TRENDS
While the specialised administrative role undertaken by global
mobility teams is a very necessary part of managing a mobile workforce, this specialisation seems to have resulted in a separation of global mobility administration from the wider strategic HR remit of workforce and career planning. If global mobility professionals seek a voice at the top table, closer reintegration with HR strategy will be required. If those involved can maintain their operational excellence in
compliance while building a strategic outlook partnering with HR, the future becomes very attractive indeed for the profession. Technology is an effective enabler, and harnessing it can help to reduce the administrative time needed for day-to-day tasks, allowing mobility professionals to focus on talent planning, deployment and development.
Organisational goals versus cost control A further trend that appears to be taking shape is the creation of friction between agility and the cost of a mobile workforce. By using data effectively, cost control can be sharpened up. However, it is important to ensure, as policies are retuned across all segments of the mobile population, that cost reduction does not result in lowering of willingness to relocate by the very populations most needed by businesses to achieve their strategic goals. For example, it is very clear from survey research that the use of
short-term assignments and business travel is increasing significantly and rapidly. Commuter assignments and one-way (either self-initiated or company-initiated) assignments are also on the rise. Graduate programmes are increasing in their usage, too. In contrast, the use of strategic long-term assignments is exhibiting a
slight decline. These trends may reflect that alternative assignment types are generally less expensive and more flexible than traditional long-term international assignments.
Problematically, though, the administrative burden of
managing business travellers and short-term assignees is high, tying up administrative time such that it is less available for strategic planning. This may be of limited concern if it is assumed that the flexibility of these mobility patterns not only helps to meet business needs by providing unique skills at short notice, but also makes them attractive to individuals who seek out such flexibility to manage their careers alongside family responsibilities. But paradoxically, research has demonstrated that such
alternative forms of international mobility are disruptive to family lifestyles and are less popular with women assignees. They also hinder gaining depth of international experience and cultural capability. This means that decisions taken for commercial purposes
(such as cost reduction) can work against other organisational imperatives (such as efforts to widen diversity and build international competencies to improve commercial outcomes). A careful balancing act is clearly needed if global mobility is to be embedded successfully within HR strategy.
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16 | Re:locate | Autumn 2016
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