meaning short term assignment

Short-Term Assignments: Key Considerations and Essential Information

By Tracy Langlois, CRP, GMS

Short-term work assignments have been steadily increasing over the years and certain factors like the pandemic have shined a light on vulnerabilities within numerous industries. For instance, the demand for travel nurses has never been higher, as certain staffing agencies need to fill voids and provide additional support at hospitals all over the US. Other companies are asking employees to train new hires at different locations or attend workshop programs and conferences out of state. Those working in media may need to spend days, weeks, or months in different locations covering news stories. HR representatives are focusing on talent mobility, which may require employees to take on short-term work assignments for specialized training and upward growth within a company.

No matter the industry or reason, employers are recognizing the value of short-term assignments, as well as the logistical steps required to smoothly transition their employees from point A to B. With that in mind, CapRelo put together an overview of short-term assignments, so your company knows what is needed to assist your employee during the hectic transition of a short-term assignment.

What is a Short-Term Assignment?

A temporary assignment is defined as a work stint lasting for one year or less. A short-term assignment can be a series of shorter rotational assignments or an assignment that requires an employee to stay in one place for the entire duration. Similar to temporary duty assignments in the military, short-term assignments are not permanent and are meant to carry out a specific purpose. Companies may send one employee or a whole team out on temporary assignments, depending on the industry and work goal.

What is the Purpose of a Short-Term Assignment?

There are plenty of different reasons why companies would send their staff out on short-term assignments. For instance, an employee may need to assist a branch that’s struggling to perform and help them to increase their sales numbers. It’s also not uncommon for staff to oversee different departments during a company merger, requiring temporary assignments to ensure company policies are being carried out consistently across the board. Perhaps limited resources have prevented staff at different locations from being properly cross-trained, necessitating the need for temporary work trips.

Whether three weeks or three months long, short-term assignments typically require companies to cover lodging, food, transportation, and other travel-related expenses with stipends.

Benefits and Challenges of Short-Term Assignments

While short-term assignments sound like a breeze, they can pose some serious challenges for both the employee and the company itself. International short-term assignments can pose tax and immigration issues if companies don’t comply with the laws and regulations in each country. Secondly, some countries have turbulent landscapes, which could potentially put staff at risk. Employees may also get stranded in the assignment country due to canceled flights or COVID-related concerns, further implicating the company when temporary assignments do not go according to plan.

On the flip side, a company can create a robust talent mobility strategy with initiatives that reward current and new hires willing to take on short-term assignments. For instance, paying employees during travel time can lead to higher retention rates. Companies can also train staff across locations to improve their skills, eliminating any consistency errors. A change of scenery might help employees to improve productivity as well, especially in locations that offer plenty of sunshine and warm weather for post-work relaxation.

Short-Term Assignment FAQs

• Are Short-Term Assignments International? Short-term assignments can be either domestic (within a country) or international (across country borders). Certain companies like Amazon, FedEx, and Apple are known for leading the way with the most corporate travel, requiring employees to rack up airline miles to fulfill their job duties.
• How Does the IRS Define Short-Term Assignments? The IRS defines short-term assignments as work in one location that can be reasonably completed in one year or less (and is). Employees typically file taxes with their home state. If a work assignment lasts for longer than a year then it is considered an indefinite assignment, prompting an employee’s tax home to change.
• What is Relocation Tax Assistance? Before 2018, any moving-related payments or reimbursements to employees were not included in their annual reportable wages. These expenses did not require withholding taxes and would have been paid by the employee and later deducted. The Tax Cuts and Job Act of 2017 changed the way payroll handled relocation expenses. Nowadays, employers can offer relocation tax assistance or tax gross-ups . A tax gross-up simply means that a company provides a larger payment sum to the employee to compensate for the taxes that will be withheld from their payment if that employee is relocating somewhere new.
• Do Family Members Join Employees on Short-Term Assignments? When it comes to temporary assignments, most companies do not assist families to join the employee in the new location if the assignment is expected to have a duration of six months or less. Assignments greater than six months may include company support for family accompaniment. Some companies will offer to pay for visits home after a certain amount of time has passed for employees who are not accompanied. This could be anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks after the start of the assignment but depends on the company’s unique policies.

How Can Companies Assist Employees?

Companies should have well-defined relocation policies in place before sending employees out on temporary assignments. The policy should include details on the relocation services and benefits which will be provided to employees and who will be assisting them with these services. It is important to note for international cases that proper immigration documentation is required before the start of the assignment. Letters of assignment (LOA)s should also be created for employee and company signature and should include specifics on the location and duration of the assignment and specific benefits. Companies should have a dedicated budget in place to assist with short-term assignment relocation expenditures; a comprehensive cost estimate including tax costs can be prepared in advance to ensure appropriate approvals can be obtained. A survey of HR professionals conducted in partnership with CapRelo found that 33% of participants stated their relocation policies have been updated to accommodate employees’ mental health and well-being, which is another factor that should be taken into consideration to help employees cope better with their new surroundings.

Do You Need a Relocation Program?

So, you’re ready to send your employees out on short-term assignments, but don’t know where to start? Whether you need help transferring one employee intra-country, or flying a whole team across the globe for specialized training, we can help.

At CapRelo , we provide relocation solutions for companies that need them, covering a host of services including cost estimate preparation, corporate housing, auto shipment, property management, travel services, immigration coordination, and much more.

Our team specializes in seamless transfer operations and sorts out all of the logistical steps before your employee’s short-term assignment so you can have peace of mind knowing that they are in the best of hands. Allow us to take one more thing off your plate and contact our highly qualified team at CapRelo today to get started.

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Taking Another Look at Short Term Assignments and Talent Mobility

Corporate Relocation , Domestic Relocation , Employee Relocation , Talent Mobility

The Covid pandemic has spurred companies and employees to reassess work models and locations, and to consider more flexible, cost-effective ways to achieve business objectives. While not new, short-term assignments can be an effective workaround to current obstacles to employee relocation —from reluctance to relocate to a frenzied real estate market and global restrictions.

Short-term assignments are a “lite” form of talent mobility, enabling businesses to achieve specific, finite project objectives with less expense and disruption. International short term assignments have a longer history, arising as a relatively inexpensive alternative to global relocation . Domestic short-term assignments became more popular over the past 15 years, as the U.S. recovered from the Great Recession.

Objective of Short-Term Assignments

Companies originally devised short-term assignments as a developmental opportunity for high potential, junior-level employees. The employee had the opportunity to meet and work with employees in a different company location, master new skills and hone leadership abilities. This opportunity can increase the employee’s job satisfaction and loyalty and help the company to retain a promising employee. Employees who shine in STAs can be candidates for promotion and future STAs or possibly a traditional global assignment.

Short-term assignments also can be an effective way for more experienced employees to share their expertise with other parts of the organization. A company might deploy a manager to oversee the opening of a new company location, lead a merger or acquisition or bring specific IT or other technical expertise to another company location. In these examples, permanent relocation might not be necessary, but a brief business trip wouldn’t be enough.

Tax Implications of Short Term Assignment Jobs

The IRS treats short-term assignments more like business travel than relocation expenses . Relocation expenses are employee benefits and must be reported on the relocating employee’s W-2 for the year. Most companies gross many of these expenses up to cover the tax obligation, creating another expense for the company.

The IRS definition of a short-term assignment is very precise: the company must expect it to last for less than one year and it must actually last for less than one year. In this case, the IRS considers travel, lodging and certain other expenses to be business expenses that are deductible for the employer and not W-2 benefits to the employee.

Assignments can change in scope or length once underway, and this can influence the tax treatment. The minute an employer determines the assignment is going to extend longer than a year, the reimbursed expenses from that point forward become a taxable benefit to the employee. This applies whether the company reimburses the employee directly or pays expenses on his/her behalf.

So short-term assignments can last longer than a year (this is particularly common with rotational assignments), but the company will sacrifice some of the cost-savings of shorter-length assignments. The scope of work will be one consideration in deciding whether a short-term assignment or relocation makes better business sense.

Learn More About Short Term Assignments

Within the mobility arena, short-term developmental assignments are gaining traction with companies looking to support business growth and employee development while controlling costs. This creative strategy allows businesses to deploy talent where needed without making the financial commitment inherent in a permanent domestic relocation or a long-term international assignment, but not without careful consideration. Download the Short Term Assignments White Paper

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Maximize Your Learning in Short-Term Assignments

• John Coleman

The potential for development is still there.

The number of short-term assignments in companies has been increasing, and the trend is expected to continue . Within large corporations, secondments , short-term transfers, and functional or geographic management rotation programs often thrust full-time employees into short-term jobs. Many companies employ temps or interns to supplement those working full-time. Even consultants may engage with a client for a period of weeks or months.

• JC John Coleman is the author of the HBR Guide to Crafting Your Purpose . Subscribe to his free newsletter, On Purpose , follow him on Twitter @johnwcoleman, or contact him at johnwilliamcoleman.com.

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Short-Term Assignments: The Challenge to Do More Faster

Introduction: why short-term assignments.

Deployment of talent on short-term international assignments is one of many trends that global companies are accelerating to cope with the global financial crisis. Short-term assignments were already on the rise due to changing workforce demographics, the need to offset recruiting gaps, increased focus on strategic global projects, and the desire to provide greater flexibility to employees. Assignees are sent to one or more key global locations to implement a particular set of tasks without the large investment of time or expense associated with a full-fledged global assignment. Other changes that have recently impacted more traditional global assignments include limiting the number of expatriates worldwide while focusing on highly strategic roles, accelerating the development of local leadership, and moving some expatriates to “local hire” status. Given the heightened significance of short-term assignments in these difficult times, it is worth looking at best practices that can help to ensure the success of projects vital to growth and effective operations in key world markets.

