Professor Emma Parry on the importance of considering culture within multinational benefits packages
We often focus on understanding differences in legislation and statutory benefits when designing multinational benefits packages. But we also need to consider culture when it comes to attracting and retaining talent within a country.
National culture is a reflection of the values and norms within a country’s population, and these will influence what an individual wants and expects from their employment. While some trends are growing – for example flexible working, or employee wellbeing – expectations of other benefits differ greatly. In France or Belgium for example, providing a higher level of benefits for more senior employees may be acceptable, whereas in countries with more of an emphasis on equality (such as the UK or Germany), such benefits are expected for all.
Evidence also suggests that those in egalitarian cultures (such as Sweden and Norway) place more emphasis on family friendly benefits such as childcare, compared with those in less egalitarian societies (e.g. Japan, Hungary).
The message here is not necessarily to design bespoke packages for every country, but rather to consider the fit of the benefits being offered to the prevailing culture, while recognising that employees within a country also differ.
