On July 1, the three major credit reporting agencies—TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax—will implement some major changes to the way they report judgments and tax liens on individual credit reports. As with many new rules, this one has both positive and negative ramifications for borrowers, Realtors trying to sell a home and lenders.
U.S. employees face a continuing challenge to care for older family members while also working. The situation is exacerbated with the so-called Sandwich Generation, who balance caring for children at the same time. Outside of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993, employee support is minimal. And yet, it is clear that additional options for assistance is needed. With forward thinking corporations, there is momentum to offer additional family caregiver benefits. The biggest question companies are asking is what is the return on investment for providing such benefits.
Corporations need to pursue better alignment between mobility and talent management as a way to meet their human resource needs going forward. However, according to Deloitte’s 2015 study, Strategic Moves, only eight percent of professionals see their mobility functions as world class. The good news is that the path to a more strategic mobility function aligned with talent management has been plotted. The higher level benefits for corporations are clear: new business growth, improved financial performance, better employee engagement, higher retention rates and diversity.
In HRO Today’s 2017 Baker’s Dozen Survey of relocation service providers, Paragon Relocation is once again named as a top provider. The survey separates a handful of relocation management companies from the pack each year, based on client surveys. In the global relocation management industry, qualifying for the Baker’s Dozen list is considered a significant achievement. Paragon has made the list before, including in 2016. Making the list again this year is a testament to Paragon’s consistency in delivering quality services to its corporate clients.
Abigail Flanagan, Senior Director, Global Relocation Services and a member of the leadership team at Paragon Relocation, was recently quoted in the Winter edition of HRO Today Global on the topic of Brexit and its impact on relocation. Flanagan advises: “At this time, the future is uncertain as discussions are only just commencing with regards to key players such as the current EU nationals in the U.K. and U.K. nationals in EU countries,” she says. “[My] immediate recommendation would be to continue as normal as discussions will take time, and business needs still need to be met.” Until Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon is formally triggered, it is difficult to predict exactly how things will unfold.
From 2008 to 2015, approximately 9,000 companies left the state of California, according to site selection consultants Spectrum Location Solutions (VLS). Los Angeles County experienced the most departures. Fewer taxes, less regulation and a lower cost of living elsewhere are driving these relocations. On April 4, 2016, the state of California announced the raising of its minimum wage to $15 per hour, a move that is expected to accelerate the current business exodus. Some companies now view California as hostile to business.
John Lambo, Director, Global Relocation Services, at Paragon Relocation has earned the Worldwide ERC® Meritorious Service Award. The award recognizes Lambo for his hard work and efforts to better the relocation industry as a whole. Lambo’s most recent contribution is an article on Sustaining Corporate Culture During a Group Move,which is expected to appear in the February, 2017 issue of Mobility magazine. An earlier article, Considering Diversity, was also published in Mobility.Both articles address how to design and manage relocation programs to achieve higher level, talent management goals.
When buying any new home and especially a new construction home, it is important to start off by finding the right professionals to work with during the process. Certain homebuyers like to avoid incurring the costs for realtors, inspectors and other professionals, in the hopes of saving money. Usually, however, this leads to higher costs and in some situations more serious issues. Buying real estate and taking out a mortgage are incredibly complicated processes. The rules and regulations are partly what makes these industries complicated. However, the government has intervened in these arenas specifically for the purpose of protecting consumers. The good news is that there are trained, experienced industry professionals waiting to help you, as they are your best protection.
In the autumn 2016 issue of HRO Today Global magazine, Paragon Consulting provides valuable insight on the use of relocations and international assignments to improve opportunities for career development, something that is seen as critical when trying to attract and retain millennials. Paragon also describes some of the critical factors for making international assignments successful. These lessons learned are important considerations when building a global talent management strategy.
The benefits of a diverse work group have been proven in a number of studies. Sangeeta Bharadwaj-Badal, a lead Gallup scientist, noted that the financial results of gender-diverse business units outperformed single gender units by 57 percent. Harvard researchers, in a survey of 250 businesses, found that more diverse businesses produced 18 to 69 percent more net income, plus they had better sales performance. In the same study, 91 percent of diverse companies reported greater customer satisfaction. According to the Covenant Investment Management, the average annualized return for S&P 500 companies with poor diversity was 7.9 percent, much lower than the 18.3 percent for more diverse entities.