Potential Challenges

Just because an assignment is shorter in duration does not mean that it is easier. In fact, a strong case could be made that a short term international assignment is actually more fraught with potential pitfalls than assignments of three or more years. With a tight timeframe in which to get the job done, short-term assignees are under pressure to hit the ground running and to accomplish a lot in a hurry. They do not have the time to take their first few months on assignment to get settled in a new environment, listen and learn, recover from early mistakes, and gradually build effective working relationships with their local colleagues. Due to time constraints, they may not have the full support of a short term international assignment management strategy. Indeed, the conventional wisdom that employees become fully engaged and effective during their second year abroad is unacceptable for short-term assignees, as their assignments may be over within a fraction of a year.

Short-term assignees, with their aggressive goals and deadlines, are possibly more susceptible to common expatriate mistakes such as failing to build key relationships to gain support and ownership for new initiatives, introducing headquarters practices with insufficient knowledge of local circumstances, and alienating local colleagues and counterparts by pushing too hard and too fast. Yet, they are afforded less time to recoup from such missteps.

The expatriate nemesis known as “culture shock” also affects short-term assignees. People living in a very different environment can begin to feel isolated and ineffective in the absence of a personal support network, sufficient language skills, or access to local resources. Many short-term assignees make the move solo, leaving behind close family members and/or significant others. They also tend to live in sterile hotel rooms or other temporary accommodations. For these reasons, they are missing the immediacy of personal ties and comforts of home that can help longer-term expatriates find the resilience and resourcefulness to cope with temporary lows. The temptation to spend free time working may curtail the short-term assignee’s participation in informal social events that would otherwise enable him or her to forge new relationships and learn cultural lessons.

Preparing Short-Term Assignees: Ten Key Questions

A good global mobility strategy for short-term expats is important for ensuring positive initial contact and for ensuring expats have the resources they need to thrive during their assignments. A range of global mobility solutions for short term assignments are available to give expats the freedom and ability to interact meaningfully with global colleagues.

Consideration of the following ten questions is a good starting point for assignees who want to overcome the obstacles and best leverage the investment that both they and their companies are making:

1. What can you do to develop your personal network in advance?

Regardless of where you are located, there are often contacts available that allow you to start building a personal network in your destination country and to acquire relevant knowledge before leaving home. Sources for such contacts might include:

• Assignees from your future host country who are residing in your current location;
• Former expatriates who lived in that country and can provide introductions;
• Residents of the broader community in which you live (there are large foreign contingents from many parts of the world in most major urban areas);
• Alumni associations; or,
• Web-based platforms such as LinkedIn.

2. Are you being introduced in the right way?

The way that you are introduced to new colleagues is crucial. For instance, in some cultures hierarchy and group affiliation — “whom you know” — are valued over “what you know.” In these environments, your credibility and the importance of your project can be underscored through an introduction by a high-status individual whose views carry weight in the host culture, or undermined by a haphazard or unmediated introduction that does not position you appropriately in the eyes of host nationals.

3. What is the level of local input and support for your agenda?

There is a big difference between a project that has been planned and driven primarily or entirely from headquarters and one with local involvement and strategic contributions from the beginning. What was the origin of the effort with which you are involved? Is it new to your host country colleagues, or has their input been incorporated already? Depending upon the answers to these questions, you may need to take a different road towards implementation. In the case of a headquarters-driven initiative, you will probably have to work harder to provide a rationale for going forward that makes sense in the context of local business circumstances, and modify the project as you proceed. Neglecting to do this invites outright rejection or feigned compliance – in the case of a short-term assignee, local colleagues do not have to wait very long for the foreign “typhoon” (that is, you!) to pass.

4. Do you understand the perspectives of local stakeholders?

Try to identify and meet with a group of local stakeholders who can provide input and advice. What do they want from your stay in their country? How aligned are your goals with theirs? What advice and insights do they have about local customer needs, employee capabilities, and organizational priorities? If you can engage such key stakeholders early on, you are more likely to establish targets and adopt implementation methods that fit their business context.

5. Are your fellow team members ready and willing to participate?

For many team or project leaders, especially temporary assignees, matrix reporting relationships are a fact of life. If your team is essentially rented out from other managers, do you have the buy-in of those managers for your initiative, and are they encouraging your team members who report to them to participate fully? Misunderstandings and dysfunctional team behaviors occur most often when participants on the same team are driven in divergent directions by conflicting metrics, priorities, and leadership demands.

6. Is your role clear to everyone involved?

You may have a perception of your role on assignment that is not shared by your new colleagues. Are you a team leader, a project coordinator, a liaison with headquarters, or an individual contributor? What is your role in making decisions that will impact other team members? What is the project timeline, and what are the key objectives that you seek to achieve? At the outset of your assignment, it is useful to share your understanding of your role with fellow team members and to hear their understanding of both your role and theirs at the same time. Any gaps in expectations are best addressed sooner rather than later, and could require consultation with key stakeholders and/or higher management in order to avoid having team members work at cross-purposes and blame misunderstandings on one another.

7. Can you relax and learn about the local culture at the same time?

Every culture has rules and assumptions that are not immediately visible or articulated. For example, how is true agreement expressed? Is information commonly shared on the basis of one’s function or through long-standing personal ties? Should feedback be given and received in more direct or more indirect ways? How should one demonstrate respect for persons in executive roles? Who needs to be consulted when major changes are proposed?

By spending time with colleagues in informal social settings, you have the chance to see them in a different context and listen to their views about questions like these. They may feel freer to offer advice in such an environment, and by taking part in cultural events — dinners, entertainment, ceremonies, festivals, sporting contests, etc. — you will gain insights into workplace interactions. At the very least, the camaraderie generated in these settings usually makes your host country colleagues more inclined to cooperate with you and your agenda, especially in relationship-oriented cultures.

8. Have you allowed sufficient time for any knowledge transfer that must occur?

If there is a significant body of knowledge to be transferred to the new location, the most prudent strategy is to take the time you would normally expect to invest in this transfer and double it. A host of issues can affect the smooth movement of knowledge between one location and another. Factors that it may be necessary to consider are fear of job loss on the part of those in the host location conveying the knowledge and a related hesitation to share information; problems in linking IT platforms; different or insufficient technical backgrounds on the part of trainees that require recalibration of materials and methods; learning styles that call for extensive “hands-on” involvement of the trainer; and the need for spoken and written translations into other languages.

9. How will you maintain your own personal support system?

Although your assignment may be just a few months in duration, it is not a good idea to go it alone. Simple steps, such as setting up a web-cam connection that allows you to see loved ones as you speak with them, or arranging in advance to have others visit while you are on assignment, can provide you with sources of enjoyment, support, perspective, stress release, and a “sanity check” when work becomes difficult. Investing energy in making new friends and acquaintances through common interest groups will also give you the foundation for a local support network and ways to learn about your host country. These kinds of personal experiences can turn out to be as valuable in many ways as your professional ones.

10. Do you have a local partner who can carry on your work after you’re gone?

Being in a rush to complete assignment tasks successfully comes with the territory during a short-term stay. However, a critical error that many assignees make is that they neglect to identify and groom local owners for their initiative. The result is that when the assignee leaves, the initiative loses momentum and fades away. It is essential to identify local partners at an early stage and bring them into projects in a manner that allows them to identify with the progress to date and take responsibility for the next steps. The ideal outcome is for them to champion your initiative to the extent that you are no longer needed. Without this, a short-term assignment loses its meaning, either because it has to be extended or because its impact does not live on beyond the assignment itself, an outcome that is not optimal for the assignee, the host organization, or the company as a whole.

Effectively managing short term international assignments can help firms that are trying to grow their business in key global markets while simultaneously reducing costs. Assignees who prepare themselves by taking steps such as those outlined here will be better able to overcome the inherent hazards of trying to get a lot done in a hurry in a new environment, and will increase the chances of completing their assignments successfully. Companies can help by offering support and comprehensive short term assignment policies.

If you’d like to help your team succeed on short-term and long-term assignments, our Global Mobility solutions. We offer a wide range of solutions for companies and teams requiring the skills and global intelligence needed for international work assignments. We’re proud to have supported over 16,000 individuals and their families in developing the tools they needed before, during, and after assignment. We look forward to being part of your success story.

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  Managing Short-term Assignments  

Like all areas of the working world, global mobility is evolving. Businesses are providing employees with increased flexibility by offering different forms of international assignment. Where once expat assignments lasted three to five years, now assignments vary in range.

A short-term assignment can be a more cost effective way of achieving specific goals in another market without disrupting an employee’s life too much. 

What is a short-term assignment?

• A short-term assignment (STA) is an international project that usually lasts between 3 and 12 months. They allow organisations to transfer resources, knowledge and skills cost effectively and quickly providing fast response to business needs. For some companies short-term assignments are becoming more popular than their long-term equivalent due to changing workforce demographics, skills shortages and the need to provide more flexibility to employees. 
• Just because employees are away for less  time does not make STA’s easier. In fact, short-term assignments may be more difficult as there is a need to hit the ground running and accomplish a lot quickly.
• When it comes to short-term assignments, thorough preparation is more important. Potential pitfalls that can cause problems for professionals in an overseas office for a short period include:
• Failure to build key relationships
• Culture shock
• Alienating local colleagues
• When planning an STA pre-departure training is important but pre-departure preparation is essential.

Preparing short-term assignees before assignment

Preparing for a short-term assignment is challenging. It may need to go further than providing the soon to be expat with clear understanding of their role or overview of the local culture. Short-term assignees with aggressive deadlines may fall into a common expat error of trying to introduce initiatives without sufficient knowledge of local circumstances or alienating colleagues. 

