WOODRIDGE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A strong employee mobility program is critical to any global company's successful expansion plans and a new report from Brookfield Global Relocation Services uncovers five distinct issues that are inhibiting companies from reaching their employee relocation and business objectives.
"Our report not only reveals the five major inhibitors that are holding back global mobility programs, but also identifies how companies have overcome these roadblocks and conquered the challenges many international firms are facing," said Scott Sullivan, executive vice president of Brookfield Global Relocation Services.
The Spotlight Report, "Overcoming Inhibitors to International Employee Mobility," was complied through in-depth interviews with over a dozen global mobility leaders in Europe and the United States. The report is a supplement to the 2011 Global Relocation Trends Survey report, and points to the following five key inhibitors to success:
1. Misalignment of mobility program with business goals - One challenge that causes many companies setbacks results from trying to meet the needs of one type of assignment with policies designed for another, such as applying a policy designed for skill transfer assignments to talent management initiatives.
2. A need for business unit and senior management leaders to better understand the needs of their globally mobile employees - The key, according to the report, is to ensure that business unit and senior management clearly understand the needs of their globally mobile employees and coordinate their efforts to make sure that the assignment 'value proposition' for the employee is clearly articulated.
3. Bringing policy provisions more closely in line with the needs of current assignees - As business needs for international assignments change over time, so do the needs of the assignee population. Specific issues cited by survey respondents included:
- Repatriation
- Different policy types for different move scenarios
- Spouse assistance and dual careers
4. Lack of commitment to compliance in key areas - Highly technical in nature and not always easy to navigate, compliance issues are often associated with immigration and tax regulations, but can also refer to the mobility program itself (areas such as assignment business justification, approval process and assignment authorization). The issue of "doing assignments the right way," and how it factors in the cost of compliance is a concern cited by research participants.
5. Getting regional buy-in to global programs - As more companies centralize the administration of international mobility programs, the challenges posed by regions with a history of autonomy become more visible. This is a particular challenge for the centrally located mobility department.
Sullivan said that many of the inhibitors facing companies result from lapses in translating their priorities effectively into international employee mobility initiatives. Sometimes this is caused by priorities that seemingly conflict with each other or by gaps in communication among business leaders, managers, employees, and, yes, even international employee mobility leaders.
Brookfield Global Relocation Services will host a complimentary one-hour webinar to present the findings of this report Thursday, October 20 at 10 a.m. CDT (Chicago time)/4 p.m. BST London time. Participation in the webinar is limited to the first 100 registrants. All participants will receive a complimentary copy of the report. To register, go to: http://knowledge.brookfieldgrs.com/content/insights_ideas-grts-global_mobility_inhibitors. Webinar participants will receive the full "Overcoming Inhibitors to International Employee Mobility" Spotlight Report.
To obtain a complimentary copy of the entire 2011 Global Relocation Trends Survey report, go to: http://knowledge.brookfieldgrs.com/content/insights_ideas-grts
About Brookfield Global Relocation Services
Brookfield Global Relocation Services is a leading, full-service outsourcing partner of end-to-end employee relocation, assignment management and mobility consulting services, for multinational organizations. The company serves corporations throughout the world and funds more than $3.6 billion in relocation-related expenses annually.
Contacts
Siler & Company
Hugh Siler, 949-646-6966
hugh@silerandcompany.com