At AIRINC we believe mobility makes the world a better place. This is front and center in our mission statement “We believe the most successful companies purposefully deploy talent, unleashing the full potential of their people on a global scale.”
Mobility does wonders for companies, it frees talent to be mobile, allows the exchange of diverse thoughts and ideas, promotes diversity, and allows companies to operate globally.
It also greatly benefits employees. Employees with international careers will often be the first to tell you that mobility changed their lives, opening up opportunities for career growth, personal development, and cultural enrichment.
And AIRINC has the statistics to back this up. We frequently survey the business and the employee to pinpoint the perceived value of mobility.
In a recent survey, we found that:
When the business was asked what the most valuable aspects of mobility are:
- 79% strongly agreed “to offer professional development of employees”
- 62% strongly agreed “to meet long term talent objectives”
This is compared to only 38% who strongly agreed the most valuable aspect of mobility is “to fill open roles”.
When the employee was asked why they took an international assignment or transfer:
- 86% strongly agreed “it was for their long-term career development”
- 84% strongly agreed “it was to gain professional skills”
Whereas only 10% strongly agreed they took an assignment or transfer for financial gain.
The survey results clearly show that mobility is valued for its ability to develop and engage talent.
This is why we need more mobility!
Imagine if we could have more mobile employees? The company could reap the benefits of engaged employees, be perceived as an employer of choice, and help the business and the company meet talent and business objectives.
And that is exactly what we are seeing at leading edge companies. These companies are developing a platform of programs designed to enable more mobility – both for the business and for the employee. This takes bold vision. A clear directive that more mobility of different types will benefit the company. This is opposite to a more traditional stance in which consistency, compliance, and control drive the mission for mobility.
What does it mean to have more mobility?
It means that a company adopts purposeful programs that enable employees to participate in mobile opportunities and empowers the business to deploy talent through a spectrum of investment levels.
We can have more mobility if available options match the needs for mobility with the desired investment level. Not all mobile talent has to be an expensive expat or costly full-blown relocation – those options have their purpose – but offering an array of options can meet even more needs
Some examples follow:
Volunteers: You have an employee who wants to follow their partner to a new country and the company has a role available for the employee. The company can deploy a low cost “volunteer” package to ensure the employee has the right to work and live in the new location. This minimal investment is actually really profound. It delights the employee, and the investment is less than the cost of trying to fill an open role locally – a total win/win!
New Grad/Professionals: Talent acquisition (TA) is often tasked with hoovering up new grads and new professionals. Sometimes this talent is not where you need it to be. To help acquire and deploy this talent we have been developing “Rapid Deployment” packages that offer cost effective and transparent support that is easy for TA to offer. Grabbing that talent quickly, before someone else does in an approachable cost predictive way, that’s a game changer.
International Remote Work: Consider embracing this. Where it is compliant to leverage this, why not support it? Even on a temporary basis, this can be highly valued by employees, especially those with family in other countries.
I want to be clear I am not advocating for an explosion of policies.
The last thing mobility needs is dozens of different policies to manage. However, if a company carefully curates the programs needed to achieve their objectives, more mobility can ensue.
This requires mobility to act as advisors, helping guide and develop the right programs for the organization. Mobility has long clamored for a more strategic role. Offering more mobility in a thoughtful way is a great way to fulfil that goal!
Are you ready to embrace more mobility? Contact AIRINC if you want to discuss.
Are you looking to redesign your mobility program?
AIRINC can help you refresh your Strategy, Process, or Policy
AIRINC’s Advisory Services team of seasoned mobility consultants are dedicated to helping you. With deep expertise in mobility strategy, program operations, process design, benchmarking, compensation, and policy development, you can leverage the experts you need to drive meaningful change in your mobility program.