For these kinds of assignments pre-departure preparation must go much further than training on what to expect, it should allow the soon to be expat to begin their assignment before they leave. 

Developing personal network in advance

Help employees prepare in advance for life in their temporary home by doing everything possible to acquire relevant information about life there:

• Arrange meetings with employees from the host country that are working in your current location
• Encourage the employee to join groups from that country in your city 
• Make the most of web-based platforms like LinkedIn or Meetup to enable future expats to become more aware of life and work etiquette before they leave

Virtual introductions to colleagues

Gauge local support and understand perspective, supporting short term assignees on assignment, are the team willing to participate, is their role clear.

At the outset of the assignment it is important for the expat to share:

• The assignment goals
• The expat’s role
• Expectations for employees

This does not have to be completed on day one but may be useful within a few weeks of the assignment starting. This way, any gaps in expectation or issues that arise can be ironed out quickly to provide the assignment with the best chance of success. 

Maintaining their personal support system

Even though short-term assignees are not going to be overseas for long, having a support network outside of work still matters. This is where the groundwork put in before the assignee arrived should pay dividends. Help expats find work life balance by continuing a hobby they have at home, locally, from yoga to rock climbing, hopefully there’ll be a group or venue where they can let off some steam after a busy day in the office. 

It is also important STA’s remain connected to colleagues in head office particularly if the medium term plan is they return to a role there. Arranging intermittent virtual check ins is a great way to ensure there are no surprises when they return to head office. 

Achieving Short term assignment goals 

Sufficient time for knowledge transfer, local owners of the initiative .

The last thing your business wants is to spend all that time and money on an STA only for everything to revert to how it was previously as soon as that person leaves. Key to long-term implementation is ensuring there are local owners of the initiative who will continue to grow the programme once the assignment is over. 

Ultimately any global mobility practice should aim to create solutions that are employee centric while also being relevant and cost effective ways to achieve company goals. Although there is likely to always be place for longer term assignments, their short-term counterparts may be the right solution in certain scenarios.   

Managing short-term assignees may be challenging but looking after their health while they are away does not have to be. We have group international health insurance schemes tailored to the needs of your business.

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Short-Term Work Assignments: Maximizing Benefits, Mitigating Risks

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This article was updated on September 3, 2018.

Short-term work assignments — typically less than a year — offer a wide array of benefits for both businesses and employees. It's no wonder such assignments have been increasing. According to Mercer , "Companies are using a more varied range of assignments in order to respond to evolving business needs and changing patterns in the global workforce." These short-term work assignments allow businesses to mobilize skills and grow their organization while developing employees at the same time.

Here, we'll examine some of the benefits and risks.

• The organization fills a skills gap by relocating an employee where their capabilities are needed. Also, the employee can train others and help close the skills gap.
• The organization increases productivity and avoids adding to its headcount by not having to hire from the outside.
• The reassigned employee gains invaluable experience. They expand their network and learn how the business operates in a different place. Even more, the challenges of adapting to a new location will draw out leadership qualities. In fact, many businesses explicitly use short-term assignments as a development tool for employees with high leadership potential.
• The employee's morale increases after being recognized for their expertise.
• The organization attracts candidates who are adventurous and eager for a challenge.
• The employee has to adapt to a new city, state or country. They also have to adapt to a new team and space, which will take patience and emotional intelligence. It's here HR can help by supporting integration.
• The employee may be left with unclear goals. This can be avoided by laying out organizational and individual goals in advance. HR and the employee can discuss how to track these along the way.
• The organization must deal with any compliance complexities that come up. However, HR simply needs to integrate the employee into its labor-related compliance system. While reassignments will likely increase compliance risks, having the right systems in place to accommodate reassigned employees will best manage and mitigate those risks.

Clear communication between HR and reassigned employees will be a critical success factor. HR systems must be in place that support the needs of short-term assignments, in terms of tracking employee performance, facilitating a smooth transition and ensuring compliance needs are met no matter where the assignment occurs.

Having a powerful technology platform in place to accommodate employee reassignments, such as time and labor management (TLM) systems as well as other vital HCM systems, will serve as a firm foundation upon which you can build success for any reassignment.

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(Definition of short-term and assignment from the Cambridge English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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• Definition of short-term
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Short-term assignments 2022 report: 10 takeaways

Short-term assignments (STAs) continue to be a popular option for global mobility and are quickly evolving into an ED&I Mobility vehicle. These opportunities have the potential to allow more diverse employee populations to gain experiences that will enhance career paths and diversify an organization’s leadership pipeline. This makes it more important than ever to ensure STA policy lines up with typical practices.

• 68% of policies are from EMEA-based companies. This predominance reflects the use of STAs globa­lly. Given the geography of the EMEA region (vs North America), STAs are a realistic option for many reasons that companies transfer employees (e.g., skill development, filling a position gap, etc.).
• Half of the policies specify that STAs are unaccompanied, typically attributed to the limited assignment duration, which most commonly ranges from three (62%) – twelve (83%) months.
• Immigration assistance (addressed in 89% of STA and LTA policies).
• Travel to the host location (87% of STA policies vs 92% of LTA policies).
• Cultural training (61% STA vs 67% LTA).
• Language training (61% STA vs 78% LTA). Just as in LTA policy, the use of cultural and language training typically requires approval.
• 90% of policies address health insurance for short-term assignees. It is becoming common to provide an international program for short-term assignees, as stated in 41% of policies (55% use this approach for LTAs).
• 34% of STA policies address settling-in assistance, compared to 46% of LTA policies. Assistance typically focuses on single assignees who are in country for a limited duration that might require: assistance with establishing a bank account, locating shopping facilities, public transportation, local services, religious institutions, and social opportunities.
• Home leave is addressed in 84% of STA policies (vs 90% of LTA policies). The major difference is the timing of the trips. For STAs, the most common frequency is one trip every three months (33%). Though many policies vary frequency based on assignment circumstances such as duration, accompaniment status, or distance between the home and host country.

• STA policy rarely includes the shipment of household goods; rather, most (52%) assist with an air shipment of personal effects or excess baggage charges only (30%).
• Few (23%) provide a pre-move trip. P­­rimarily because most (72%) provide furnished accommodations rather than have the employee find their own housing.
• Fewer (47%) provide temporary living for STAs than the 98% that address it in LTA policies.
• It is not as common to provide a hardship allowance for STAs (32%) as it is for LTAs (53%).
• Use of a relocation allowance is not as common for STAs as it is for LTAs: 47% vs. 84%, respectively.
• Most companies (63%) retain employees on their home country compensation and provide a per diem or reimbursement for daily living expenses while on an STA.

The lower cost profile of short-term assignments – due to single status, shorter duration, simpler support – continues to contribute to the popularity of this move type. For companies reviewing their STA policies, it can be very beneficial to see what the typical practices are and how they differ from their LTA counterparts.

Five common myths about short-term assignments

Myth #1: an sta is pretty much the same as an lta – just shorter..

Fact: The differences between these two assignment types are notable and significant. Long-term assignments are typically investments in the future. Their considerable use of resources (people and money) makes them worthwhile for business-building initiatives such as leadership training, market expansion, management roles where local candidates are not available and new product development. These are all goals that require a long term to complete. Short-term assignments are better suited to initiatives that can be completed in under a year. Global exposure, filling a job gap, short-term projects and skill building are examples of realistic STA assignment objectives.

Myth #2: Employees on short-term assignments need less support than those on long-term assignments.

Fact: Replace “less” with “some of the same but also different” and you would be correct! For example, short-term assignees need assistance with some of the same things as long-term assignees (immigration and tax compliance, travel, arranging housing, becoming familiar with the assignment location, etc.). But they also need different things, given that most short-term assignees remain on home-country compensation and retain many home-country expenses. For example, they need a per diem to cover daily living costs in the host location. Since many STAs are single-status, employees may have left immediate family in the home location. Therefore, trips home are a greater need for STAs than they are for LTAs.

Myth #3: It sounds like an STA is really just a glorified business trip.

Fact: Aside from the primary distinction that a business trip is typically no more than a month and an STA is typically 3-12 months, the business objectives are different, too. This is a key issue.

Myth #4: Short-term assignees don’t need the same cultural or language training as long-term assignees.

Fact: The fact that short-term assignees need to quickly get up and running, live in the local area and succeed in the business environment often dictates that they require the same or similar training as long-term assignees. Of course, there are times when a short-term assignee is needed for work that is primarily solitary and does not require local language skills. In this case, more condensed training may be sufficient.

Myth #5: We should be more concerned about the challenges of long-term vs. short-term assignments, given their bigger goals, longer time in the host country and greater cost to the company.  

Fact: STAs may impact a more diverse pool of employees than LTAs do. Companies may not recognize the challenges different demographics may encounter on STAs as they do for LTAs. For example, an employee may turn down an LTA because a same-sex partner cannot accompany but that employee may undertake an STA single-status. However, that employee still needs to be successful in the local environment. Similar ED&I considerations may be necessary for many populations (women, younger employees, older employees, etc.). It is important to address the same factors for these employees on STAs as one would if they were embarking on an LTA.

To benchmark your STA policy and discover more emerging trends, download our 2022 expert report here .  

If you have any questions regarding this article or would like to find out more about other services, please contact Lisa Johnson (Global Practice Leader, Consulting Services) at [email protected] .

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July 18, 2022

Short-term Assignments Can Give High-Potential Employees a Reason to Stay

Counter the “great resignation” by offering short-term assignments to your high-potential employees and build engagement.

Short-term assignments, whether in the same country or abroad, have been a major trend in relocation over the last few years and we believe this trend will continue in the years to come. Short-term assignments, which are typically less than 12 months, can be a way to attract and retain talent by offering interesting challenges as the employee gains new skills, experiences, and builds a network of colleagues.

