Global Mobility in the Context of the Geopolitical Landscape

In this first of a two-part episode, Cartus' Trevor Macomber, Director, Branding and Communications, and special guests, Karen Wilks, VP, Strategic Growth, and Tracey Rennie, VP, Global Talent Mobility, discuss the current geopolitical landscape and its impact on global mobility, including the importance of crisis management. 

Our guests:

Karen Wilks

Karen Wilks, Vice President of Strategic Growth, has more than 25 years of global mobility experience, including key roles in Operations and Account Management. She has had oversight of some of Cartus’ key clients, managing large multinational portfolios, driving innovation, and creating a strong culture that supports clients, employees and their families worldwide. Karen truly understands the power of collaboration and execution. She partners with internal and external stakeholders to drive mobility programs forward and transform in an ever-evolving global environment. She is also an industry leader within the DEI Mobility space, having been invited to various public speaking engagements to present on the topic and is co-chair of the Cartus DEI Steering Committee – a group focused on supporting clients with their DEI objectives. 

Tracey Rennie

Joining Cartus in 2002, Tracey Rennie, Vice President of Global Talent Mobility, has provided industry leadership, trusted guidance, and innovative solutions to many key Cartus clients over the years and leads Cartus’ LATAM office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. As a global mobility leader, Tracey is committed to creating value for her clients, with a passion for building high-caliber, cohesive, global teams.

Our host:

Trevor Macomber

Trevor leads global branding and communications at Cartus, the industry leader in global talent mobility and corporate relocation solutions. He is also the co-author of, "Chaos by Design: Tales of Empowerment on the Path to Digital Transformation." Outside of work, you'll find him spending time with his family in Connecticut, engaging in a very American version of Shinrin-yoku (Japanese forest bathing), grinding away at his own painfully glacial writing projects, or attempting to perfect the world's greatest grilled pizza.

Executive production: Louise Koncowski 

Transcript

Trevor: Scintillating salutations, Mobility Matters mavens, I am your guest host today, Trevor Macomber, Branding and Comms Director here at Cartus. Your regular host, Andy Conduit-Turner, is off leaning into his title of Director Sustainable Growth Enablement at Alto Vita’s Smart, Safe, Sustainable Summit. Coincidentally, Cartus Supply Chain Director, Cheryl Barrett will be talking about emergency relocations at that event, which is one of the topics of today's podcast. And frankly, I could use an emergency relocation myself as I begin what feels like day 3,921 alone, over my garage. Well, not alone today, at least, because in the digital booth with me are two of our most experienced mobility leaders, Karen Wilkes, Vice President of Strategic Growth, and Tracey Rennie, Vice President of Global Talent Mobility. And in today's episode, we're going to be discussing capital letter big topics, specifically global mobility, in the context of the current and future geopolitical landscape, we aim to share our top five considerations for crisis management, ways to support impacted employees, and tips to ensure your business is as prepared as possible for things like political unrest, natural disasters and major global events. Karen and Tracey, welcome both and thank you for agreeing to tackle such a complex and weighty topic with me. 

Tracey: Hi, Trevor, absolutely delighted to be here. 

Karen: Great to be here. Trevor, thank you so much for having me. 

Trevor: Okay, so geopolitical landscape, a very nice $2 vocabulary word. But what does it actually mean in general terms? We're using the phrase to refer to the combination of geographical, economic, and political factors that affect a country or wider region. When we look at this topic from a business perspective, we may want to look at experts like the World Economic Forum, a group of both government and business leaders who produce annual reports on current global risks. And if we look at their 2024 report for both the two-year and the 10-year forecasts, a number of overlapping trends appear. Things like global conflicts, mass relocation and migration, natural disasters, like I said before, heady stuff, but that's coming from the marketing guy. So, let's take a step back by taking a step closer to how the topic relates to the industry we all hold near and dear. 

So, Tracey, I'll start with you on this one. What do we mean by all of this, by geopolitical landscape and on and on in relation to global mobility?

Tracey: Well, Trevor, I think all of the things that you just mentioned are absolutely having an impact on, I guess what I'll call the “appetite” of employees to consider a relocation. I think that one of the first things that come to mind are the large-scale events that we've seen in the last couple of years, the pandemic, of course, and then the conflict in Europe, in Ukraine. And both of those very large-scale events had far reaching consequences for individuals who happen to be on assignment or in the process of transferring during those periods. And certainly, we learned a lot as mobility professionals in terms of how we needed to be prepared to support employees during these very specific types of crises. 

Quite apart from that, though even remote work and its prevalence is having an impact on an employee's decision about whether to move from their current location, to take up a location in a different climate, in a different country, where the infrastructure might look in quite contrasted with what they're experienced with today. 

