15 Mar | The different types of assignments
Over the years, companies interested in the phenomenon of international mobility have “created” different types of assignments, which vary according to the type of service performed and the duration of the mission.
Commuting
This category refers to those workers who make frequent transfers abroad. The presence of the employee in the host country’s headquarters/office is frequent, but not continuous, which means that the worker does not need to find a home in said country and will not have to worry about extra costs for things such as schools and relocation.
From a formal point of view, commuting is regarded as work travel or, if the work abroad is exclusive, also as a foreign work contract. Evident logistical reasons make commuting possible only in European countries or, in any case, places that are reachable in a short time from the worker’s home country, as he/she will have to face continuous and frequent round trips to and from home.
International Business Traveller
Another kind of international assignment is the long-term business trip, often used by companies that need their employees to work in a foreign country. This kind of worker is referred to as an International Business Traveller. It involves long periods of travel abroad, which, unlike commuting, do not permit frequent returns to the employee’s home. In any case, the duration of these business trips are not extremely lengthy in time.
Project workers
These are workers who carry out projects in the countries for which the projects are intended. A project is a set of activities aimed at creating a product or service and, therefore, the mission and the stay of the worker abroad are limited in time. The project worker’s time abroad differs from that of the commuter and the international business traveller, seeing as this type of worker will remain in the host country until the completion of the project.
Short term assignee
This category includes seconded staff, whose mission abroad lasts between six and twelve months.