A global organization, operating in over 160 countries, manages staff safety through its “Conditions of Life and Work” system, which rates locations from low- to high-risk based on factors like housing, health, and security. These classifications guide protective measures, incentives, and evacuations, ensuring effective deployment in hazardous environments. Regular updates and transparent oversight make the system a model for other international organizations.
Birches Group created the Market Monitor, a bimonthly tool tracking currency and market shifts to guide pay decisions amid global volatility. By classifying countries by risk, it helps organizations make measured adjustments while avoiding reactive moves like dollarization. Case studies, such as Ethiopia’s 2024 devaluation, show how it supports staff while maintaining financial discipline. Paired with a Special Measures Policy, it equips HR teams with clear triggers and practical strategies.
A global economic organization motivates a high-performing workforce through mission-driven engagement and a high-intensity, visible environment. Despite regular staff turnover due to demanding events like its annual summit, employees are drawn by opportunities to lead dialogues, build networks, and gain experience rather than financial reward. Emphasizing
results over hierarchy, the organization empowers staff with responsibility and exposure, fostering motivation through impact, learning, and high-stakes execution rather than traditional career progression.
In 2020, a major international development adopted a values-based Code of Ethics centered on impact, integrity, respect, teamwork, and innovation. Framed as a mutual compact, it commits the institution to a fair, respectful work environment and staff to uphold these values in daily conduct. By translating principles into clear expectations, the Code strengthens trust, guides behavior, and aligns individual actions with organizational goals.
A regional environmental organization partnered with Birches Group to create a unified Occupational Health, Safety, Security, Environment, and Wellbeing (OHSSE) Management System for its geographically diverse workforce. By reviewing policies and consulting staff, the initiative established clear procedures, roles, and risk management practices to ensure consistent safety standards across all locations. The new framework strengthens staff well-being, improves organizational resilience, and supports the organization’s goal of being a leading employer in the region.
A global agricultural research office needed a clear framework to deploy staff across its decentralized network. With Birches Group’s support, it adopted a market-based model aligned with the UN system, using post adjustment indices to manage cost-of-living differences. This ensures purchasing power parity, targeted salary adjustments, and fair, credible global deployment. Emphasizing results over hierarchy, the organization motivates staff through responsibility, impact, and learning rather than traditional career paths.
Organizations have shifted unevenly toward virtual work, with many scaling back remote policies after COVID-19. While virtual work has challenges, it also offers greater efficiency, cost savings, and broader reach than traditional workplaces. In this issue of Community Magazine, we ask: Does a workplace still need to be a place?
From the start, AMPLIFY Girls was built as a virtual organization. This model has enabled efficient operations and cost-effective growth, allowing the team to focus on maximizing impact.
Organizations that work in close partnerships often maintain some independence, which can lead to conflicts in organizational values. Human resources leaders play a crucial role in managing these challenges by developing policies that balance shared and differing values. A practical framework involves three steps: aligning policy objectives with shared values, allowing space for partners to express their distinct values, and regularly reviewing policies to improve them. The experience of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) demonstrates how this approach can effectively guide workforce policies such as performance management and compensation design while maintaining accountability, urgency, and country ownership.
Insights, News, and Actions on Workforce Management
The inaugural edition of the Community Magazine: Birches Group’s Publication on Issues of Workforce Management is now available! This space is dedicated to bringing news, insights, and strategies on equity in workforce management within international development.
We’re excited to deliver the latest updates, practical strategies, and thought leadership designed to foster equitable workplaces. Don’t miss our exclusive interviews with management experts, who share unique perspectives and actionable steps for advancing equity and fairness in HR within organizations around the world.