So as employees consider all of these different factors, there's simply more to weigh up in terms of considering whether an overseas assignment, an overseas transfer, is in fact the right long term move for them at a specific point in time.

Trevor: Thank you, Tracey. There's definitely a lot there to unpack, and we will get there in a minute. But first, Karen, help me finish painting. What on the face of it could be a pessimistic picture. So, what other ways does geopolitical. Political instability impacts the global mobility industry? 

Karen: Well, Trevor, there are always uncertainties, right? Such as imposing travel restrictions, trade policy, supply chain disruption that may create instability, and then you have things like trade wars and diplomatic tensions between nations that may lead to tariff on goods like automated imports or even movement on restrictions on skilled labor, which may hinder operations of the global mobility programs.

Trevor: Now, thank you for that, Karen. And if anyone came into this episode in an unreasonably optimistic frame of mind, I think we've done a fair job of de-tinting those rose-colored lenses, but it's very important to set the stage so all business units and stakeholders understand the impact that something as unwieldy and out of our control as a geopolitical landscape can have on global mobility. 

And of course, it'd be a pretty impoverished episode, if that's where we left it. So, Tracey, let us shake this coconut tree and see what falls out… You and Karen just gave us the no-holds-barred baseline for where we are today and what we might expect in the future. What do we do about it? Where do we go from here?

Tracey: Well, the great news is that we absolutely have an opportunity to plan for world events, given the great forecasting that we have in terms of what we are likely to be able to deal with and given that we've probably lived through one of the most challenging situations in the last couple of years as we navigated the COVID pandemic. So really it starts with achieving organizational alignment. We're talking specifically today to a group of global mobility professionals. And global mobility professionals, of course, have a huge role to play in terms of making sure that assignee populations are safe, are well documented, etc. However, it is important to note that crisis management is a function that might exist within your organization, if you're a larger corporation, if not, it's really critical that a specific person or group has a designation to be the crisis leadership team, and that you are meeting with those individuals, when we are not in a crisis. 

So, creating that kind of connectivity across the organization is really the most important first step: Who is responsible for what? When we need to provide support to individuals in a certain region or country, when we need to evacuate individuals in a certain region or country. Multiple individuals and functions are going to have a role to play. Local HR, principally, we all have a duty of care to our employees and recognizing that there is a critical component that is owned by the local office. Considering how you're going to connect those functions ensure that communication is really streamlined, so that everyone knows who the various leads are. This is incredibly important. And then as RMCs [relocation management companies], we are finding ourselves playing a larger and larger role as these types of world events roll-out. So, keeping also close communication and having some kind of planning already with your RMC, with regards to what an RMC is and is not able to do in times of crisis, is really important. 

I think here, the key thing to focus on is knowing at a high level who is going to coordinate all of the various events and making sure that there isn't duplication or gaps and shortfalls in the communication. [This] is going to help any kind of crisis management effort really unroll much more smoothly. 

And another factor that many companies are considering is engaging the support of an external crisis management company, an operation that is able to provide practical support as you look at large evacuation events. So regular meetings and expectation setting and clarity on roles and responsibilities with that group will, of course, help you be prepared to manage an event successfully if you have the misfortune of having to deal with this. 

Karen: Yeah, Tracey, you've really made some salient points there, which leads us nicely to what I think our second consideration should be, you know, it's really plan, plan, and plan some more. The importance of contingency planning through risk assessments, to identify geopolitical hotspots, also assessing as best on the impact of regional conflicts, economic sanctions, weather patterns or other, you know, natural disasters or political instability on the mobility operations team. If an event were to happen, what can you expect? Are you looking at travel delays, tighter immigration, the impact on neighboring countries, temporary living, and household goods and services? You really want to ensure at all times that your employees have valid documents ready and to be available for travel. Tracey, anything else to add?

Tracey: I think I'd like to touch on the experience that we all lived through in Ukraine a couple of years ago, where we were evacuating people under very difficult circumstances. I think that a lot of our clients also lent forward to provide support to individuals who weren't transferees or assignees, who were actually local employees. So, we were looking to support a much larger population than was expected, and we really learned a lot under those conditions where the environment was changing day by day, the relative safety of specific towns was also extremely volatile. We made some really great learnings, and we had some really great successes in terms of managing that exercise. 

I really want to call out our destination services providers on-the-ground. We were absolutely thrilled and so grateful for the amount of lean forward that we experienced during that situation. Having the benefit of being in-country means that you have a set of individuals who are very familiar with local practice, who can navigate very easily and were able to deliver incredibly impactful, practical support to families who were in an incredibly stressful and challenging situation. It may look really simply, you know, gift cards and grocery shopping, but trying to navigate that type of task when you have just exited a place where there is a conflict happening, providing that kind of emotional support was incredibly appreciated by our clients and, of course, by those affected directly. 