While there are clear benefits to utilizing this policy type – especially instead of a long-term assignment that can be quite costly – corporations must maintain compliance with respect to payroll, taxation, and immigration if the assignment is overseas.

In the U.S., a short-term assignment must have a clear start and end date and must be less than 12 months to claim some expenses tax-free for the employer, and in many cases, international short-term assignments can avoid host country taxes if there is a totalization agreement between the home and host country and the employee spends less than 183 days there.

Whether it’s for finite projects, developmental job positions, new business or branch openings, there are many reasons and benefits for sending an employee on a short-term assignment. Instead of tradeoffs, we often see synergy across different priorities, such as when productivity is maintained, headcount is not increased, and high-potential employees are given an opportunity to build leadership qualities.

Benefits of Short-Term Assignments

A short-term assignment costs less than permanently relocating an employee Short-term assignments can be more cost-effective than a long-term assignment (typically 1 to 3 years) or permanently relocating the employee. In fact, it allows company initiatives to proceed without the costs of selling a house and asking members of an assignee’s family to relocate with them.

A short-term move is less stressful on employees than a permanent move Unlike long-term assignments or permanent relocation, employees do not typically move with their families during a short-term assignment. Whereas this eliminates some added challenges that could arise from searching for adequate housing, enrolling children in a new school, or a spouse looking for employment, we recognize that living apart from family can be stressful and therefore recommend regular home leave to ensure a successful assignment.

Short-term assignments are great opportunities for employees to grow Short-term assignments can give your staff opportunities to learn additional skills and gain new perspectives, helping to create a more diverse and inclusive organization. Knowledge sharing upon their return to the origin location is a bonus to going on short-term assignment, benefiting the employee, colleagues, and the company.

Most short-term assignments range between 3 and 12 months; assignments that are shorter tend to be considered Extended Business Travel with some different considerations to keep in mind. There are employers that allow accompanying family members on an assignment that is less than 1 year; other organizations consider any assignment under 2 years as short-term.

Setting up your Employee for a Successful Short-Term Assignment

While the needs of employees will vary, it’s important for companies to have a standard program that allows some flexibility. Setting clear expectations and communicating those to the employee helps achieve success.

Here’s our key advice for employers to consider when creating a short-term assignment policy.

Help employees find short-term housing Short-term rental agreements with corporate housing specialty companies are often the best option because they are fully furnished and typically offer a variety of amenities to help renters feel at home.

Some of these organizations own properties while others source properties and fill with furniture, and if your organization frequently sends people to the same location, they can set up rotational agreements whereby the accommodations are maintained for your organization and employees can rotate in and out as necessary. This can eliminate the hassle of searching for new housing each time an employee is relocated for a short time. Alternative housing options can include extended-stay hotels or vacation-type rentals such as Airbnb.

Cover all host-location expenses A short-term assignee retains their home property while on assignment, therefore, the employer assumes responsibility for most expenses, including but not limited to housing, utilities, parking fees, as well as travel expenses in the host location and for home leave visits.

In addition, most employers will provide an allowance to offset the cost of meals and incidentals, sometimes in the form of a cost of living adjustment (COLA) or per diem.* This decision is typically based on the expected duration of the assignment.

Provide benefits that will help employees adjust Family separation during a short-term assignment is one of the most common challenges for employees, making the power of continued connection critical. Therefore, taking home leave on a regularly scheduled basis throughout the duration of the assignment promotes closeness, and many companies allow family members to visit the host location in lieu of the employee travelling home. We also suggest offering self-directed online cross-cultural training if the assignment is overseas.

Offer resources to help employees acclimate Whether the assignment is in-country or abroad, Sterling Lexicon recommends providing at least a ½ day orientation tour to ensure your valued employee feels comfortable in the host location.

Employees will appreciate knowing how to navigate in the host location, knowing the location of medical facilities, and knowing how to go about their daily life in a different environment helps people adapt more quickly.

Choose the right relocation management company (RMC) for your relocation and assignment needs Whether relocating permanently or going on a short-term assignment, the right counseling can help mitigate worry while providing an exceptional employee experience. The right RMC can help develop equitable policies and should have an extensive supplier network to identify appropriate corporate housing within budgetary requirements, Destination Services Providers to manage an orientation to the host location, and online tools to support their stay. Additionally, an RMC like Sterling Lexicon can manage the entire expense process from start to assignment completion.

*There are distinct differences between a per diem and COLA, and are usually applied to different global mobility policy types:

Per Diem: a per day payment structure that is designed specifically for employees on assignment lasting from 1 month to 1 year. A per diem is intended to provide a fixed daily living allowance that is equitable to all assignees in the same host location, regardless of salary level or home country.

Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA): a payment structure that is designed to protect assignees from the increased costs of goods and services at the host location by supplementing their salaries. The calculation also takes into account the longer-term nature of living and working in a host location while reflecting the expatriate’s spending patterns. Data providers offer multiple index options and the ability to customize according to company policies.

Leah Johnson

Leah Johnson is Sterling Lexicon’s Director, Client Solutions, and has worked in the global mobility industry for more than 20 years. She has held management positions in business development, operations, account management, and consulting, and had the opportunity to live and work in Tokyo and Hong Kong for six years. She initiated destination services in Hong Kong for a relocation management company and directed global mobility for Goldman Sachs in the APAC region. She graduated from Colgate University, earned an MBA from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and maintains a Senior Certified Professional (SCP) certification from SHRM.

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There are both long (12 months and over) and short - term assignments .

They may also include short - term assignments to the faculty of a seminary located outside the diocese's territory.

This has created a different type of expatriate where commuter and short - term assignments are becoming more common and often used by organizations to supplement traditional expatriation.

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Short-term international assignments: How to achieve consistency

We previously discussed how in today's fast-paced business environment, the need to deploy employees to work outside of their home country can sometimes lead to many short-term assignees travelling on a business visa to avoid the expense and bureaucratic process of getting work authorisation. In addition, many managers may inadvertently create ‘stealth’ expats by asking short-term assignees to stay on for another month or two, thereby creating host country tax and social security withholding requirements, and possibly immigration infringements too. ECA has also observed more ‘floating employees’ sent to work in countries where the employer has no registered entity and this potentially could create a corporate tax presence for the non-resident employer. To account for these risks and to keep pace with an internationally mobile workforce, companies need to rethink how they structure employment arrangements, policies and processes accordingly.

Important issues to consider include:

Contractual arrangements

When an employee is sent on a short-term assignment, the individual is typically issued with an 'assignment letter', or 'assignment agreement'. This letter outlines the benefits (allowances, reimbursements, etc) that the employee is entitled to receive during the period of assignment to the host entity. However, it is important to consider how any underlying employment contract, with the home company, interplays with the separate assignment letter. In general, an employee on a short-term assignment remains an employee of their home company during the length of the assignment, but with certain rights and benefits suspended/hibernated and replaced by relevant terms and conditions contained within an assignment letter. Hibernating a home country contract can, however, complicate potential dismissals as the home country contract has not been terminated, but will ‘spring back to life’ at the natural end of an assignment or once an assignment has been terminated. 

The role of an assignment letter (agreement)

Short-term assignments are highly complex. Hence, it is crucial to have proper documentation in place to clarify and provide guidance. An effective assignment letter not only benefits the employee, but also the employer (HR, legal, tax and payroll, for instance). The assignment letter should clearly spell out the compensation and benefits (per diems, reimbursements, serviced accommodation costs etc) that the employee would receive during the short-term assignment, thus making all parties aware of assignment entitlements and mitigating any dispute or retroactive negotiations in the future. 

An appropriately drafted assignment letter can also minimise potential financial or reputational risk for non-compliance and help mitigate potentially adverse corporate tax implications. So, it is important that the assignment letter documents the responsibilities of the home and host country companies if the economic employer principles discussed below are to be avoided. Hence, it should address such issues as:

• The assignment start and intended end date;
• The employee’s specific duties while on assignment;
• The employing entity while on assignment;
• To whom does the employee report while on assignment?
• Who determines the holidays and work hours of the employee?
• Who will be responsible for any disciplinary issues during the assignment? 
• Who can terminate the contractual arrangements entered into with the employee? 

How long an assignment is anticipated to last has an important bearing on immigration and tax compliance regulations. For example, in the United States, it is possible to exclude certain travel, meals and accommodation expenses from federal tax if an assignment is expected to last less than 12 months. However, should the assignment length change from less than one year to greater than one year, the expenses previously considered non-taxable would be deemed taxable from the date of the change in ‘intent’. Consequently, the anticipated or intended assignment duration should be supported through appropriate language in the assignment letter. 

The choice of language used in an assignment letter can also have implications for the taxability of certain allowances and benefits. For example, there is a distinction between an employee sent to Japan for business travel and one sent under a secondment arrangement. An employee ‘seconded’ on a short-term assignment to Japan cannot exempt income from taxation under the 183-day rule, whereas a ‘business traveller’ or ‘visitor’ can potentially do so based on facts and circumstances. An assignment/secondment agreement for employees sent to Japan for short-term projects should therefore use consistent terminology to qualify for the preferential tax treatment. 

Cost allocation

Who picks up the costs of a short-term assignment can be a source of much debate in many organisations when an employee is temporarily assigned to work in another country. This is because costs need to be borne in the correct location to ensure that the appropriate tax deductions can be claimed by the group. 

