Even the most thoughtful mobility programs continue to be tested right now. Plans were in place. Policies existed. Vendors were engaged.
And still, what we’re seeing across the Middle East is a reminder of something uncomfortable but important:
Companies moved quickly. Some initiated voluntary evacuations, others mandated them. Some required critical staff to remain while families left. In a number of cases, employees pushed back—wanting to stay to preserve schooling continuity or remain with pets.
On paper, these are policy decisions. In reality, they are human decisions. And that’s where the real challenges emerge.
Three issues are consistently rising to the surface:
Pets
Schooling
The “what happens next?” question
Each is difficult. One is dominating: EDUCATION.
Many evacuation flights did not allow animals. Families had to leave them behind.
That has created a deeply uncomfortable situation—employees safely relocated, but separated from pets still in-country. In most cases, pets are being cared for by friends or domestic help, though, even domestic help might not be an option, given residency dependencies on the employee.
Some employees are attempting to relocate pets independently, but face hurdles around documentation, clearances, and transport availability.
For companies, there are limited viable solutions. Most are taking a hands-off approach, not out of indifference, but because support is often not feasible or part of the routine policy support.
If there is one area where pressure is building, it is education.
The stakes are highest for:
Final-year high school students
Students sitting for AP or other key exams
Those transitioning to university
Disruption here can have lasting consequences. Some companies are making exceptions—allowing families to return so children can complete the school year. Others are sending students back temporarily to sit exams, with the expectation they leave again afterward.
Beyond critical years, the situation remains complex. Remote schooling is inconsistent. Time zones don’t always work. In some cases, it is no longer available as schools reopen and governments encourage—or require—return. Families are left trying to make decisions without clarity:
Do we enroll in the home country for the next school year?
Do we wait and hope for a return to host?
What support will the company provide—and for how long?
There is no single answer emerging—and that uncertainty is driving anxiety.
Rather than one clear path, companies are navigating a set of imperfect options—each with real trade-offs.
Some organizations are making targeted exceptions, particularly for critical schooling years. This supports continuity but introduces risk and inconsistency across the population.
In many cases, employees can continue remain in location while families stay in the home country. This stabilizes the immediate situation but creates downstream implications:
Potential shift to single-status COLA and benefits
Questions around how long this arrangement is sustainable
Additional travel benefits in theory but practical challenges if travel remains constrained
Approaches here vary significantly:
Some companies will fund international schooling at home, often limited to critical years or capped at host-country cost
Others do not provide schooling support, if the employee is classified as unaccompanied
For companies that already allow international schooling at home, this is easier to operationalize. For those that don’t, it is a hard line to maintain under pressure.
Many companies are holding position, monitoring the situation while trying to preserve flexibility. Most are targeting early summer—often June—as a decision point, allowing families to plan for the next academic year.
Until then, employees are being asked to sit in uncertainty.
Alongside these decisions, the operational burden is significant:
Many organizations are struggling to track where employees and families actually are. Existing systems often don’t support this in real time, leading to manual tracking—frequently in spreadsheets or shared sites.
Coordinating clear, consistent communication across time zones is complex.
Some companies rely on local HR for real-time updates. Others centralize through global mobility—typically where there is 24/7 coverage. Both models can work, but require strong coordination.
Some organizations are proactively engaging EAP providers to support employees and families through uncertainty.
None of this is simple. And much of it is being built in real time.
There are still more questions than answers.
When—and whether—to return families
How to support schooling decisions for the next academic year
What this means for long-term staffing plans in the region
At the same time, companies are starting to think about what to do to be better prepared next time:
Being more explicit about trade-offs upfront before accepting an assignment. For example, being explicit that bringing pets is a risk, especially if there is an evacuation.
Reinforcing expectations around preparedness. Not allowing complacency regarding being prepared with a “go bag”.
Reassessing communication infrastructure—satellite phones, backup connectivity such as Starlink, and alternative channels like What’sApp.
Every evacuation need is different.
But the pattern is clear:
Mobility isn’t just about policies working as designed.
It’s about navigating moments where there is no perfect answer—and helping employees and the company make decisions anyway.
And right now, that’s the work.
As a follow-up to our earlier Pulse Survey on evacuations and danger pay, we’re now exploring how companies are supporting international assignees as the situation evolves.
If your organization has assignees in the region, we would appreciate it if you could please take a moment to complete this short pulse survey and share how you are adapting in this next phase.
Given the timeliness of this topic, this pulse survey will only be open until the end of Friday May 8. Results will be aggregated and published quickly.