Our February newsletter highlights new updates to Brexit, the differences between US and global payroll, and a great article on expats. Optimizing your global operations is a great way to start the year, and Blue Marble is here to help!

Brexit Update: What’s Coming Next 

On March 29, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May invoked Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon. Article 50 was created in 2009 to allow any country in the EU that wishes to leave the ability to do so. The treaty calls for 2 years of negotiations to agree to the country leaving the EU, so the UK is scheduled to leave the EU on March 29, 2019. As the UK will be the first nation to leave the EU, this is an unprecedented undertaking.

There are three major issues that the UK and EU have tentatively agreed to; freedom of movement, the border with Northern Ireland, and how much the UK will pay the EU to leave (known as the “divorce bill”). As negotiations continue, it’s anyone’s guess on the terms of any agreements, and everyone has an opinion. Here is a recap of the latest Brexit negotiations:
Click here to read full article

The Shelf-Life of Twinkies vs….Expats?

We’ve all heard the horrifying urban legend that the supermarket shelf-life of a Twinkie is probably longer than that of the shelf itself. But have you heard about how long expats should be sent off on international assignments?

If you want them (and your company) to be successful, the answer is not that long because, according to the Harvard Business Review, the costs of expatriate assignments can be almost three times higher than employing a local national employee!

On top of that, if the assignment isn’t managed carefully, along with ensuring the success of the employee’s family on location, the failure rate could cause severe economic consequences on you, the employer, as well as potentially reduce the retention rate of the employees themselves. Click here to read full article

The 411 on Domestic vs. International Payroll

It’s a quiet Tuesday at the office and your CFO walks in to tell you he’s bidding on 19 government contracts in the UK, Italy, and Canada, and you may need to pay these workers as soon as next month. The company you head up Accounting for is based in New England, and you have not dealt with international payroll in 5+ years (and that was at your prior company!).

You want to do right by your boss, but you need some help in carrying out this project. After the sheer anxiety wears off, you do what any sound-minded person would do on a Tuesday at 11am. You take to Google… Click here to read full article