Not long ago, when the results of AIRINC’s annual Mobility Outlook Survey (MOS) results were hot off the press, I held a joint webinar with German personnel association, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung to compare and contrast German/Austrian companies’ (GACs) responses with the rest of the world.

When I moved back to Germany in 2019 after 15 years in the UK, one of the things I looked forward to the most was German Christmas markets.

As anyone who’s visited can confirm, 'Berlin is always worth a trip'!

We often get asked what qualities a good global mobility professional should have. Efficiency, knowledge of compliance regulations, and numeracy are three that immediately spring to mind. But perhaps more important are empathy, intercultural awareness, and exceptional communication skills. Now, more than ever, these traditionally “softer” skills are what will get your assignees through this pandemic while also feeling well-supported by your global mobility programme.

When I joined AIRINC in December 2018, I started in our London office and had been living in the U.K. for 15 years at the time. I’m half German, half Indian, but grew up in Germany and went to school and university there with an Erasmus year in Paris, which to this day remains my favourite city in the world.

This autumn, AIRINC is hosting a Kaffee und Kuchen briefing and an interactive Global Mobility discussion. There will be opportunities to network with your global mobility peers throughout the afternoon.

Upcoming AIRINC event: Assignment types and offerings have greatly expanded beyond the traditional long-term assignment - yet these still remain the most common in the market.