MOBILITY TRENDS


lack of strategic input into business decision- making. Today, though, with the role of HR firmly set in a business-partnering framework, its value to the business has been recognised and boosted. Just as HR has improved its status


through business partnering, so working within the business is raising global mobility’s credibility today. And, as current trends reflect increasing organisational uncertainty and high concern over the penalties of getting things wrong, so global mobility’s role working within the business will strengthen. Working directly in partnership with


the line is a step in the right direction, but a greater strategic contribution will rest with input at senior management level. HR professionals are increasingly having strategic input into the C-suite. While global mobility are, perhaps, a little further behind than their HR colleagues in progressing to this level of recognition, as their value to the business and in managing the mobility of the most senior personnel becomes known, so their involvement at the top of the organisation will become a necessity and be recognised as such.


Workforce changes and challenges Changes in workforce composition and demographics present further challenges to global mobility professionals. The gig economy is leading to the inclusion of increasing proportions of self-employed contractors in workforces. Mobility policies in the future will thus need to reflect the deployment of talent from a broader range of contractual bases. The workforce composition is also


changing in relation to age profiles. Expatriation and the policies that support it have typically applied to the Baby Boomer generation, with its traditional family structures. However, these older employees are now retiring, to be replaced by a workforce with different priorities and needs. For example, pension provision has been of particular significance to older


workforce members, but may be of less significance to younger generations. Millennials have different career


expectations from their Baby Boomer colleagues, typically expecting a global career and assuming that they will change jobs more frequently. Mobility provides career development, helping to build the competencies needed to progress across a range of employments. There is likely to be an increasing demand for international opportunities by young employees, with volunteering for international placements and assignments becoming more common. Policy design will need to accommodate


a wider range, and a higher number, of career development assignments (potentially short- term or commuter-style) as employees strive to build up their competencies to increase their marketability. Whether a scaled-down compensation


and benefits policy is appropriate or not for developmental moves, volunteers and contractors will require careful thought. Policy segmentation approaches today typically provide less-generous packages to these types of transferee – but care needs to be taken to ensure that sufficient support is provided to these groups. This is especially the case given current political, economic and legal challenges and uncertainties. After all, these types of assignee are


representatives of the organisation, and insufficient support – for example, with immigration – could still rebound badly on organisational brand and reputation if the assignee breaks the law. This leads global mobility into


consideration of less-traditional policy solutions, including emphasis on core components and flexible benefits. Any move towards a core-flex policy should ensure that design results in adherence to the law while upholding company values and meeting business objectives. Core elements should, therefore, always address contractual issues and necessary immigration and tax requirements.


Promoting diversity Workforce diversity is another key issue for global mobility professionals. As the RES Forum’s report notes, flexible policies are required to assist women to take up assignments. Identifying women willing to work abroad, and encouraging them to accept expatriation, still appears to be more difficult than motivating men to go on assignment, though policy design treats men and women equally. Of course, diversity also embraces other


workforce groups. Supporting LGBT assignees or those with certain religious beliefs can be especially challenging in particular legal jurisdictions. And, as mentioned earlier, age diversity needs to be accommodated, as workforces today are multigenerational. Talent scarcity is a significant issue. Business is expanding fast, and


organisations must have the edge over competitors if they are to succeed. Hence, leveraging a diverse labour pool is more important than ever, and certain minority groups may therefore need to be targeted in order to bring key talent into the organisation. Any additional risks from so doing will need to be managed effectively. We will continue to live in a volatile,


uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world, and we have no reason to expect that the challenges that this brings will decrease as we move forward. Global mobility professionals must step up and embrace these challenges now, earning their strategic place at the top table through their unique contribution to business success. Relocate’s new Global Mobility Toolkit,


accessible via relocateglobal.com, provides information, practical advice and support for HR, global mobility managers and global teams operating overseas. Through integrated resources, it will empower them to produce an action plan to deliver sustainable relocation support in any part of the world, whether they are refining a relocation or business travel strategy or starting from scratch. Current topics include relocation policy


design and review; talent and career management; diversity and inclusion; group moves; and family and employee support.


On p18, Ruth Holmes looks at how multinational technology conglomerate Cisco is aligning demographic change and business need through its mobility offer.


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