Expand your Global HR Knowledge

By Debi Dault CRP, GPHR
Senior Consultant Client Services, TheMIGroup
as Published in HR Matters - Summer 2004

Web sites, roundtable discussions and state conferences offer a bounty of learning opportunities.

Globalization has caused many human resources professionals to expand their role from dealing with domestic regulations, strategies and practices to trying to understand labor laws, cultural differences, and human capital issues in other countries.

Global HR refers to all the functions and roles that HR can play to support global enterprises. International HR refers to how many companies manage labor in different countries and the movement of people across borders to staff organizations. In most cases, global HR and international HR are interchangeable.
For many international companies, global revenues and profits exceed domestic results. Investments in global expansion will increase tenfold between 2000 and 2005. With the world going global, it might be time to expand your global IQ.

There are several ways to increase your knowledge bank of global HR information. First, effective January 2004, your SHRM national membership includes access to the SHRM Global Forum at no additional membership fee. Using the SHRM Global Forum web site, you can find helpful information such as country-specific employment guidelines, international laws and practices.There also are chat rooms where you might pose questions to international practitioners on a specific topic.

Secondly, you may attend international HR roundtables. These roundtables are held in three cities in Texas. Austin, Dallas and Houston have roundtables for those who have international HR responsibilities and are interested in networking and learning from other HR professionals with similar interests. They meet either quarterly or bi-monthly and do not require membership or dues to attend.

Lastly, there are conferences, symposiums and other various meetings available throughout the state designed specifically for development of international HR professionals. The Texas State Council will sponsor an international HR conference in November in Houston. More details will be shared in our next issue.

Debi Dault is International Director for the Texas State Council of SHRM. She works as a senior consultant for TheMIGroup helping corporations relocate employees internationally or domestically. She currently serves as a volunteer leader for Dallas HR as the Community Relations Director.