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In today’s ultra-competitive global marketplace, these are the difference-makers for cultivating resilient leaders and organizations, and we are honored to play a role in helping our clients and partners cut through the noise.

Key Takeaways

One of the foundational features of our annual Summit is the expert-led sessions that generate deep insights into the latest trends and best practices in workforce mobility.

Included within this breadth of sessions is our recurring – and ever popular — benchmarking workshop, which gives attendees the opportunity to discuss mobility challenges (and solutions) with an intimate group of peers. Every table was full, and attendees brought a diverse range of topics and pain points to explore.

We teased our first batch of takeaways from the insight-packed benchmarking session in our first blog post, and we’re back with even more. They reveal and emphasize some of the top mobility pain points and how today’s industry leaders are working around these challenges to protect the well-being of their talent and businesses.

Takeaway 3: In an era of information overload, effective communication is the foundation of better experiences for employees and those who manage them!

Technology allows us to connect in new ways, and Global Mobility can benefit from any tools that streamline and enhance an abundance of information. Clients enthusiastically explored the pros, cons, tips, and tricks of infusing company values with consistent messaging in mobility programs, as well as the latest techniques for engaging employees using video content, social media, and websites.

The conversation underscored that no matter the level of complexity of an assignment, early communication from all stakeholders is vital to setting expectations, but this needs to be sustained (throughout and following) the assignment to drive and measure success. Clients can and should lean on their communication partners – like their RMC – to make this happen, reviewing policies with employees and setting expectations for follow-up. This is particularly important during the home sale/inspection process for US domestic moves; identified by participants as the most challenging phase of the move or assignment, with employees often not understanding the necessity and raising many questions.

More employers are leveraging technology to ensure that messaging is reaching all employees through a variety of forms of communication. This includes apps and video tutorials, with some companies creating AI-generated videos to aid communication.

Takeaway 4: Tackling a reluctance to relocate starts with learning how to effectively engage and retain talent — early.

We began to see the signs that the talent crisis was easing up last year as companies downsized their workforce. Yet, mobilizing employees to new locations continues to be a challenge, particularly for critical roles. Clients shared their reasons behind this growing reluctance and their observations as the workforce changes, concluding that tackling this hurdle requires understanding the different needs across sectors and roles within the organization.

As part of their talent retention strategy, companies are focusing on seeking talent internally and providing succession planning through relocation, along with support for families. Another key focus? Communication. Specifically, adequately communicating the value of relocation to help overcome a growing reluctance. This includes leveraging communication tools, such as a “Brochure to Family,” introduced early to help with the transition and stress the priority of a great employee experience. Other companies suggest the use of location-based marketing efforts, in which marketing campaigns are created for certain locations to sell the location and entice people to relocate.

To put it simply, maybe it’s time to drum up some FOMO. Employees need to know the personal and career-enhancing benefits of relocation, and it’s our job as employers to communicate this.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

What we love about the structure of Summit is that the setting is intimate enough to allow attendees to dictate much of the discourse and tackle the issues weighing most heavily on their programs, with close access to the right subject matter experts to guide them through solutions. Among the topics mentioned above, other key areas of discussion included Cost Reduction, Employee Engagement, Flexible Mobility, Global Expansion, and Fostering a Culture of Mobility.

We are grateful to our teams and all attending clients and partners who helped make this year’s Summit such an enriching and rewarding experience. It’s not just a conference; it’s a community of learning and growth, and when we all thrive together, positive change is infinitely more achievable.