sums because it gives them flexibility to spend as they see fit. Of course, employees may not spend wisely and there are tax implications in the lump-sum approach. It is interesting to note that,
having seen a move towards greater use of lump sums, there is now debate as to whether a ‘care’ or ‘cash’ approach is better. Lump sums can support budgeting and potentially speed up the recruitment process. However, the provision of a lump sum is not particularly helpful for anyone with complex needs. Time and effort need to be spent on finding appropriate services and this will detract from productivity in the role. A care approach – where
service providers are commissioned to support employees and their families get started and settled in the new location – can ensure greater productivity and also support family wellbeing. It can also ensure that valuable company funds are spent on appropriate benefits that are aligned with a company’s culture and values. A care approach can also help to foster diversity and inclusion, thereby widening the potential talent pool.
AI IN POLICY DESIGN A further policy design development is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) programmes to help plan and write policy documents. The use of AI can improve the efficiency of the global mobility function because it can be used for operational tasks. This enables global mobility professionals to have more time to focus on strategic issues. AI tools can also aid access
to information, help to improve communication with employees and increase the speed with which talent may be deployed internationally. Yet while automation can be
useful, it is not a panacea for success. Using AI to write assignment policy documents can be a good starting point for drafting a policy, but global mobility professionals must check the information they receive for accuracy and bias and ensure that it does not copy policies from others. There will be legal issues in this respect (eg copyright). The AI-generated policy also
might not be suited to the company’s culture and values. When providing information to write a policy, it is also important that global mobility professionals take great care with the data supplied to the AI programme. Data should be anonymised, for example. Again, while AI can be helpful in generating drafts, they should not be regarded as the final document. Global mobility teams should ensure they check the information supplied for accuracy and that the content applies to their own company’s mobility approaches.
FLEXIBILITY A final issue to consider in terms of current trends is the desire to offer flexible approaches. This can appear to be a bewildering task. There is a huge number of variables at play in global mobility, including meeting employee needs and requests, deploying talent effectively to where it is needed, fostering diversity and inclusion, ensuring equity, coping with business demands, enabling succession planning, as well as filling skills gaps, development needs and project requirements. Different lengths and patterns
of assignments, different diversity and inclusion parameters and the requirement to improve the employee experience while meeting the requirements of the business make policy design and its implementation a very difficult juggling act. Straitjacket policies are
unlikely to be applicable
today’s business environment and some flexibility will be necessary to balance all these different aspects. It is important nonetheless
to have guidelines in place or set parameters so that choice does not become overwhelming and unmanageable. Getting to grips with data and technology and using it to best effect to manage different assignment patterns, lengths and combinations of lump sums versus care packages will help global mobility teams enormously. While AI can help with this, the role of global mobility professionals will not be undermined by technology. There will always be a place for the global mobility perspective and expertise in international assignment policy design and implementation.
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GLOBAL MOBILITY
POLIC Y
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