Managing Short Term Global Assignments
With increasing globalization of businesses, the ability to ensure staff mobility for short term assignments is of paramount importance but is often at odds with the growing political trend of protection of the resident labor market. The panel will discuss the key requirements for short term global business travel including the permissible activities which do not require a working visa, tips on how to streamline the process and the preparatory steps including cultural awareness training.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the confines of business visitor routes and the permissible activities that do not require a working visa.
- Understand the cultural challenges and the steps that can be taken to minimize the risks.
- Identify the most appropriate structure for global short-term assignments and implement a process for streamlining the business visitor approvals process.
- Identify tax issues that could arise as a result of global short-term assignments.
Paul Cotton
Paul is a senior partner with Eversheds Sutherland LLP and specialises in the employment aspects of acquisitions and mergers, assignment of workers, and re-organisations. Paul also has a special interest in advising on global labour law issues focussing on the movement of workers across borders, licences for temporary assignments and visa requirements.
Paul's recent experience has included: acting for a US industrial client in an application to Interpol to remove a red notice wrongly issued in Qatar against one of its global executives; advising on a European restructuring and cross-border assignment project affecting 22 jurisdictions; advising a global client on global misclassification claims arising out of the client failing to adhere to employee licensing requirements.
Paul features in the exclusive Legal 500 Hall of Fame for attorneys at the pinnacle of the legal profession who receive constant praise by clients for continued excellence.
Paul regularly provides training to clients, both in-house and on external courses and contributes to a variety of publications. Paul is featured in Chambers Legal Directory and is ranked as an Eminent Practitioner who "leads the employment department and is well known for his prowess with regard to trade union relations and executive level disputes ". He is a member of the Employment Lawyers.
Audrey Elliott
Audrey is a UK attorney who advises on both contentious and non-contentious human resources issues. She is head of Eversheds Sutherland’s immigration team and works closely with businesses seeking to move the workforce around the globe and recruit new employees to ensure that all legal requirements are complied with. She focuses on business immigration, providing comprehensive guidance to global clients such as Centrica, Associated British Foods, Harrods and Bank of New York on securing the requisite permission for an overseas national to take up employment. .
Her experience includes advising on the topical employment law issue of variations to a final salary pension scheme with 5,300 active members and strategic advice to a listed plc to assess risk and take action in relation to age discrimination issues. Audrey's work also has an international slant as she works regularly with overseas, particularly US clients who operate in the UK, and also co-ordinates Europe wide projects.
Audrey runs Eversheds external training programme on immigration issues and has contributed an immigration chapter to the Eversheds publication on HR issues in the NHS.
In 1997, she completed a Masters Degree in European Employment Law from the University of Leicester and is a member of Employment Lawyers Association and the Immigration Law Practitioners Association.
Michael Hepburn
Michael Hepburn counsels clients on a broad range of compensation, employment and benefits issues. Experienced in employee benefits, executive compensation and employment law, Michael advises clients on the design, administration and termination of retirement and welfare plans. Michael has extensive experience in executive compensation related matters and provides advice regarding tax, securities and employment aspects of executive compensation arrangements, including nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, and equity and equity-based compensation programs. He also handles employment, compensation and benefits issues in mergers, acquisitions and other business transactions.
Michael routinely counsels clients on labor and employment law issues, including hiring practices, employee evaluations, disciplinary actions, leave policies and practices, employment termination, discrimination charges, personnel policy review, and employment contracts. In addition, he advises business clients on consulting agreements, noncompetition agreements and other restrictive covenant arrangements, as well as severance and release agreements.
Michael and his team recognize the value that employees provide to every business enterprise and strive to partner with in-house resources from HR to legal, as well as tax and business partners to ensure that we deliver practical advice focused on individualized business needs.
Michael is recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the area of employee benefits and executive compensation (2015, 2018)