Consider the potential tax risks when an employee is being assigned internationally to another company within a group. Certain tax authorities adopt an ‘economic employer’ approach to interpreting Article 15 of the OECD model treaty which deals with the Dependent Services Article (economic employer is discussed further here ). One of the conditions of Article 15 states that if the assignee’s salary and costs are recharged to the host entity, then the host country tax authority will treat the host entity as being the ‘economic employer’ and therefore the employer for the purposes of interpreting Article 15. In this case, tax relief would be denied and the employee would be subject to tax in the host country even if the individual spends less than 183 days there. Short-term assignments can also create a corporate tax liability in the host jurisdiction if cost allocation is not carefully managed.

To help minimise any unexpected tax surprises, it is advisable to put an agreement in place, which specifies how costs will be managed during an assignment. An inter-entity agreement should be drawn up between the host company and the assignee’s home company. This agreement governs how costs associated with the assignment will be funded. An inter-entity agreement is in addition to the assignment letter (agreement) between the employee and the home company.

Short-term assignments now take all shapes and forms, with short-term projects, weekly commuters, and extended business trips becoming more common. A written short-term policy can be a cost-effective tool as it provides discipline and a framework that enables equity of treatment amongst assignees and reduces the number of employees negotiating their own packages. It can set out logically the steps to be taken in any relocation and the procedures to be followed.

It is advisable that each category of short-term assignment be housed in a separate policy document, as there is a possibility that employees will attempt to leverage off the best parts of other packages to suit their particular circumstances. Additionally, a short-term policy should be regularly evaluated against the current industry trends as well as the company’s business goals to make sure it is fit for purpose.

The short-term policy should address the following key issues:

• Should any host country tax liability arise, will the assignee receive any tax assistance?
• Will the assignee be on the host country payroll, home country payroll, an international assignee payroll, or multiple payrolls?
• Will the assignee’s pay be protected from exchange rate volatility?
• What happens when short-term assignments are extended and change from one assignment category to another? 

Managing exceptions

Exceptions to policy can be difficult to manage, requiring negotiations between the mobility team, the assignee and the business line for approval. They can also be costly, triggering unaccounted-for expenses and untracked ‘budget creep’, the impact of which is rarely calculated or consolidated across the business functions. 

Exceptions should only be granted under very limited circumstances and require written explanations and approval of the executive board or HR director. If carefully monitored, the number of exception requests can indicate that a particular process or policy component requires re-design or further instruction to a vendor. 

To ensure global equity and minimise budget creep, consider: 

• Creating a detailed policy governance process for identifying and capturing deviations to policy or process with a view to reducing or eliminating exceptions;
• Setting up a centralised system to manage and approve exceptions to help minimise expenses;
• Establishing a process owner for short-term assignments, someone with responsibility and authority to monitor and report on trends in exceptions;
• Creating a formal short-term assignment policy, as mentioned above, to minimise exceptions and foster consistency and clear communications.

Tracking potential risks

Tax and immigration irregularities are common for employees on short-term assignments. Accordingly, it is important to develop an education programme for employees and their managers to inform them about the risks of cross-border work and the consequences of non-compliance. 

Work permit and immigration infringements should not be underestimated as the penalties for individuals working outside their home country without the appropriate work authorisation can be harsh. Not all short-term assignees need immigration approval, but then again, some do. It is important to note that just because an employee may not trigger any host country tax liability it doesn’t follow that they are exempt from immigration requirements. Indeed, staying on the home payroll is one of the most common areas of risk for short-term assignees and it is not an indication that immigration approval is not required.  

For many companies, technology has become the key to achieving and maintaining compliance. Without proper monitoring, an employer may unwittingly be exposed to tax and social security risks. Diligent tracking of short-term assignees and a solid process to be able to identify risks up-front are key to ensuring compliance. 

Source: ECA’s Managing Variety in International Mobility survey

Once a company’s short-term population reaches a certain size, manual tracking of policy exceptions using Excel spreadsheets is unlikely to be sufficient to ensure compliance with now greater information sharing among tax and immigration authorities. So, if companies want to be ahead of the curve in managing short-term assignees, they need to start tracking them. This will require communications to be established between the business units, tax, HR, legal, payroll, etc early in the assignment planning process, as well as when any assignment extension is contemplated.

Coordination with payroll 

At the heart of the administration process is the payroll team and it is essential that the appropriate home and host country payroll personnel are involved in planning for short-term assignments. They are ultimately responsible for ensuring the accurate and timely delivery of the assignment package to employees, while managing the local jurisdiction compliance requirements with regard to tax and social security withholding. 

The home country payroll must be informed of the intended assignment duration and assignment package to be paid to the employee. The home payroll will need to understand whether the allowances and benefits will or will not be considered taxable to the employee. 

Assignment income, such as a short-term allowance or per diems, is often paid through the home country payroll to comply with standard tax treaty rules. Typically, if income is to be exempt of host taxes, the payroll costs should not be borne by a permanent establishment in the host country. 

If an employee triggers a tax liability, many host countries will require withholding of income taxes through a local payroll. Consequently, the host country payroll will need to be informed of the assignment package the employee is receiving to understand if these may be considered taxable in the host country, even if they are not taxable in the home country. The host payroll will also need the relevant social security applications to be made to ensure that contributions are paid to the appropriate tax authorities. 

Our three-part series of articles on short-term assignments has highlighted some of the complexities in structuring short-term assignments, and some of the challenges concerning immigration, payroll reporting and tax compliance. With proper planning and administration, short-term assignments can be an effective and efficient means of increasing the pool of potential employees for the international assignment programme.

Our Consultancy & Advisory team can help you manage your short-term international assignees as effectively as possible, whether you are looking for assistance with the  design or review of existing policies , the creation of  assignment letters ,  assignment cost projections or other support.

ECA's Short-term Allowance Calculator provides a choice of regional bases on which to create consistent allowances in the host location, whatever the nationality of the assignee. Find out more about the Short-term Allowance Calculator here  or request a demo .

If you haven't already done so, read the first two articles of this three-part series on short-term international assignments:

• Key considerations when structuring short-term packages
• Compliance challenges involved with short-term assignments

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Pros and Cons of Different Assignment Structures for Mobility Programs

As companies adjust to the new reality of work and reassess their mobility programs, there is an opportunity for them to examine the costs associated with running their mobility programs and explore innovative solutions. We are witnessing a renewed interest in mobility as companies seek to adopt the best structure for their business and employees. While non-traditional forms such as remote and hybrid work are becoming more prevalent, there is also renewed interest in both short and long-term assignments. 

This innovation has already been reflected in the evolution of new mobility policies supporting employees working from outside of their usual office locations, including “ Work from Anywhere ” or “Virtual Assignment” policies. Many companies have also increased their use of non-traditional assignment types such as business travelers or short-term rotations.

Download part one of our "Future of Mobility Survey: Remote Work" to discover how HR and mobility managers are creating policies that tackle the unique challenges posed by a remote workforce.

Based on these evolving trends, it may be easy for organizations to overlook the use of more traditional mobility arrangements to support their business growth and talent management goals. However, long-term assignments, short-term assignments, and permanent transfers each have attributes that warrant consideration when determining the most appropriate way to meet the objectives for your company and employees.

As mobility programs continue to evolve, it is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of traditional assignment types and permanent transfers. Let's take a closer look at the benefits and drawbacks of these options.

Traditional assignment types – long-term and short-term assignments

One of the most commonly used relocation types is an “assignment.” An assignment is the relocation of an employee from one country to another for a specific period of time. A long-term assignment will generally exceed one year, where a short-term assignment will generally be shorter than one year. Below we have outlined some of the benefits and drawbacks for these assignment types.

Benefits and drawbacks of long-term assignments

Long-term or expatriate assignments have long been a popular option for companies who need to transfer or obtain expertise, set up new entities/markets, or provide career development opportunities, especially for future global leaders within the organization. Here, the longer-term nature of the assignment lends itself to building better long-term relationships and in-depth knowledge that can be invaluable to your organization.

From an employee perspective, another benefit of a long-term assignment is the possibility of remaining on their Home country payroll. In this way, employees can often:

• Receive compensation in their Home country currency, avoiding the need to convert Host country currency in order to pay Home country expenses such as student loans or mortgages.
• Participate in the Home country benefit plans. For example, a US citizen/resident employee on a 3-year assignment to the UK can continue contributing to the Home country 401(k), flexible spending plans, and will remain covered by Home country incentive compensation plans.
• Continue participation in Home country social security. In this way, there will be no break in the required time period to meet the coverage requirement for receiving the social security payments upon retirement. For employees at a later stage in their career, continued participation in Home country social security may be a deal-breaker.

Despite these benefits, a major drawback of the long-term assignment is often cost. Assignments can be more expensive to the company due to several factors, including:

• Providing additional allowances and benefits for the assignee. Common examples of these additional compensation elements include cost-of-living adjustments, hardship allowances, Host country housing, and moving expenses.
• Meeting additional compliance requirements. Employees may now have Home and Host country tax filings. And your organization may have Home and Host country reporting and withholding obligations, including related administration expenses such as the cost of establishing and running a shadow payroll.
• Implementing a tax reimbursement policy for your assignee. Tax equalization remains the most common policy for long-term assignments.
• Handling on-going costs incurred for immigration, tax planning, budgeting, internal administration, etc.
• Failing to benefit from the expertise gained by your assignees by not retaining them as employees or finding a suitable position to use their new skills upon repatriation.

It is important to note that proper planning and policies can help to reduce or eliminate many of these drawbacks.

As many factors, including employment, tax, and immigration law, and the availability of bilateral tax and social security agreements can impact the tax and payroll requirements for an assignment, it is important to consult with your mobility tax and legal advisors to make sure the long-term assignment is structured in an appropriate way.

