The keys to unlocking mobility policy potential

A well-designed mobility policy sets the foundations for companies to achieve their goals when operating across borders. Employers can face serious challenges in meeting their aims when their policies lack clarity, transparency or direction. All too often during a policy review or design, companies are unable to answer vital questions to understand whether their policy is fit for purpose:

At ECA we thrive in helping clients overcome these challenges and pride ourselves on designing policies which are tailored to address these questions for today and the future.

If you find yourself unable to answer one or more of the questions above (or the answer is not what you would like it to be), our Consultancy Team would be happy to discuss your policy strategy and aims in more detail. Below we offer insights on how companies:

1. Address the unknowns

2. Refresh an outdated policy

3. Design a policy which is current and future ready

Engage with the key stakeholders

Collaboration is a necessity in the world of mobility. With so many stakeholders invested in a successful assignment, there will be differing priorities to manage when reviewing an existing policy.

Stakeholder or employee engagement surveys are a good initial step to gauge the internal perception of the mobility function and can provide actionable feedback to help drive any policy changes.

The input of all stakeholders is pivotal when creating or reviewing a policy so that you can ensure your programme attracts, motivates and retains key talent while being aligned with your company's business objectives.

Our Consultants can work with you to create customised questionnaires targeting the right queries, allowing you to understand your organisation's current practices when dealing with international assignments and identify strengths and weaknesses in your programme. The output from this exercise will provide in-depth analysis of the results as well as our expert recommendations for next steps.

We also offer bespoke workshops which help our clients brainstorm and focus on the aims of a policy design/review. These sessions provide valuable time for key stakeholders to come to agreement on the policy direction.

Assess what you have and build what you want

Once business and assignee priorities are identified, it is far easier to draw blueprints of where the policy needs to change or the framework on which it will be built. Sometimes these items can’t fit together succinctly, and this review phase illuminates the importance of balancing employee needs with business aims. Key elements at this stage could be the need to reinforce company culture, incentivise mobility through support and inclusivity or illustrate sustainability considerations within the policy documentation.

A policy framework maps out the structure of your company's suite of global mobility policies and provides an outline of the allowances and benefits to be included in each one. It is the foundation on which to create the policy documents and it can prove useful when seeking buy-in from stakeholders within your organisation.

The absence of a formal policy framework can potentially allow managers to administer individually negotiated assignment packages, often at a very high cost. A well-designed, well-communicated policy framework allows for consistency and greater potential for cost management.

Whatever the goals, our team of experienced Consultants are on hand to review your existing policy documents or create a framework for something new. Our aims are always to ensure the resulting policies are aligned with market practice and your company's business objectives while also being free from ambiguity and the risk of misinterpretation from assignees and stakeholders.

Take a more holistic view

While the above two areas identify internal goals and definitions of success, the practices of other companies is a major factor in sculpting a mobility policy. Whether you want to set trends, attract/retain talent over competitors, or demonstrate the employer’s duty of care, comparison across the market is key to either set you apart, or ensure you are not falling behind.

You may want to know what type of allowances and benefits other companies in the market or your industry are providing for their internationally mobile employees. If so, ECA’s customised policy benchmarking can help.

We provide clients with a detailed, policy-specific report which highlights market practice based on our current large-scale mobility survey of multinational companies. It includes insights into best practice as well as a quick-reference summary allowing you to understand your company’s position in the market.

Our benchmark reports have frequently provided companies with vital insights that have enabled them to successfully review or design their own policies.

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