Craft your Workforce Mobility strategy before it’s too late: 6 reasons to avoid inertia

By: Tim O’Shea
Vice President, Graebel Worldwide Consulting Services

You want to push Mobility forward for your company. But amid significant evolutionary trends — including shorter assignments, global uncertainties and a workforce craving international experience — where do you begin? Our blog series, “Transformative Insight for the World Ahead” explores emerging challenges as you strive to leverage your program as a key differentiator for people on the move.

With change, there’s risk. But what if I told you that you’re risking much more by standing still?

It might be tempting to stand put as we try to make sense of sweeping political, immigration and economic changes in countries where you have workforce deployments. But you know better than anybody, timing is everything. So it’s imperative to stay one step ahead. After all, you have a lot at risk, including:

1. Talent acquisition. Your top recruits have a global mindset. In fact, according to a recent Wakefield Research survey, up to 84% of Millennials are willing to relocate for a job — and 82% believe it’s necessary for career advancement. Do you have a Workforce Mobility strategy that can capitalize on these expectations? More importantly, are you even able to make adjustments to your strategy in time — before expectations and demands change again?
2. Talent retention. Remember, there’s a reason you recruited those savvy promising professionals in the first place. You know they’re critical for the future of the organization. So make moves now to keep them later. A strategy-driven Mobility Program should be designed to ease the burden of those working abroad — as well as those working behind the scenes. After all, many of the decisions you make here hit home the most with workers around the world.
3. Company branding. You didn’t attain your position by being complacent. The same holds true for your company. At the very least, you want to promote your organization as a leader in Workforce Mobility to attract and retain the best talent. Your Mobility Program is front and center for the world to see. It should be an extension of your company brand. After all, how prospects, employees and competitors perceive it will have a lasting impact on growth.
4. Compliance issues. You have to be agile. More importantly, you can’t afford to scramble. You know compliance requirements around the world are constantly changing. Your Workforce Mobility program must be rooted with a solid strategy, so you can be ready for anything the world throws at you. Integration between cross-functional teams will prepare everybody for faster, more informed decisions and more successful deployments.
5. Productivity. What works for today, might drag you down tomorrow. By identifying the gaps between knowledge workers in various functional roles, you can find the areas that are compromising the decision-making process. And you can work to adjust your Workforce Mobility strategy so effort ties directly with productivity — and success.
6. Improve ROI. Workforce Mobility isn’t a sunk cost, so it’s important not to treat it like that. Investing in talented employees has far-reaching impact. Likewise, investing in a Mobility program driven by sound strategies puts new profitable growth opportunities within your grasp.

You know change is on the way. Fortunately, you’re the type to embrace it. By identifying the areas for improvement in your Mobility Program, you can begin to transform it from being policy focused to strategically driven — so you can take a smarter, safer chance at the world ahead.