In late July, we welcomed global mobility professionals to AIRINC’s latest roundtable in Singapore. This was my second time joining one of our roundtables, and it was a great opportunity to hear directly from mobility professionals about the challenges they are working through, the ideas they are testing, and the questions that are coming up across their organizations.

What stood out to me was how open the conversation was. While every company approaches mobility a little differently, there were plenty of shared challenges, from localization and employee experience to AI, immigration, and cost pressures.

Trying Something New with THRIVE

For this session, Jason and I also tried something a little different with the group: a short self-diagnostic workshop using AIRINC’s THRIVE framework.
After walking through the framework, we invited everyone to score their own mobility program from 1 to 5 across the six THRIVE dimensions:

  • T: Talent Integration & Intentionality

  • H: Human Experience

  • R: Readiness

  • I: Influencing

  • V: Vendor Partnerships

  • E: Engaged Team & Leadership

The scores ranged from 1: Reactive through to 5: Fully Integrated / Leading Practice.

The purpose wasn’t to judge anyone’s mobility program or suggest that every organization should be aiming for a five in every area. Instead, it was a chance to pause and think about where a program is today, where the biggest opportunities might be, and where teams want to focus next.

It was really interesting to see where the exercise took the conversation. Rewatch any of the resent THRIVE webinar series here.

Data is Useful, but the Story Matters Too

One topic that came up was Influencing, which several participants felt was particularly difficult to score highly. One company shared that they already have a large amount of historical assignment data. The challenge isn’t necessarily collecting more data. It’s turning that information into something meaningful for the business.

How do you demonstrate the return from mobility? And how do you turn numbers into a story that resonates with business leaders who are under pressure to manage costs?

It was a good reminder that having data and being able to influence with data are two different things.

Becoming More Strategic Can Mean Taking Some Risks

We also talked about what it really means for mobility to become a more strategic partner. One participant made the point that mobility teams have a unique perspective because they manage assignments from beginning to end and hear directly from employees along the way.

That insight can give teams the confidence to suggest different solutions rather than always following the traditional approach. For example, flexible or hybrid arrangements might help solve talent shortages where a standard relocation package isn’t the best answer.

Sometimes becoming more strategic means being willing to test something new.

Understanding What Employees Actually Value

The Human Experience part of THRIVE led to another interesting discussion. Employees and their families can sometimes have quite fixed ideas about a destination before a move. Rather than simply trying to convince them otherwise, mobility teams can spend time understanding what is actually important to them.

For someone considering Singapore, for example, that could mean talking about international schooling, the ease of travelling around Asia, or lifestyle opportunities they may not have considered.

It’s not necessarily about saying a location is perfect. It’s about helping employees see the opportunity through a different lens.

Does the Business See Your Program the Same Way You Do?

Another useful point was that the THRIVE scores don’t have to stop with the mobility team. A mobility manager might score their program highly in one area, while HR business partners, talent teams, or business leaders might have a very different view.

Comparing those perspectives could be a really useful way to identify gaps and start conversations internally.

What Else Did We Talk About at the Roundtable?

After the THRIVE exercise, we opened up the discussion and participants shared some of the mobility questions currently on their minds.

Moving from Traditional Expat Packages to Local Plus

One of the first topics was the shift from traditional expatriate packages towards Local Plus or localized arrangements. The big question was: how do you remove or phase out assignment benefits without making employees feel that they are losing out?

Participants shared a few different approaches. Some companies increase localized base salary when benefits such as housing are removed, helping employees manage their ongoing living costs. Others continue certain Local Plus benefits for senior employees or particularly important roles.

Tax support also came up as an important consideration. Even where a company is no longer covering an employee’s tax liability, employees may still really value help with tax preparation, particularly when moving into a more complex tax environment.

Some organizations have taken an even bigger step and moved away from traditional expatriate packages altogether in locations such as Singapore. In those cases, career progression, larger roles, and regional opportunities become a more important part of the conversation with employees.

A theme running through all of this was communication. Being clear from the beginning about what localization will look like, when benefits will change, and what employees should expect can make a big difference. And, of course, every employee is different. Their family situation, how long they have lived in the location, and how integrated they feel locally can all affect how they respond to localization.

Where Does AI Fit into Mobility?

And, of course, AI came up, because these days it seems almost impossible to have a mobility conversation without someone mentioning it. There are already some practical ways mobility teams are thinking about using AI and automation, particularly for high-volume administrative work. Examples included supporting initial immigration assessments, helping to generate cost estimates, and responding to straightforward policy questions.

In Singapore, participants also discussed tracking employee eligibility under the COMPASS framework so teams can better anticipate Employment Pass requirements and factor these into workforce and salary planning. But the more interesting part of the conversation was what happens after some of this work is automated. If technology can take care of more repetitive activities, mobility professionals have more time to speak directly with employees, understand what the business actually needs, and provide more thoughtful advice.

The group was also realistic about where AI still has its limits. A chatbot might be great at answering "What does the policy say?", but things can get complicated very quickly once a real employee, family, tax situation, visa issue, and business deadline are involved. For smaller mobility programs, there is also the very practical question of whether the cost and effort of building AI tools is worth it in the first place.

So while AI may be the topic everyone is talking about, the discussion was a useful reminder that the goal isn’t to use AI just because we can. It’s about finding the places where it genuinely makes mobility easier and leaving the more human, complicated parts to humans. For me, that was probably the most reassuring takeaway: AI might change the work, but it doesn’t make the human side of mobility any less important.

Managing U.S. Visa Challenges

U.S. visa applications and renewals were another challenge raised by the group. Participants spoke about the importance of preparing employees and business leaders for the reality that visa processes can involve long waiting times and limited embassy appointment availability.

Some companies recommend allowing at least three to four months before an assignment begins, and potentially longer for more complex cases. Where possible, organizations may also look at alternatives such as business travel while a longer-term solution is being worked through.

Again, clear communication came through as one of the most important parts of managing the experience. When people understand the possible delays from the beginning, it becomes easier to plan around them.

Cost Control vs Employee Experience

We finished with a discussion that will probably sound familiar to most mobility teams: how do you control costs while still giving employees a good experience? Tax support was one area where many participants felt companies should be careful about cutting back. Professional tax briefings remain important both for compliance and for helping employees understand what a move means for their personal situation.

When it comes to tax equalization on personal investments, approaches were more varied. Most companies do not automatically cover personal investment income, although some provide support in particular circumstances or introduce caps to control potentially high tax preparation costs.

Flexible benefits were another interesting solution. Instead of automatically providing a managed service, some companies give employees the option of taking a cash allowance for areas such as shipping or spouse support. This gives the employee more choice while helping the organization manage costs. One comment I particularly liked was that improving the employee experience doesn’t always mean spending more money.

Sometimes it is simply about working more closely with vendors, understanding what an employee actually needs, and finding the option that works best for their situation.

A Few Final Thoughts

At my second AIRINC roundtable, it was great to see how valuable these conversations can be. There weren’t necessarily simple answers to every question, and that was part of what made the discussion useful. Participants were able to compare approaches, share what has worked for them, and hear how other organizations are thinking about similar challenges.

For me, one theme connected many of the conversations: mobility is becoming much more than managing an assignment from A to B. Teams are being asked to think about talent, cost, employee experience, technology, compliance, and business strategy, often all at the same time. The THRIVE exercise gave us a useful way to bring some of those pieces together and think about where mobility programs are today and where they could go next.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us in Singapore and shared their experiences so openly. I really enjoyed being part of the conversation, and I’m already looking forward to the next roundtable later this year.

Join the next Singapore Roundtable