Global mobility extends much further into the personal lives of employees

In today’s corporate workplace, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) has become one of the most critical initiatives to address throughout the organization. Mobility professionals are being asked to adapt their policies to follow suit. But translating overall company initiatives into the mobility landscape isn’t as easy as one would hope.

Adapting to DE&I principles to consider the personal aspects of an assignment

One unique aspect of global mobility compared to general HR policy is that an assignment or a transfer goes beyond the traditional employer/employee business relationship. Global mobility extends much further into the personal lives of employees, sometimes in profound ways. A global mobility opportunity affects the employee’s life as well as that of their family. This involves considerations about housing needs, partner career opportunities, children’s education, living away from friends, family, and community, the political/social environment of the new location, and other factors.

Here are some practical steps to help get you started.

There may be simple changes you can make to increase the inclusive tone of your policy. The biggest opportunity is to use the term “partner” instead of “spouse” and to use a more inclusive definition of partner. Another opportunity is to change “home leave” to “travel allowance.” Notions of “home,” especially for international couples, can be varied, and support for travel to see friends and family will cover more diverse needs.

It is good to pressure test your policy. Consider the different circumstances, or personas, of the assignee – career lifecycles, gender, nationality, family status, religious beliefs, etc. Step into the shoes of the assignee and test if the needs of each persona are being addressed by the policy. If the needs are not being addressed, make changes to the policy.

In the past, policies were generated in some cases to indicate what the company would not do. Default to a policy tone that empowers the employee to take an assignment. Don’t create an environment of exceptions where employees must ask for their needs to be met. Instead, create a policy that encourages the employee to share their needs, and then meet them when possible.

A wide range of possible candidates should be considered for assignments. Structural changes might be needed beyond mobility to implement change, but by partnering with the talent function, you can raise the profile of candidate selection for mobile opportunities.

Advice to Global Firms

GLOBAL MOBILITY HAS A KEY ROLE TO PLAY AMID CHANGE

Our advice to global firms today is that global mobility can play a key role in supporting and broadening the organization’s DE&I initiatives by turning certain strategic, operational and policy challenges into talent and business-development opportunities. Some leading-edge practices for consideration include:

Leading-edge practices for consideration include:

  • Having a global I&D strategy that’s aligned to the talent and business strategy and a global mobility strategy that’s aligned to I&D to create a global talent initiative;
  • Embedding I&D into global mobility programs;

  • Robustly linking an organization’s general recruitment strategy to the selection of prospective global mobility candidates;

  • Using diverse candidate slates for international assignments;

  • Visibly targeting diverse groups for international assignment opportunities, for example flagging support for women, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBT candidates;

  • Factoring in greater lead-times to deployment of diverse talent, as these employees may require more time to support pre-assignment activities.

create an organization which embraces the full spectrum and power of diversity

Global mobility functional leaders can contribute significant insights, knowledge and experience in mobilizing and supporting the growth, development and retention of a diverse pool of talent. The clear overlap between I&D and global mobility creates strong synergies for formally aligning international assignment programs with the broader I&D agenda.

Competitive advantages can be achieved by reviewing program demographics and designing strategies for broader talent pools. In addition, creating broader educational and communication plans for audience expansion and penetration can hold great potential.

Diversifying global mobility policies and programs for wider applications will help to ensure that key I&D objectives have a place and voice at the table. Seeking out and valuing diversity in all its forms will ensure that all talents are fully utilized and aligned with the organization’s talent, culture, brand and business development goals.

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