and successfully completing a project within the given timeline and budget.

17. Increase my customer service skills by attending a training program and receiving positive feedback from at least three customers.

18. Improve my writing skills by taking a writing course and writing at least one article or report by the end of the month.

19. Increase my productivity by implementing time management techniques and reducing my time spent on non-essential tasks by 20%.

20. Take on a new project that will challenge me and help me grow and successfully complete it within the given timeline and budget.

21. Improve my public relations skills by attending a workshop or seminar and successfully pitching a story to a journalist or media outlet.

22. Develop a better understanding of my company’s products or services by attending a training program and being able to explain them to a customer.

23. Increase my online presence by creating a personal website or blog and publishing at least two blog posts per month.

24. Learn how to negotiate better deals with vendors and suppliers and successfully negotiate a better deal for my company within the next quarter.

25. Develop a better understanding of my company’s supply chain by attending a training program and being able to explain it to a colleague or supervisor.

26. Improve my conflict resolution skills by attending a training program and successfully resolving a conflict with a colleague or customer.

27. Learn how to delegate tasks more effectively to my team members and successfully delegate at least one task to a team member within the next month.

28. Increase my knowledge of digital marketing techniques by attending a training program and successfully implementing a new digital marketing strategy within the next quarter.

29. Develop a better understanding of my company’s culture and values by attending a training program and being able to explain them to a new employee.

30. Learn how to manage stress and maintain work-life balance by attending a workshop or seminar and successfully implementing at least one stress-reducing technique in my daily routine.

Related: 60 Self-Performance Review Goals Examples

Part 4 Setting Achievable Short-Term Career Goals

Increasing professional knowledge.

To stand out in your field, focus on increasing your professional knowledge. Identify areas where you need to improve or want to expand your expertise and dedicate time to learning new skills. Attend workshops, webinars or enroll in online courses that provide valuable information related to your industry. This can help propel your career forward and make you an in-demand professional.

Improving Communication Skills

Effective communication skills are vital to achieving success in any career. Work on enhancing both verbal and written communication, which can strengthen relationships with colleagues, clients, and management. Volunteer for presentations and practice your public speaking skills, or take a creative writing class to perfect your emails and written reports. Better communication can lead to increased opportunities for promotions and recognition in your field.

Seeking Mentoring and Guidance

Seeking advice from experienced professionals is an excellent short-term career goal. A mentor can provide valuable guidance, helping you navigate various professional challenges and prevent potential mistakes. Connect with experts in your industry through networking events, online forums, or even within your own workplace. Regularly communicate with your mentor, asking for their insights and assimilating their knowledge into your career journey.

Part 5 Steps to Measuring Your Goals

Setting and achieving short-term goals is crucial for career growth. Here are some steps to help you measure your goals effectively.

Goal Tracking

Develop a system to track your goals. You can use a digital app or a simple notebook. Update your progress daily by marking off completed tasks or jotting down key details. This will help you see your achievements and adjust your goals when needed.

• Write down your goals: Jot down your short-term goals, making them clear and specific.
• Create action steps: Break bigger goals into smaller tasks, making progress more manageable.
• Monitor progress regularly: Track daily progress and stay accountable to your goals.
• Celebrate achievements: Reward yourself for accomplishing milestones and boosting your motivation.

Weekly Review

A weekly review is a valuable habit for assessing your progress and refocusing your efforts. During the review, consider the following points:

• Review your goals: Are your short-term goals still relevant? Do you want to change or update any goals?
• Assess your progress: Did you make progress on your goals this week? Which goals are moving forward, and which ones require additional effort?
• Adjust your action steps: Based on your progress, reevaluate the steps required to achieve your goals.
• Set priorities for the upcoming week: Identify the most important tasks for the following week to stay focused and maintain momentum.

