Gathering feedback through Voice of the Customer (VOC) surveys of both assignees and the business is essential to measuring success and creating a best-in-class mobility program. It is inspiring to see the automotive industry leading the charge in listening to their customers to understand what they value and how Global Mobility can deliver on those needs.
The automotive industry is more likely to gather feedback through VOC surveys of the business and assignees. 36% of automotive companies conduct VOC surveys of assignees regularly, compared to only 27% of general industry companies that do so on a regular basis.
Similarly, 55% of the automotive industry responded that they conduct ad hoc VOC surveys of the business and 9% responded that they regularly conduct VOC surveys of the business. In the general industry, only 36% of participants responded that they conduct ad hoc VOC surveys of the business and 13% conduct VOC surveys regularly.
Companies in the automotive industry are also more likely to measure success based on positive feedback from assignee surveys than the general industry. Approximately 91% of participants responded that Mobility success is measured from positive feedback received through assignee surveys, compared to only 65% responding similarly in the general industry.
The general industry favored measuring success using positive feedback from the business, with 89% of participant responses. This response was tied for second in the automotive industry, where 73% of respondents measured success through positive feedback from the business. The same number of respondents in the automotive industry also measured success from positive feedback from HR, and standardized and efficient assignment/transfer processes.
The automotive industries assignee-centric view of success is likely due to these companies’ need for skill-based and strategic assignments that demand attention to attracting and retaining talent. Meanwhile, the general industry may be more likely to have developmental and volunteer assignments.
Implementing changes based on business and assignee feedback is the next step in making sure your policies continue to succeed.
When compared to the general industry, automotive companies seem to be focusing more on policy reform. When asked what initiatives Global Mobility would focus on in the coming years, 64% of automotive companies responded they would be focusing on introducing new policy types, while only 31% of companies responded similarly in the general industry.
The motivator may be the automotive industry’s need to attract and retain talent.
The automotive industry may utilize these policies to better improve the employee experience and business flexibility.
Adding business flexibility within policies can allow the business strategy and budget to help guide mobility decisions, while improving the employee experience can help reduce turnover and may increase positive outcomes of assignments.
73% of respondents in the automotive industry and 65% of respondents in the general industry stated that they expect there to be higher demand for business flexibility in the future. Companies in the automotive industry may address the increasing needs for business flexibility by both adding flexibility to existing policies and utilizing a greater variety of policy types. 82% of respondents in the automotive industry stated they would be adding in more business flexibility to policies (e.g., through tiers or core/flex); this was also the leading response by the general industry. 64% of respondents in the automotive industry stated they would be utilizing a greater variety of policy types to address an expected increase in demand for business flexibility, while only 28% of the general industry responded similarly.
The automotive industry also values employee flexibility and employee experience. Focusing on policies that incorporate employee flexibility while also ensuring a positive employee experience reiterates the automotive industry’s focus on assignee attraction and retention. The automotive industry is driven by attracting talent to fill companies’ needs, motivating these companies to search for solutions that provide more of what employees want. Meanwhile, in industries that have more volunteer and developmental assignments, the focus tends to be driven by business strategy.
55% of respondents in the automotive industry stated that they were planning on offering policies that allow employees some flexibility in choice of benefits. In the general industry, only 35% responded similarly. Some companies have already taken the initiative to address employee flexibility within their policies. Approximately 27% of respondents in the automotive industry and 34% of respondents in the general industry stated they already have flexible policies.
Download the 2021 Mobility Outlook Survey or contact us for more information on industry cuts.