Cautious of companies facing external and internal


pressures too, Amato advised on ways companies can get started and test the waters. “We have a high number of our team with families in other countries, so that might look like introducing a policy to allow them to extend their Christmas leave by two weeks so they can spend a month with their family. If you need to keep that specialist knowledge in house, it’s a no brainer. When it comes to flexibility, have a good baseline of where you want to go. Start small, explore and see where it goes and measure the feedback.”


ON EMPLOYEE EXPECTATIONS “I think we’re really going to see countries and organisations that are driven by people and how they want to work,” shared Asmussen. This was echoed by other speakers on the day. “The expectations of our employees are just so much


higher than they used to be. Having said that, it has gone down in other areas, so it’s swings and roundabouts.” The solution? “Build flexibility into absolutely everything you do,” added Trickey, because the only thing constant is change. These expectations also apply to the benefits companies offer, added Gabriela Matias, VP of people at Topi. “When you think about benefits, particularly in global mobility, to be competitive you have to understand the different priorities people might have in each country you operate in. You might be very competitive offering certain things in the UK, but they could be of little value to your team in Spain. It’s important to understand people, but also different groups of people, and their specific and unique needs. You might not be able to give them everything, but you can listen, feedback and communicate what else you might be able to offer.” “Flexibility, for example, in some of our global


policies, is one of those benefits that we can give and doesn’t cost organisations that much,” said Matias. Flexibility was a repeated theme on the day, both


as a way of companies being able to cater more to the individual, and also as a benefit that employees are increasingly requesting. Trickey highlighted that flexibility can also help with


productivity and development. “Our recent survey found that our remote workers are actually more engaged than our office workers, so it works.” Sophie Amato, head of people and culture at Social


Value Portal, explained that many of her workforce were not using their benefits at all so they looked into it. “A recent survey told us that out of all our employee benefits, 73% of our team value benefits that fall into the flexibility category more than anything else – well above health and wellbeing. Data like that can really make a difference and help companies answer some of these expectations.”


“ WHEN IT COMES TO FLEXIBILITY, HAVE A GOOD BASELINE OF WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. START SMALL, EXPLORE AND SEE WHERE IT GOES AND MEASURE THE FEEDBACK.”


SOPHIE AMATO, HEAD OF PEOPLE & CULTURE, SOCIAL VALUE PORTAL


9


ON REMOTE, HYBRID & BEYOND Another key trend was work setups, with many companies still finding their feet on ways of working and the working from home era being still fairly new and reinventing itself. “Most of our teams are at least hybrid if not remote


so we’re thinking a lot about rituals, transparency and dialogue in our company,” noted Trickey, who shared how Mews is offering various ways for its people to connect, share information and voice opinions. “Flexibility is here to stay. If you look at Gen Z, that’s


what they know and that’s what they want,” said Jerome Leclercq, global head of recruitment and employer branding at Wise. While others warned companies may have to adapt


or lose. “Anyone who can work remotely, if you begin to place that restraint on them to need to come in, you risk losing that talent,” said Sally Flaxman, head of global mobility at Remote. But Amato, who is not alone, senses there may be a


bit of a battle next year as the subject of flexibility and work setups becomes more divisive. “One half of the market, particularly large corporates, felt a bit shaken about the concept of hybrid working and breaking from the traditional office 9-5. Then you’ve got many innovative companies who are providing great flexibility and putting global first. I don’t think everyone is moving in the same direction yet and I think that’s going to become more prevalent.”


GLOBAL MOBILITY HOT TOPIC


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