Benefits and drawbacks of short-term assignments

Short-term assignments may allow companies to achieve several of the same benefits as longer-term scenarios, while also addressing several of the challenges. Benefits to the company of using short-term international assignments include:

• Like long-term assignments, an employee on a short-term assignment will often continue to receive compensation in the Home country payroll, seeing the same benefits as described above.
• The company may be able to offer a more modest compensation and allowance package to the employee, helping to reduce the overall tax and assignment costs to the company.
• For US tax purposes, certain reimbursements such as temporary lodging and per diems may be paid tax-free for certain temporary assignments of one year or less. Other countries may have similar rules for temporary assignments.
• Depending on the availability of income tax treaties and social security agreements, Host country taxes may be avoided or limited. For example, an employee on a 5-month assignment from the US to the UK may be able to avoid UK income tax if they will spend less than 183 days in the UK during a 12-month period, remain on the US payroll, and have their compensation expenses continue to be borne by the US entity. The availability of a social security totalization agreement would also provide for the ability to continue on US rather than UK social security through obtainment of a certificate of coverage from the US Social Security Administration.
• Short-term international assignments could result in a larger pool of potential employees for the international assignment program.

Despite these additional benefits, the shorter duration of the assignment may ultimately not provide enough time to allow the organization and assignee to accomplish all the objectives of the assignment. Additionally, the employee may not have enough time to fully “settle in” and develop relationships with the Host country office and clients.

Short-term assignments, as compared to a long-term or expatriate assignment, typically (but not always) result in a lower tax and assignment cost to the company. However, it is important to consider factors that may lead to additional cost, such as:

• Depending on location and the scenario, paying an employee under the expatriate policy may be less costly than providing a per diem and reimbursement of expenses.
• Administering a short-term international assignment may take more time than a long-term assignment. This could happen due to the length of the short-term assignment changing and requiring more constant support by the program administrator and/or tax services provider (e.g., monitoring the assignment).
• There are certain exclusions (e.g., Foreign Earned Income, Housing) and foreign tax credits available on a qualifying employee’s US federal individual income tax return that help alleviate double taxation that might occur as a result of an international assignment. These exclusions and credits may result in a lower tax cost to the company if the assignment is just over one year, rather than short-term.
• An employee on an expatriate assignment will often break state residency during the assignment period; an employee on a short-term international assignment generally will not break state residency. Thus, the state tax cost for the company will often be higher for the short-term international assignment.

Benefits and drawbacks of permanent transfers

Another commonly used relocation type is a permanent transfer or “transfer.” A transfer is a one-way relocation of an employee to a Host country for an indefinite period. In a typical transfer scenario, the individual will become an employee of the Host country entity, with Host country payroll and benefits.

Transferees will typically receive less company support than assignees. For example, instead of receiving allowances designed to keep an individual in a neutral purchasing position in comparison to their Home location (i.e., through provision of housing, cost-of-living, and other allowances), a transferee may receive a local pay package with limited or no allowances. Instead of tax equalization, they may only receive limited tax compliance assistance such as tax return preparation in the Home and Host countries for the year of transfer. Due to reduced support, transfer cases may initially have lower overall costs for the company than assignments.

Permanent transfers are often considered in scenarios where specific skills are needed/not available in the Host location, where the cost of an assignment is considered too high, or for employee-initiated moves . Because of the transfer to local payroll, administrative costs and complexities may also be reduced as the Host country entity would handle any reporting or withholding obligations. In addition, the risk of creating a taxable presence for the Home country entity (e.g., permanent establishment) is also reduced as the individual has severed employment ties in the Home country. However, despite these potential benefits, a transferred employee will likely receive compensation in Host country currency, and Host country benefits may differ from Home country benefits. Transferees are generally not eligible to contribute to Home country retirement/benefit plans such as the 401(k) plan for US employees, or contribute to Home country social security, which may be a significant drawback for those that are at senior or executive level or those approaching retirement. Additionally, employees take on exchange rate risk, potential cost-of-living issues, and potentially higher taxes.

From a talent management perspective, it may also be more difficult or costly to later relocate an employee who has been transferred rather than assigned to a location. A transferee will now be tied to a pay package and cost-of-living in the Host location, which will create a new point of reference for future moves.

What is the best relocation type for your company?

As has been shown, the type of relocation best suited for a given employee and your organization will be based on many factors. Key questions to consider include:

• Why is the employee moving? Is the move initiated by the individual or needed by the organization?
• What are the organizational goals relating to the move? Is the timeline for the proposed relocation reasonable to achieve these objectives?
• Does the employee’s career and personal goals align with the proposed scenario?
• Does the scenario support the longer-term career development objectives for the employee—e.g., will there be ongoing support to make sure the investment in the employee is not lost due to not having an appropriate repatriation plan?

Effective management of cross-border assignments can help firms that are trying to grow their business in key global markets while simultaneously reducing costs. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, hence, every assignment type and policy should be closely reviewed by the company based on the specific assignment objectives.

If you have questions about different assignment structures or how they could impact your global mobility program, schedule a free consultation  with our team. We are happy to discuss your specific situation.

Author: Mark Tirpak

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Short-term assignments

Short-term international assignments usually last between 3 and 12 months, and allow companies to transfer skills, knowledge and resources quickly and cost effectively, providing a quick response to business needs.

However, living costs for short-term assignees are different from other categories of mobile workers. Mercer’s technology and data solutions can help you handle the related issues with efficiency and ease.

Short Term Travel Cost Report

Forecast the cost of short-term assignments, commuter assignments or extended business travels with ease and accuracy. The report accounts for the costs of airfares, accommodation, car rental as well as per diem allowances, providing data in up to 3 currencies.

Per Diem Allowance Calculator 2.0

Determine fair and cost-efficient per diem rates suitable for short-term assignees and business travelers.

Alternative International Assignments (AIA) Survey

Benchmark your policies with our latest data gathered from 200+ multinational organizations worldwide. The survey explores the use of international assignments other than long-term expatriate assignments: short-term assignments , permanent moves /  one-way transfers , and commuter assignments .

Contact your consultant or  use our form  to discuss available options and order data.

Assignment segmentation As managing a globally mobile workforce grows more complicated, assignment policy segmentation offers more flexibility and a broader range of solutions.

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More tech solutions See what other tools Mercer offers that streamline the work of building assignment compensation packages.

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Relocation Insights

International Short-Term Assignments

International short-term assignments are a useful global mobility tool, that provide companies with a resource to support critical strategic needs while mitigating mobility program costs. Short-term assignments may also be used in a developmental capacity providing high potential employees an opportunity to grow in their career. Short-term assignments commonly range from 3 to 12 months in duration.

One of the biggest challenges of global mobility is compliance with applicable immigration, tax, employment, and permanent establishment laws. Laws that change quickly and vary from country to country can take companies by surprise. A carefully crafted short-term assignment program and comprehensive policy can help avoid potential hazards. Having a consistent program with clearly defined parameters will allow the focus to remain on compliance.

Program Development

As with all mobility programs, short-term assignments can be structured as a single policy applicable to all, tiered based on factors such as business need or job level, or as a structured core/flex program. When developing a short-term assignment program, whether for the first time or revising an existing policy, these initial steps are recommended:

• Consider the overall company culture, mobility philosophy, business objectives of the international short-term assignment program, and common assignment objectives.
• Identify employee job levels and demographics.
• Reflect on the importance of the employee experience as well as how the assignment policy can support DEI initiatives.
• Determine the most common assignment durations and locations, if possible, to estimate the anticipated cost of the benefits under consideration.

These initial steps will, in turn, help the company determine the desired parameters of the program. A common example of how a company’s overall company culture influences mobility policy can be seen in eligibility of family members under a short-term assignment. Some companies may decide that short-term assignees may not be accompanied by families and reflect that in policy eligibility language. Some companies will not support families going on the assignment, but do not expressly reject families from accompanying at their own expense. While others with a more family focused culture will allow accompaniment and provide some supporting benefits.

Assignment duration is also a key factor in short-term assignment program design. These assignments can have varying ranges from as short as 30 days or up to 18 months. They are most commonly defined as longer than 90 days or up to one year. However, knowing company intentions regarding durations helps in determining parameters and components. For example, if assignments are typically shorter in duration, the policy may not include parameters for home leave. If the assignments are typically the full year, the company may decide to include a home leave. If there is a possibility that the assignment may extend beyond 1 year, the company should be prepared to address whether benefits change or the employee transitions to another type of mobility policy. If short-term assignments are a new phenomenon and assignment durations are unknown at the time of program development, it will be important to revisit the policy as the assignment program matures.

A brief description of the components commonly found in international short-term assignment programs follows. It is important to note that note every component has to be included in order to have a successful program, and regional variances/culture may also dictate which components are included. There may also be variations on the inclusions and descriptions below as these descriptions are based on an unaccompanied employee. 

International Short Term Assignment Program Components

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Synonyms of assignment

• as in lesson
• as in appointment
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Thesaurus Definition of assignment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• responsibility
• undertaking
• requirement
• designation
• appointment
• authorization
• installment
• installation
• destination
• emplacement
• investiture
• singling (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dethronement

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun assignment contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of assignment are chore , duty , job , stint , and task . While all these words mean "a piece of work to be done," assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

When is it sensible to use chore instead of assignment ?

While the synonyms chore and assignment are close in meaning, chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

When is duty a more appropriate choice than assignment ?

Although the words duty and assignment have much in common, duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

When might job be a better fit than assignment ?

The synonyms job and assignment are sometimes interchangeable, but job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

When could stint be used to replace assignment ?

In some situations, the words stint and assignment are roughly equivalent. However, stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

When can task be used instead of assignment ?

The meanings of task and assignment largely overlap; however, task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

Thesaurus Entries Near assignment

assignments

Cite this Entry

“Assignment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assignment. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.

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How Trump’s guilty verdict will impact the 2024 presidential election

Trump may lose some support, but the drop could be temporary.

