What to expect in 2019
We’re already 21 days into 2019 and while we may not be able to predict when the US partial government shutdown will end or if a Brexit deal will be reached before March 29th it’s a tad bit easier to address what to expect – in broad strokes – for the world of mobility. Here’s what global mobility teams can expect to see in 2019.
More technology in your processes
Technology in global mobility has been a growing and continuing trend for the past eight or so years. Today we’re seeing more platforms, tools and tech solutions across the mobility spectrum. Everyone from temporary housing, to shipping are investing in technology to make the process more seamless and efficient for their customers. Often times these investments are “on the back-end” meaning customers may not be aware of them.
What does this mean for mobility practitioners? Expect to see a reduction in those manual and redundant tasks that take up much of your time, but require little “critical” thinking. When considering investing in or adopting technology be sure to look for solutions that can automate the low-value administrative type tasks. Get a primer for purchasing HR technology with this handy eBook.
Better core/flex policy options and support
Another benefit of more technology in mobility is that organizations will be able to better support and offer core/flex type policies. The timing for this trend couldn’t be better as mobile employees are looking for more tailored benefits and support options. In addition, as companies shift away from traditional long term assignments the types and levels of benefits required will naturally fluctuate from project to project, location to location, and employee to employee.
Stronger alignment with talent strategy
In KPMG’s 2018 Global Assignment Policies and Practices Survey 50% of organizations use global assignments as part of their talent development, succession, and retention initiatives. This trend and practice was also touched on in a recent webinar we hosted by Jenn Farris, CEO of Squadly HR. The panel in that webinar was in consensus that this is the direction in which mobility is heading due to the increasingly strategic nature of relocation and its use across talent strategy. Workday clearly sees this trend as they have partnered with Topia as they look to bring innovative solutions to the Workday community.
A continued focus on immigration
Immigration and global mobility go together like hand in glove. In today’s geo-political landscape the movement of people across borders is becoming more complex and doesn’t show any signs of simplifying. This will necessitate a close working relationship between those internal immigration resources and global mobility teams – especially as immigration authorities are becoming smarter, communicating with each other and adopting technology to help identify who may be violating any laws or regulations. Aligning immigration and mobility resources is a topic covered in an upcoming webinar between Talent Culture’s Meghan M. Biro and Dell’s Director of Mobility and Immigration, Robin Clowes.
Whatever 2019 has in store for you be on the lookout for opportunities to embrace technology, partner with other parts of HR and rethink how you’re doing mobility to better serve your various stakeholder.
