Global relocation management company Santa Fe draws on its award-winning research to look to the future of global mobility. It concludes that global mobility functions must evolve rapidly in order to be successful.
Over the past decade, Santa Fe Relocation has surveyed over 10,000 global mobility experts and nearly 300 executives for its award-winning Global Mobility Surveys – including this year a Relocate Global Award for the best research contribution.In a tenth anniversary special, a new global mobility survey from Santa Fe Relocation highlights the most important results for globally mobile people and their employers.This fascinating study by John Rason, Group Head of Consulting at Santa Fe Relocation, and Selina Jones-May, Global HR Leader Global Mobility People and Projects, shows how far the industry has come and which way it has come in the three major areas of talent, Compliance and Transformation.Related reading from Relocate Global
The ten most important global mobility trends of the last decade
The latest report from Santa Fe Global highlights the top ten global mobility trends over the past decade and predicts the future of global mobility.
transformation
- A regional approach to global mobility delivery
Santa Fe research shows that the local hub model has prevailed over the past decade. Three quarters of those surveyed used this in 2020, compared to 14% in 2011. This upward trend reflects the need for culturally conscious and locally relevant mobility for operations in the region. For 2021, however, Santa Fe sees increased global control over strategy, decision-making and operational execution.
- Change of the skills set of global mobility expertise in the direction of strategic / advisory
The strategic importance of global mobility for company growth and the increasing diversity of both task types and delegates mean that global mobility functions are increasingly included in strategic personnel planning. The roles have also expanded to include managing the entire mobile population. That transition and added value will be critical to the future of the feature’s success, says Santa Fe.
- Data analysis and technology as enabling global mobility functions
Since 2011, the use of specialized global mobility software among respondents has increased from 13% in 2011 to 75% in 2020. However, engaging stakeholders and making the necessary investments to tackle the digital age remains a challenge.
talent
- Increased diversity of global mobility guidelines and allocation types
Until 2016, the traditional long-term posting (LTA) was the most widespread. Since then, short-term assignments (STAs) and short-term business trips (STBT) have become the most common.
- Growth in remote and hybrid work options
In 2017, 29% expected virtual deployments to increase over the next five years. However, remote working across borders is one of the greatest challenges facing the global mobility function today in order to achieve its goals. During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, 46% of respondents said they could do this type of task, up from 26% in 2018.
- Change from employer-oriented to employee-oriented programs
The cross-generational workforce, economic and social change drive changes in the needs of employers and expectations of employees. Companies offer more flexible assignment options to attract and retain their global workforce. This includes the increasing use of blanket guidelines, local and local frameworks, and the segmentation of guidelines based on talent drivers.
- Integration of equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I)
Given the response to Covid-19 in 2020, it is not surprising that the focus on people, policies, and practices to attract internal and external talent from the broadest possible source has dropped from 30% in 2018 to 24%. This is an area of opportunity for organizations once post-pandemic movement across borders is facilitated.
observance
- Compliance complexity of new destinations
Between 2017 and 2020, 40% of respondents in Santa Fe relocated their workforce to new destinations as companies sought to grow in new territories. This means that global mobility functions operate in an increasingly complex legal and regulatory context.
- Effects of the geopolitical and protectionist climate on immigration and security issues
External events like Brexit and major public health threats like SARS, MERS, Ebola and Covid-19 have increased immigration, health and safety issues for global mobility teams and officials.
- The importance of due diligence
Perhaps due to the impact of outside events, increased focus on corporate social responsibility, talent acquisition and recruitment, due diligence has risen on the priority list of business leaders. In 2018, this was the top priority for 26%. In 2020 it was 38%.
Predictions for the future of global mobility from Santa Fe
Given that 80% of respondents unanimously report that the career paths of people who take on global roles are better than those who stay in their home area, the report provides a number of predictions for the position of the role over the next ten Years.For the transformation, this includes integrating global mobility into other employee-centric areas of the company where it is not independent, and an increasing emphasis on AI capabilities.For talents, this includes a switch from segmented to personalized approaches to task packages, blind selection integrated into recruitment and selection to support ED&I, and an increase in flexible and part-time tasks In terms of compliance, ESG will be at the heart of the global mobility program, with sustainable tasks being a mandatory stakeholder expectation or requirement. Santa Fe also envisages a continuation of the mobilization of talent from developing markets into more developed markets.
Global mobility – a new era
“The talent agenda and its implementation in the global mobility strategy has evolved significantly over the past decade,” the report concludes.“It is evident that the company’s internal talent priorities combined with external factors (future workforce / digital innovation) will force mobility functions to adapt quickly to the new age of mobility.”Subscribe to Relocate Extra, our monthly newsletter, for the latest international assignments and global mobility news.Relocate’s new Global Mobility Toolkit provides free information, practical advice and support for HR, global mobility managers and global teams working overseas.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our online directory
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