Hi Chaya,
HR practices globally differ from country to country and continent to continent. It depends on the socio-economic and cultural values of the respective countries.
For example, in most parts of the West, working hours are 40 hours a week, not 48 hours a week like in India. Similarly, in Switzerland and France, working hours are 36 hours.
In the US, Canada, Australia, and NZ, employees are engaged on an hourly rate basis. Alternatively, employment is also provided on a contract basis in most companies for professional positions. This is not the case in countries like India, where people are engaged on either a piece-rate or daily wage basis.
In the Middle East, there are different practices because the majority of employees are expatriates, and their employment is regulated by contracts and local labor laws. In Saudi Arabia, salaries are paid based on classification, such as Far East Nationals, Western Nationals, Other Arab Nationals, and Nationals, according to taxation practices in their respective countries.
Compensation management is also different, but most of the West follows the US pattern of compensation models in salary scales and grades, using job ladders, job families, job weightages, job analysis, job descriptions, and job evaluations to determine job prices. This includes market survey analysis with periodic reviews.
In Africa, HR practices vary greatly. South Africa's practices differ from those in East Africa, West Africa, or North Africa due to cultural and socio-economic differences. Political instability in these countries has led to different business ethics, impacting HR practices significantly.
The subject is vast, requiring a classroom approach to explain how overseas HR practices differ from country to country. Very few people have expertise in this area unless they have traveled extensively and worked in various continents to differentiate these HR practices.
Kind Regards,
Rashid