In general, getting an employee to accept a domestic relocation can be difficult. It is not easy to uproot a family, logistically manage a move, and establish oneself in a new city. However, it can be even more challenging when the new location is considerably more expensive.
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The landscape for shipping was already bad when the Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal. The pandemic had already caused a shipping container shortage, driving up the cost of shipments worldwide. The recent Suez Canal blockage will presumably only add to the misery of expensive and delayed shipments. The timing for the mobility industry could not be worse.
Many companies are currently focused on enhancing their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives. Global mobility professionals are being asked to adapt their policies to follow suit. But translating overall company initiatives into the mobility landscape isn’t as easy as one would hope.
The possibilities for Global Mobility in 2021 are almost endless. The opportunities are so great, prioritizing the roadmap for next year and beyond will be a happy challenge. Why this optimism? Global Mobility is no longer a hidden gem. We are now out in the open fully able to shine. This is the happy accident that the pandemic has given us. Global Mobility has so much value to add, and leadership now sees that.
In 2020 a lot of people are asking, “What is the future of mobility?” Prior to COVID-19, the industry hotly debated this question. Enter COVID-19 and the pandemic introduced further uncertainty about the role mobility should and will play.
While there are many steps to be taken to adapt to the emerging new normal created by COVID-19, there are two specific to global mobility policy that are important to address.
Last week AIRINC held several virtual roundtables regarding COVID-19. These sessions gave our clients a forum to discuss the issues they are facing and how they are handling COVID-19 concerns. From these discussions we are in a bit of a wait and see period. The initial rush of company evacuations and self-initiated leaves has started to settle. With travel restrictions – both by governments and by corporate companies – relocation, repatriation, and new assignments are currently greatly hampered.
The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting us all with a period of great uncertainty. One thing we have learned from past crises is that we will likely experience economic volatility, including wide exchange rate swings and abnormal patterns of inflation. While these are early days, we have already measured higher rates of inflation in China, as well as significant fluctuations in major currencies. In addition, living conditions have worsened for many across the globe. It is likely economic volatility and restricted lifestyles will be with us for some time.
Consistently, when I ask people what they like about working in global mobility, they say, “No day is ever the same.” It is that daily diversity that keeps professionals engaged. And no wonder global mobility is so dynamic; it involves so many disciplines, and it is a deeply human field.
