How Is Global Mobility Changing? Insights from Our EMEA Strategic Leaders Roundtable

There are some Global Mobility challenges where it is reassuring to discover that everyone else is wrestling with much the same thing. Our recent EMEA Strategic Leaders Roundtable had quite a few of those moments, alongside some genuinely useful examples of how organisations are approaching them differently.

How is the scope of Global Mobility expanding?

What came through very clearly was just how much the scope of Global Mobility continues to expand. Long-term assignments and transfers are still there, of course, but teams are increasingly dealing with domestic moves, commuters, extended business travel and cross-border remote working as well. The job is getting broader, even if I’m not sure anyone has volunteered for the additional complexity.

We’ve also seen this in our 2026 Mobility Outlook Survey, and we explored what these results mean in practice with the roundtable participants.

What is the difference between an employee-driven and a mutually beneficial move?

That broader remit for the GM function prompted a particularly interesting conversation about why people move. The traditional distinction between a business-driven move and an employee-requested move is becoming much less clear.

If somebody applies for an overseas role themselves, but the company retains a good employee, fills a difficult vacancy and avoids external recruitment costs, is that really just an employee-driven move?

Some organisations are now recognising a third category: the mutually beneficial move. One participant estimated that around 40% of their moves now fall into this category.

How can companies manage relocation costs earlier in the recruitment process?

That naturally led us into costs. There were some great examples of companies giving recruiters and hiring managers access to relocation cost estimates much earlier in the recruitment process.

It sounds obvious, but knowing the likely cost of moving someone before offering them the job can prevent some fairly uncomfortable conversations later.

What does flexibility really mean in Global Mobility policies?

Flexibility was another big topic. Cash, lump sums, core-flex and exceptions all featured in the discussion.

But the more interesting distinction for me was between employee flexibility — letting the employee choose — and business flexibility — letting the organisation vary support depending on the circumstances.

Both have value, but both need enough governance to stop flexibility quietly turning into “everyone negotiates their own policy.”

How are Global Mobility teams using AI?

And then, inevitably, we talked about AI. Organisations are experimenting with assistants, Copilot agents, automated communications, compliance monitoring and better reporting.

Most are still early in the journey, but there was a shared sense that the prize is not simply doing the same administration faster. It is freeing mobility teams to spend more time on the complicated cases and on advising the business.

Is Global Mobility becoming more strategic?

Perhaps that was the thread connecting the whole discussion. Mobility is becoming less about processing moves and more about helping organisations place talent, skills and capability where they are needed.

There were no miraculous answers, but there were plenty of good ideas, some very practical examples and a lot of generous information sharing. Which, for me, is exactly what a roundtable should be.