Scandals have swirled around former President Donald Trump since his first presidential campaign in 2016. But as of Thursday — having been found guilty on all counts in his New York hush-money case — he is now officially a convicted felon. Could that fact cut through all the other headlines and be a game-changer for the 2024 election?

At first glance, there's some evidence from polls that this conviction will meaningfully erode Trump's support. An April survey from CNN/SSRS found that, while 76 percent of Trump supporters said they would support Trump regardless, 24 percent said they "might reconsider" their support for him if he was convicted. And a May poll from Emerson College found that 25 percent of voters said a guilty verdict in New York would make them less likely to vote for Trump.

A few pollsters have also asked two versions of the standard "who will you vote for?" question in recent weeks : one straightforward one, and one that asked respondents who they would vote for if Trump was convicted in the New York case. On average, Trump went from leading by 1 percentage point in these polls without considering the conviction to trailing by 6 points with it.

But Democrats would be wise to not get too excited about these numbers. Take another look at the wording of the CNN/SSRS poll: Twenty-four percent of Trump supporters said they "might reconsider" their vote. That's not the same as "will definitely change" their vote! In light of this conviction, many Trump supporters might simply have a crisis of confidence about their vote without outright switching to President Joe Biden.

That's basically what another poll from ABC News/Ipsos found. Like CNN/SSRS, they asked Trump supporters what they would do if Trump was convicted in the New York case, but they provided options for both "reconsider" and "no longer support." Sixteen percent said they would reconsider supporting Trump, but only 4 percent said they would no longer support him. (Similar to CNN/SSRS, 80 percent said they would continue to support him.)

Likewise, you should always be careful with polls like Emerson's that ask Americans whether something makes them more or less likely to vote a certain way. Respondents often don't take these questions literally ; instead, they use them as a proxy for whether they approve or disapprove of the thing being asked about.

Indeed, over three-quarters of those who told Emerson a conviction would make them "less likely" to vote for Trump had told the pollster on a different question that they were already voting for Biden. By contrast, only 11 percent of Trump voters said a guilty verdict would make them less likely to vote for him — so the potential impact on his actual support is much smaller than it initially appears.

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Other polls also support the theory that this conviction won't cause mass defections to Biden. Those horse-race polls I cited above? They don't actually show many Trump voters switching their vote to Biden. Instead, most of the support Trump loses goes into the undecided column or to an unnamed, hypothetical "someone else":

On average, Trump loses 6 points of support after a conviction is taken into account — but Biden gains only 1 point. "Someone else" or undecided gains 5 points. That's consistent with the idea that this conviction will make some Trump supporters squeamish about the idea of pulling the lever for him, so they will stop identifying as Trump supporters for a while — but most of them won't go so far as to vote for Biden.

And that, in turn, could indicate that this drop in Trump's support will be short-lived. Sure, Trump supporters who abandon him after this conviction could conceivably abstain from voting or vote for a third-party candidate. But the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, so there's also a good chance that they will eventually get over their discomfort and return to Trump's side, especially considering there are still five months left until Election Day — plenty of time for Trump to spin a narrative that helps voters overcome any hangups about voting for a convicted felon.

We don't need to search far for a precedent for this. In October 2016, Trump's campaign was blindsided by the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape, on which Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women. Polls at the time showed that the tape made some Republicans uncomfortable about supporting Trump , and his national support in 538's polling average at the time fell by about 1 point. But Trump's support quickly recovered: Within three weeks of the tape's release, he was polling better than he was before it.

That said, even if most Trump defectors only switch to undecided and eventually return to the fold, that doesn't mean the conviction will have zero effect on the race. That average 1-point gain for Biden isn't nothing — in a close race (which 2024 is shaping up to be), it could mean the difference between winning and losing. But it's also important not to overstate the conviction's impact. If the hush-money trial ends up determining the presidential race, it will likely be because the campaign was a game of inches anyway.

Irena Li contributed research.

Related Topics

• Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s attorney was 'shocked' the former president took the verdict with 'solemnness'

• May 31, 9:37 PM

Trump raises $141 million in May, bolstered by guilty verdict

• Jun 3, 5:43 PM

ABC News Live

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

India election results 2024 updates: Modi says he will form next government

A party or coalition needs 272 seats to cross the majority mark in the 543-member lower house of parliament.

This live page is now closed. Follow the latest live coverage of the India elections here .

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed he will form the next government even though his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is projected to lose its majority in parliament after a decade.
• As India counts votes , trends so far suggest the BJP will likely need the help of allies as a united opposition led by the Indian National Congress makes gains.
• The mammoth seven-phase election – the world’s largest democratic exercise – began on April 19 and ended on Saturday.
• A party or coalition needs 272 seats to cross the majority mark in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s parliament. Exit polls said Modi could return to power for a third consecutive term.
• The Election Commission says a record-breaking 642 million voters cast their ballots in the staggered election as it dismissed opposition concerns over how the votes would be counted .

Thanks for joining us

Thank you for following along with our live updates of the vote count in India’s election.

Learn more about the wins, losses and surprises of the count here .

Read about what the results mean for PM Modi’s BJP party here .

Or see how the day unfolded in pictures, here .

RECAP: Here’s what happened today

This live page will soon be closing. Here’s what happened today:

• The BJP underperformed expectations, particularly in their Uttar Pradesh stronghold, and are projected to win only 240 seats, far short of the 272 needed for a majority in India’s lower house of parliament.
• The weak showing means that Prime Minister Modi will have to rely on BJP-led NDA coalition partners like no other time during the party’s last two terms in the majority, raising the prospect of more checks on Modi’s rule.
• All told, the opposition bloc were on track to win 222 seats, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying the results showed a clear rejection of the Indian prime minister.
• Nevertheless, in an address, Modi hailed the NDA’s victory, noting it was the first time since 1962 that a coalition had won three elections in a row.

What does Maharashtra results mean for the upcoming state elections?

The results of the parliamentary elections in Maharashtra state will cast a shadow on the state elections slated to be held in October.

The current coalition government in the state comprising of the BJP and a faction of Shiv Sena came to power in mid 2022 after toppling of the Shiv Sena-Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) coalition government. A year later the NCP founded by the veteran politician Sharad Pawar was split and most of its legislators joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government.

But the toppling of the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP coalition government and the subsequent split in the NCP was blamed on the BJP.

The party has denied the charges, but it did not go down well, at least with the voters.

Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi, which is part of the INDIA alliance, is set to win most seats in the Lok Sabha. They have either won or leading in 29 out of the state’s 48 seats. The BJP has managed to win 10 seat but its allies have been decimated in this western state, home to the financial hub of Mumbai.

If the trend continues, the BJP-led coalition government in the state will find it hard to retain power.

Punjab separatists score win in two seats

Amritpal Singh has won from the Khadoor Sahib constituency in northern Indian state of Punjab – a victory that will likely raise alarm bells among security agencies.

Singh, 31, made international headline last year after police in Punjab state launched a manhunt to arrest him for reviving calls for an independent Sikh homeland (Khalistan), stirring fears of violence in a state with a history of armed rebellion.

He fought the elections from jail. However, he did not invoke the Khalistani cause in his election campaigning.

In Faridkot Lok Sabha seat, Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, son of one of the assassins of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is leading raising concerns about rising support for hardline candidates.

The Congress party and Aam Aadmi Party won most seats in this border state.

Congress-led opposition bloc to meet Wednesday

Officials have said opposition leaders will meet Wednesday in New Delhi to discuss what comes next.

The Congress-led bloc is set to take 222 seats in the parliament.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi declined today to discuss the bloc’s plans out of “respect” for members of the coalition.

Modi to lead ‘a different government altogether’: Analyst

In the days following the election, PM Narendra Modi will likely try to give the impression of “business of usual” on the international stage, particularly as he attends the upcoming G7 summit in Italy.

“But I think he will become obsessed about stabilising this government, he will become more inward looking,” analyst Sanjay Kapoor told Al Jazeera.

“There will be challenges coming in the parliament. There will be bills that will have to be passed, and there is bound to be a great amount of compromise that he will have to make,” he added. “In the past, when he had a brute majority, he would not be compromising. He always projected himself as somebody very strong who will not compromise.”

“I’m sure his allies will be uncomfortable if he continues to speak in the manner he did,” Kapoor added, “particularly trying to provoke Muslims. It’s got to be a different government altogether.”

How are the parties performing?

Follow our live results tracker  here .

Kashmir results show people’s anger against BJP’s policy: Experts

The results from federally administered regions of Indian-administered Kashmir and Ladakh show people’s anger against BJP’s policy in the region, experts say.

The BJP did not field any candidate from the Muslim-majority part of Kashmir while its candidate came in third position from the lone parliamentary seat in Ladakh, which saw protests against the BJP policy.

Independent candidate Abdul Rasheed Sheikh, popularly known as engineer Rasheed, won the elections from Baramulla in northern Kashmir. He defeated former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while lodged in jail since he was arrested under “anti-terror” law after being accused of money laundering.

Hundreds of Kashmiri activists and leaders were arrested in the wake of the 2019 government decision to strip the Muslim-majority region’s special status. Prime Minister Modi said it was aimed at ending the armed rebellion, which erupted in the late 1980s.

“Incarcerated former legislator Engineer Rashid’s massive win is an indication that Kashmir continues to be a ground for semi-separatist politics.” Zafar Choudhary, a political analyst based in the southern city of Jammu, told Al Jazeera.

Along with Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, also a former chief minister, has lost in their constituencies. However, candidates from Abdullah’s National Conference won in the Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituencies.

Political expert Sheikh Showkat Hussain told Al Jazeera that people have expressed their resentment against the BJP and its allies in Kashmir through their vote.

