Just how far will you go for your job? 

Paris? Tokyo? More and more of us are being asked to work abroad. And more of us are saying no

TWENTY years ago Britain's job-seekers were advised to 'get on their bikes'. If [former Conservative Employment Secretary] Norman Tebbit were a minister today, he would probably be telling us to head for the nearest airport and board a plane. The inexorable trend towards economic globalisation means that companies of all sizes increasingly operate multinationally and require more of their staff to spend more time doing business overseas. 

Almost 90 per cent of senior managers believe it is going to be more important than ever for executives to be globally mobile over the next five years, according to a recent survey of Britain's largest 500 companies by the executive search consultancy TMP Worldwide. 

Ambitious young managers are also increasingly realising that international experience is essential if they want to get anywhere near the boardroom of a modern, successful company. 

But the TMP survey also revealed a key problem: more than half of top managers say they are now much less likely to contemplate making the personal sacrifices involved in meeting this demand. Just one in 10 feels more likely to prioritise international work opportunities over his or her personal life than five years ago. TMP therefore predicts 'severe shortages' in the supply of globally mobile executives. 

'We're seeing substantive evidence of a reduced willingness of people to work abroad,' says Andrew Simpson, TMP's UK managing director. He believes the causes include the rise in dual-career families and the fact that people who have divorced and remarried are reluctant to consider a lifestyle that could put their second marriage at risk. Other factors include an unwillingness to interrupt children's education and the need to care for elderly parents. 

Increasingly, companies are also questioning the costs of the long-term relocation of members of staff. 'Employing an expatriate costs an estimated three to four times as much as employing the same individual at home,' says Dr Hilary Harris, director of the Centre for Research into the Management of Expatriation (CReME) at Cranfield University. 

Organisations are now much less likely to pay generous allowances over an extended period; in fact, they are moving towards equalising terms and conditions between expatriates and locals. The expatriate ex-colonial businessman who is served gin and tonics on a tropical veranda is now almost as rare a breed as the Asian tiger. 

When consultancy PriceWaterhouseCoopers surveyed more than 270 leading European organisations, they found companies looking to increase mobility by making the experience more palatable to employees - and simultaneously reducing their costs. 

The solution has been a significant increase in the use of short-term assignments - up in more than 54 per cent of companies. International 'commuting' - living at home in the UK but travelling regularly around the world - is now the norm for many managers, according to CReME. 
A few companies are even known to pay for key staff to travel home every weekend from workplaces as far away as New York. 

So-called 'virtual assignments' are also becoming increasingly evident. These involve using new technology - especially email and video-conferencing - to manage staff remotely, making overseas trips shorter and less frequent. 

The changing nature of international working has implications for how employees are prepared for their assignments. Chris Crosby, managing director of the HR consultancy TMA for Europe, explains: 'The traditional route for expatriate training focused on briefing people about the country they were going to live in and how to survive "culture shock". 

'Now we're training people to work collaboratively with people from a range of other cultures. This type of cross- cultural training is more about attitudes and behaviour and requires a deeper understanding of other cultures - and of your own.' 

The airlines are also adapting their services to accommodate the demands of steadily increasing numbers of business people travelling on short-term assignments. 'Business people can pass through airports more quickly,' observes Alex McWhirter of Business Traveller magazine. 'London City has a 10-minute check-in, even with full baggage - and it's possible to get late flights back from many European destinations, so day trips are not limited to Paris or Amsterdam.' 

British Airways' arrivals lounge at Heathrow offers business passengers showers, massages, facials and a clothes-pressing service. While you wait for your flight, the aromatherapeutic smells of cut grass and sea breezes emanate from the floor. 

But it remains to be seen whether even this level of pampering can make international commuting attractive to those employees who are already struggling to find the time and energy to balance the competing demands of work and family life.

Sick of travelling?

TRAVELLING abroad on business increases the chances of your becoming ill by more than 60 per cent. A nine-month study by Liberty Occupational Health found that half of business travellers experienced illness - compared with 30 per cent who stayed in the UK. The longer the trip, the greater the likelihood of sickness. 

Inexperienced travellers are most vulnerable. 'Travellers to high-risk destinations such as Africa, Asia and South America are much more likely to fall ill,' say the researchers. 'Health risks are increasing in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, both traditional destinations.' The most common problems are diarrhoea, respiratory infections and sunburn. Liberty says: 'Although two-thirds of travellers sought pre-travel medical advice, in most cases they had only routine vaccinations which did not reflect the real risks.' 

The Observer Sunday January 30, 2000