Policies or Insight: Which one drives Mobility forward?
Vice President – EMEA
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.
Think about all the planning and strategy sessions you attend to create and revise business objectives and strategies. How many of these include your Workplace Mobility function? Considering how important Mobility is for growing your business, developing top talent, enhancing your brand and forging new relationships, it’s imperative that you fight for its inclusion. As such, you’ll have to decide whether Mobility policies or insights offer more value to secure its place at the table.
Up to 65% of organizational strategists believe a Global Mobility strategy makes an impact on the organization’s financial performance.
– Harvard Business Review, “Strategic Global Mobility: Unlocking the Value of Cross-Border Assignments”
Set policies — and limitations
Policies help normalize the relocation process and ensure consistency for the organization and for relocating employees. They smooth transitions, minimize mistakes and expedite transfers and moves. But policies can’t account for everything.
By now, you’ve seen enough to know that you can’t control everything — especially if you’re dealing with dozens, hundreds or even thousands of employees working in different locales with unique customs, challenges and considerations. Other variables may include new government policies, regulations, political angst and more. Plus, those variables are constantly in flux. Can policies adapt to the constant changes outside of your control?
Use insight to drive Mobility
A strategic Mobility approach helps you prepare for anything. Not only does it establish priorities for your program, it helps solidify them in new markets and sectors. With insights from every part of your organization, you’re keenly aware of emerging developments, challenges and opportunities before they happen. In addition, you can use the knowledge gleaned from others to make more informed decisions or even shape policies to advance the financial success of your program while easing relocation for your employees.
With true insight, you can relocate employees confidently — knowing it’s the right move at the right time — whether they’re moving to Bangalore, Boston or Beijing. Even more importantly, you’ll know your program, and your organization, truly supports the entire relocation process from beginning to end.
You may believe that you’re already thinking strategically and leveraging insights with your Mobility program. But how do you know for sure?
- How do you align talent with opportunities? Is it optimal or do you need to fine-tune it?
- How do you measure the success of your program? Should you be doing less, more or something else entirely?
- Does your program incorporate insights and feedback from cross-functional teams, including Compensation, Payroll, HR leadership and other key decision-makers?
- Do you have a customizable leadership development program in place?
Align with company goals
By pairing Mobility with big-picture ideas and opportunities, you can improve agility and adapt to new challenges quickly. And you’ll be able to garner more return from the millions of dollars invested into your Mobility Program.