“People have rejected BJP’s stance on Kashmir, it includes the abrogation of Article 370 decision,” he said referring to the constitutional safeguard that Modi government removed in 2019.

In the southern city of Jammu, the BJP has retained its hold on the Udhampur and Jammu constituencies, but its vote share has come down drastically compared with the last elections.

The outcome of the parliamentary elections is likely to have an effect on the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir slated to be held in September as per Supreme Court directions.

The Ladakh result is being seen as a major setback for the BJP as the party received support when it carved out the region from Kashmir.

“This is a defeat for BJP in Ladakh. This is people’s anger against the decision taken on August 5, 2019,” activist Sajad Kargili from Ladakh told Al Jazeera.

Regional party set to carry Tamil Nadu

The left-wing Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is projected to win 22 seats in the southern state.

Congress was on track to win nine of the state’s 39 total seats in Lok Sabha.

BJP makes inroads in Kerala

The BJP has won a seat in Kerala, making new inroads in the southern Indian state.

The party’s candidate won in the district of Thrissur, which Congress had won in 2019.

Congress was set to win 14 districts in the longtime left-leaning state, one fewer than five years ago.

Who are Modi’s allies in NDA coalition?

Modi’s BJP party has won or are leading in 240 districts, putting them short the 272 seats needed for majority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament.

Factions of the far-right, Hindu ultranationalist party Shiv Sena – an ally of the BJP – were on track to win seven seats.

That gives outsized influence to two regional parties, the Janata Dal-United JD(U) in the state of Bihar and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Both parties recently broke of the opposition alliance, with the JD(U) accusing Congress of hoarding contested seats.

The TDP is set to win 16 seats and the JD(U) is on track to win 12.

So what went wrong for the BJP?

The Bharatiya Janata Party failed to repeat its performance in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 representatives to the parliament. The BJP won 71 and 62 in the 2014 and 2019 elections respectively.

The party has won 33 seats, bringing down the BJP tally to below the 272 magic figure needed to form a government. The BJP can form the next government with the help of its allies. It is is slated to win 241 seats.

The BJP also lost support in agricultural regions in northern India, which saw protests against the Modi government. It suffered defeats in the state of Punjab, known as the bread basket of India, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh mainly due to farmers’ unrest over lack of government support to the sector.

The decision to topple the government in the western state of Maharashtra has probably cost the party dearly as it has suffered a major electoral setback in a state it dominated in the past decade.

The overreliance on divisive politics led by Prime Minister Modi was avoidable, analysts say, adding that the governing party could have focused on the government’s achievements in the past 10 years. As a result, the opposition was able to set the agenda during the six weeks of campaigning.

Coalition partners may put check on BJP: Analyst

The BJP is currently projected to only win 240 seats in Lok Sabha, short of the 272 needed for a majority. That means they are set to rely on NDA coalition partners for a majority.

Those partners include Janata Dal-United, led by Nitish Kumar in the state of Bihar and the Telugu Desam Party, led by Chandrababu Naidu in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The TDP has won 15 seats and is leading on one seat, while the JD(U) has emerged victorious on 12 seats. Both the parties have also previously been in alliance with the Congress party.

Over the past decade, under a majority BJP government, India has slid on several democratic indices amid accusations of a crackdown on dissent, political opposition, and media.

With coalition partners to keep a check on the BJP, there “will be breathing space for the Indian civil society and the government’s critics”, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a Modi biographer, told Al Jazeera.

Why has BJP suffered such a setback in its Uttar Pradesh stronghold?

The BJP was hoping to repeat its landslide victory in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where the party won 71 and 62 seats in the 2014 and 2019 elections, respectively.

But the country’s most populous state has caused the biggest shock of the 2024 elections, stopping the BJP from crossing the 272 mark, the number of seats needed to form a government. The BJP, which has won 33 seats, will now depend on allies to come back to power for a record third term.

So what went wrong? Analysts said rising prices and record unemployment were major issues as Modi’s government struggled to address these challenges. Meanwhile, the ruling party devoted a lot of its energy to divisive issues that did not find traction among voters.

Stray cattles were another issue after the state government’s 2017 decision to ban the slaughter of cattle. Farmers have complained that stray cattle destroy their crops.

The opposition also mounted a major campaign on saving the constitution. It went big with the theme that the BJP would change the constitution if it got a supermajority. The BJP had initially set a target of winning more than 400 seats.

The constitution, which guarantees reservations in jobs and legislatures for Dalits, also became a big talking point of the campaign. It created a fear among Dalits that the constitution was in danger.

The Samajwadi Party, which is a major player in Uttar Pradesh, and the Congress party, which leads the INDIA opposition alliance, made social justice a major promise. This seem to have resonated with the voters, particularly from lower caste Hindus, amid rising income inequality and economic distress.

Congress leader thanks Wayanad, Rae Bareli after double victory

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the scion of one of India’s most politically consequential families, has come roaring back this election after an embarrassing defeat for the seat representing the Uttar Pradesh constituency of Amethi in 2019.

This time around, Gandhi won two seats: Wayanad in the southern state of Kerala and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.

“Thank you to the people of Wayanad and Rae Bareli for the huge support that you have given me,” he said in a post on X, adding he wishes he could represent both districts.

He will have to resign from one of the seats. A by-election will be held for whichever seat he turns down.

BJP continues its electoral dominance in Modi’s home state

The BJP has continued its electoral dominance in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, where it won 25 out of the 26 seats.

The Congress party managed to win a single seat in the Western state after a decade. The BJP had swept the state in 2014 and 2019 elections.

The BJP has been governing the state since 1995. Modi was the state’s chief minister for more than a decade before becoming prime minister in 2014.

Vote count continues

We’ll keep bringing you the latest count as the numbers are released.

White house applauds India’s ‘vibrant democratic process’

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby praised the Indian people for going to the polls and “participating in a very vibrant democratic process”.

He said Washington looks forward to seeing the final results.

Congress gains in Mumbai

India’s financial capital has six Lok Sabha seats — and in 2019, the BJP and its allies swept all six.

As in many other parts of India, 2024 has thrown up a very different outcome: The Congress and its allies are ahead on four seats, with the BJP and its partners leading in only two, with almost all votes counted.

Modi tries to ‘pump up BJP supporters’ in speech: Analyst

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Gurugram, India, analyst and economist Arun Kumar says Modi has made himself the face of the BJP. Because of that, the party’s underperformance is a personal reflection on Modi, he says.

Despite claiming victory, Kumar added, BJP leaders appeared more “chastened” than they had before the vote count.

“What you see [in Modi’s speech] is an effort to try and pump up the crowd, to pump up the BJP supporters and say we will do better,” he said.

“[He said] we achieved this, that and the other – the situation was very difficult in the last five years with a pandemic and yet we’ve done well. But the problem is the average person on the street, he was suffering as a result of the unemployment,” Kumar said.

Scant mention of BJP underperformance as Modi celebrates NDA majority

Speaking to supporters, PM Narendra Modi made little reference to his party’s underperformance in the poll. Instead, he said the election was a ringing endorsement for the BJP-led NDA coalition.

“Since 1962, this is the first time that any government, after serving two terms, returns for a third term,” he said.

He called the results “humbling and joyful”, adding, “to every voter of the country on this moment of victory, I want to bow down and salute them”.

Modi pledged that he would advance India’s defence production, increase jobs for youth, raise exports and help farmers, among other things.

“This country will see a new chapter of big decisions. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said, speaking in the third person.

Modi hails ‘victory of the people’ in address

Modi has begun his speech at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi after his NDA alliance emerged victorious.

“Our citizens in India have full faith in the party, and today’s victory is a victory of the people,” he said.

He hailed India’s administration of the “world’s largest election”. He praised the “efficiency and strength” of the electoral system.

Modi loses ‘invincible aura’ in election: Analyst

Analysts tell Al Jazeera the electoral results raise questions over the BJP’s strategy heading into the polls.

Modi had increasingly focused on allegations the opposition planned to hand over the nation’s resources to Muslims, a tactic his critics dismissed as fearmongering. The opposition sought to corner Modi on his government’s economic track record.

The BJP pitch carried a “tone of overconfidence”, said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a Modi biographer, at a time when many in the Indian public were dealing with soaring prices, joblessness and income inequality so wide that it is now worse than during British colonial rule.

The result was the “sleepwalking of the BJP into a disaster”, said Asim Ali, a political analyst and columnist.

“Today, Modi has lost his face. He is not that ‘undefeated person’, and his invincible aura is not there anymore,” Ali said.

AAP draws nil in its Delhi bastion in major poll setback

The election results are a big morale booster for the opposition INDIA alliance, but one of its constituents, the Aam Aadmi Party, has suffered a major setback.

The AAP party was hoping for sympathy votes after its leader and Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal was jailed on corruption charges.

Kejriwal managed to get a three-week bail to campaign in the elections. He urged the voters to exercise their franchise to end “dictatorship”, referring to the Modi government. Kejriwal, who has denied the corruption charges, has accused Modi of using federal investigating agencies to harass opposition leaders.

But the party’s emotive slogan, ‘jail ke jawab mein hum vote denge’ [we will vote to avenge jail term], did not seem to strike a chord with the voters. The party drew nil in its bastion in the national capital and managed to win only three seats in northern Punjab state, where it runs the regional government.

The Congress, which is leading the INDIA alliance, won seven seats in Punjab, where it was not in alliance with AAP.

Punjab and neighbouring Haryana, which are major agricultural belt, has voted for the Congress party as they have accused Modi of not addressing their issues.

Modi arrives to celebration at BJP headquarters

His party may have underperformed, but Modi is greeted with celebrations at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.

He waved to cheering supporters under confetti as he entered the building ahead of his expected address.

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