AIRINC (Associates for International Research, Inc.)

June 1 marked a day of changing times in Venezuela. The price of gasoline in the country has been among the lowest in the world for decades, and in recent years, currency depreciation has made the resource practically free.

With fewer people moving during the pandemic, some Mobility functions are taking a strategic look at their programs and resources. Clear communications that are designed from the employee’s perspective improve employee experience and strengthen Mobility’s brand and reputation.

At the beginning of 2020, I surveyed Fort McMurray, an oil town in northeast Alberta, Canada. In January, there are limited outdoor activities in Alberta, so on a Sunday, it was recommended I go to a “park” walkable from the hotel. 

Over the past few months, we have all begun to realize the many differences between life in the office and working remotely at home. We’re adapting to virtual meetings, we’re helping our children navigate online learning, we’ve developed home workout routines, and schedule a regular cadence of video happy hours/chats with friends and family.

While South American countries have a wet season, the duration and severity vary. Knowing this and having traveled extensively throughout the continent, my February survey delivered some unique experiences. I encountered urban flooding in both Brazil and Paraguay and in both instances the flooding occurred subsequent to a relatively short period of rainfall. Both times also seemed to be a failure of infrastructure more than anything else.

Last week, we hosted a webinar on COVID-19 recovery and what to expect next. We invited three corporate panelists to discuss their experiences and share their perspective. Our panelists during this event were the following:

In this article, AIRINC Relationship Manager Christopher Ward discusses the current state of the Young Professionals Under 40 (YP40) Committee and the group’s efforts to keep the Worldwide ERC mobility community connected, engaged, and inspired during these challenging times.

Are virtual assignments the future of Global Mobility? Do companies already have a policy in place to address this type of mobility? Virtual assignments are defined as an arrangement in which the employee lives in one country but performs their job remotely for another country. Please participate in this brief pulse survey to understand more about this emerging area of mobility.

This February I surveyed Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, South Africa. After 30+ travel hours from Boston, I arrived in Cape Town eager to decompress in my hotel room. Once there, front desk staff informed me that I could not check in yet because the power was down. They explained that the typical length of a blackout is two hours and this one had started about a minute after my arrival.

Commuter assignments have long been in use. AIRINC’s 2020 Mobility Outlook Survey revealed that 55% of companies either currently have or are planning to add a commuter policy.