Quarterly Evaluation

A quarterly evaluation provides a broader perspective on your achievements and helps you adjust your goals for the long term. Here’s a suggested approach:

• Analyze your major accomplishments: Identify the critical milestones you reached in the past three months and celebrate your successes.
• Reflect on challenges: Consider any obstacles you encountered and think about how you can overcome them in the future.
• Review your short-term goals: Are these goals still in line with your long-term objectives? Make any necessary adjustments to stay on track.
• Plan for the next quarter: Set realistic and achievable short-term goals for the upcoming months, based on your progress and personal growth.

Part 6 Tips for Goal Accomplishment

Time management strategies.

Start by setting clear priorities, focusing on the tasks that will have the most significant impact on your goals. Break down big goals into smaller, manageable tasks and create daily to-do lists to keep track of your progress. Implement the Pomodoro technique to stay focused during work sessions, taking short breaks to recharge. Delegate tasks when possible to avoid being overwhelmed and maintain a balance between work and personal life.

Embracing a Growth Mindset

Adopting a growth mindset means believing that your skills and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. Be willing to learn from your experiences, both positive and negative, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Seek out opportunities to grow, such as attending workshops, taking online courses, or networking with professionals in your field. Surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you, as they will push you to become better.

Consistent Motivation

Maintaining motivation is vital for achieving your short-term goals. Set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives to keep yourself on track. Visualize your success and celebrate your achievements along the way, both big and small. Maintain a positive work environment and eliminate distractions that may hinder your progress. Don’t forget to practice self-care and spend time on activities you enjoy outside of work, as this will help prevent burnout and maintain a consistent level of motivation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some examples of short-term goals for career growth.

To enhance your career, consider setting short-term goals like completing relevant online courses, attending skill-building workshops, and networking events. Strengthen essential skills like public speaking or time management, and try to find a mentor who can guide you in your field.

How can I set realistic short-term goals for a new job within six months?

To set realistic short-term goals within a six-month time frame, start by getting familiar with your new job’s responsibilities. Identify areas where you need improvement, and create specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. For instance, learn a relevant software program, meet with colleagues to shadow their roles, or set a target number of client meetings to attend.

What are suitable short-term goals for a student to enhance their career?

As a student, you can work on short-term goals such as maintaining a high GPA, seeking out internships or part-time jobs related to your field, or joining clubs and organizations tied to your career aspirations. You might also consider volunteering, attending conferences, or making connections with professionals in your desired industry.

How can I achieve my short-term career goals within 1-2 years?

Achieving short-term career goals within 1-2 years requires determination and strategic planning. Break your goals into smaller, manageable tasks, and prioritize them based on their importance and deadline. Develop a timeline for each goal, and celebrate small achievements to maintain motivation. Seek guidance from mentors and managers, and adjust your goals as needed to stay on track.

What are effective short-term goals to mention during a performance review?

During a performance review, you might mention short-term goals that showcase your ambition and commitment to growth. Examples include asking for feedback on your work, collaborating with cross-functional teams, or taking the lead on a challenging project. Focus on goals that highlight your strengths and align with company objectives.

Can you share a few sample short-term career goals for a job interview?

When discussing short-term career goals during a job interview, try to choose goals that emphasize your enthusiasm and dedication to the position. You could mention aspirations like mastering core job responsibilities, adapting to the company culture, building relationships with colleagues, or making meaningful contributions to team projects. Tailor your goals to the specific job and company for maximum impact.

• 15 Personal Goals Examples for Work
• 10 Examples of Career Goals [Professional Advancement]
• 5 Year Goals: Craft Your Actionable Plan
• 5 Smart Answers to "What Are Your Career Goals?"
• 20 Solid Educational Goals Examples (Smart Goals)
• Goals vs Objectives

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Short-term assignments

Short-term international assignments usually last between 3 and 12 months, and allow companies to transfer skills, knowledge and resources quickly and cost effectively, providing a quick response to business needs.

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Per Diem Allowance Calculator 2.0

Determine fair and cost-efficient per diem rates suitable for short-term assignees and business travelers.

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