GLOBAL MOBILITY
creating new things, methods, laws and systems. They have a crossover, in that one has to be innovative with a view to compliance, rather than seeing one as strangling the other.” Alex Rubin emphasised that companies should look for
ways of streamlining their processes to minimise the mobility administrative burden and focus on core compliance requirements. “Compliance is a problem which can be solved in the next few
years with the right systems and technology, but governments and authorities will be very unforgiving if mistakes are made,” warned Worldwide ERC presenter David Schofield. Reflecting a UK perspective was Gordon Kerr, director of
the Employee Mobility Unit at Edinburgh law firm Morton Fraser and longstanding WERC member, who takes the view that compliance issues will continue to be core concerns for the relocation industry in 2020. In his words, immigration services could be “turned upside
down” if the UK referendum results in Britain’s leaving the EU. There would, he said, be “huge amounts” of extra work for UK immigration firms as EU citizens became subject to British immigration rules. “In the area of data protection,” he added, “Safe Harbor
status for US corporations may have disappeared. Increasingly sophisticated data-sharing technology produced by Silicon Valley may be limited in its global application, as it clashes with stricter EU rules on personal privacy. “Bigger challenges to cross-border data-sharing will
arise if more countries follow Russia’s lead in insisting that its citizens’ personal data must be held on Russian servers.” Gordon Kerr also believes that, in the run-up to 2020,
more governments will view anti-corruption laws as a means of raising revenue from multinational companies.
Equality and diversity My interviewees were united on the need for expansion of
workplace equality and diversity. David Schofield said that, in 2020, businesses would be even shorter of talent than in 2015. What would really differentiate successful organisations was willingness to seek out talent in all parts of the world, and from all groups. “Cut through the Gordian Knot of how to define your
top talent cadre by viewing talent widely, as the pool of people in your organisation who have the skills to make a real contribution to business success,” he said. Shaun Hinds hoped for a world in which equality and
diversity would be a natural part of the talent management process, rather than the product of quotas. Andrea Elliott encapsulated the general mood. “The hope
is that multinational companies will recognise the enormous value in diversity and continue to send assignees who may not have been viewed historically as the appropriate candidate. There is a wealth of knowledge, culture and experience to be gained by creating a diverse workforce.”
MORE INSIGHTS FROM MY INTERVIEWEES
Q How far will the peer-to-peer economy or model extend to global mobility?
LB-S: The peer-to-peer model, coupled with social media, has already been extended to global mobility. There are now multiple websites in which expats can find each other, ask questions of each other, and support each other, virtually or face to face.
These groups are growing – and will continue to grow – around the world, as expats and families are often looking to connect with others who have had, or are currently having, similar experiences. This can help tremendously with both personal and professional adjustment issues.
SH: One key area will be the increased adoption of the Airbnb room- and home-sharing models. As companies seek to empower their employees to take more control, mechanisms such as lump sum will give employees the flexibility to make their own choices.
Professional hosts are essential, though, and currently there are still too many unknowns and risks in using these accommodation choices when relocating.
The emergence of more professional hosts, in other words professional hospitality-based organisations, will mean that the client will potentially have the best of both worlds, with increased choice, but with professional providers operating the service.
32 | Re:locate | Autumn 2015
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