Another learning that we made was that it's really important to engage your travel provider to ensure that you have a really clear sense of what the exit routes are and the entry routes into a country that was really rather challenging to manage during the Ukraine evacuation event as specific airlines, pretty much on a daily basis, started to change their flight schedule, started to cancel flights altogether. We were carefully watching different situations at various border crossing points, etc. Our destination services providers were coming out with incredible ways to navigate all of this, by you know, managing rental car, you know, up to a specific border, and then making sure that another rental car was available at the other country's border. So principally, I would definitely be working really closely with local HR, who are on the ground here, the travel provider should be able to let you have really good, up to the minute information about transportation options. But I will say that as an RMC, we became rather fluent in navigating all of this as well. And you know, really just looking at the internet, you know, every hour or so was very valuable at that particular time. 

And I will just mention one really basic and perhaps obvious point, which is where you have an assignee population, make sure that you are able to very quickly, be able to know what that population is, whether someone is currently traveling. Here is a yet another connection to local HR processes, almost certainly your employees, if they're traveling on business, need to record that within your organization there is a lot of reconciliation to be done in the event of a crisis in terms of understanding where people are, and if they are not where they are/where they should be, where are they? And your RMC can play a very, very helpful role in helping you establish those facts right from the get-go.

Trevor: Thank you for that. Tracey, so for everyone keeping track at home, that's. Crisis management considerations down, achieve organizational alignment, and plan, plan, and plan some more. Before we get to point number three, I was wondering if you'd engage me in a brief sidebar, because what I'm hearing sounds like to, you know, a slight layperson's ears, like an expansion of the traditional RMC role. And I was just wondering if that resonates with you at all or is that actually just a different way of looking at it, or something we should have been doing all along as an industry. Any thoughts on that, Tracey?

Tracey: Do you know Trevor, I believe it is an expansion of the rule. I think we experienced this quite generally, also, I refer yet again, to the pandemic, where all of a sudden, the global mobility role was put in the spotlight. So, I see it as an expansion. But I think that it is a very positive expansion in that it raises the profile of global mobility professionals. It demonstrates that the work that we do goes far beyond the logistical, it is absolutely focused on change management and crisis management when required, and I think it also gives us opportunities to learn new skills and to gain a great deal of experience, as well as really showcasing the discipline and the innovation of your group within your company. 

Trevor: And it makes total sense, because on the one hand, we are a provider, and many corporates have many providers and yet, how many of them touch everything that an RMC does?

Tracey: I think you're exactly right, Trevor, and I think it's also contributing immensely to how employees feel about the support from their employer. So, I would say directly, we are having an impact on employee engagement levels.

Trevor: Now that's wonderful, and definitely something for all RMCs to aspire to. A another perhaps more direct consideration traditionally in our purview, we'll call point number three here, which is to future proof your relocation policy. And so, Karen, I'm turning to you with this one. And just as a brief run up, when I bought my first Betamax player, the sales guy assured me, I future-proofed my home entertainment setup. And then he said the same thing again when I upgraded to Laserdisc a few years later, and then again when I invested in Blockbuster Video. So clearly, I have no idea what it means to futureproof something. What do we mean when we say future-proof a relocation policy and as part of that, how can our listeners develop a policy to support any of their impacted employees and families?

Karen: Yeah, thanks Trevor for that. You know, really, workforce agility is key. You have to develop policies that allow for quick pivoting during market volatility and disruption. To maintain your business continuity as much as you can, right? You need to emphasize a mobility approach that is led by employees’ preference and needs, ensuring that your policies are flexible and adaptable to individual circumstances. You can also drive inclusion initiatives to promote new ideas and perspectives, which can be a strategic advantage in a globally connected workforce. 

Another major key is legal reforms. Stay up to date with immigration legislation and cross-border compliance to help navigate the complexity of international employment law. I think that's really critical to ensuring that you have a successful program but that you can pivot really quickly. And then, last but not least, internal connectivity with the global mobility team as well as your business stakeholders to ensure alignment in meeting your business objectives. Tracey, anything else to add?

Tracey: Yeah, I think those are really excellent points. So maybe we should start to think about hardship locations differently. Our policy should always include mitigating for security and safety concerns. We also, given the amount of climate challenges that we're experiencing, perhaps want to identify some high-risk locations that are likely to be hit by extreme weather or natural disasters. India comes to mind. We see the monsoon season is getting longer every year, but it's also an extremely popular relocation destination due to the growing economy and many Indian assignees returning back to continue to build their careers in-country. 

So, I'll just maybe add in terms of future-proofing your policy, we should really be thinking about this for the very long-term. What might our employee population need? Not just in five years, but in 10 years, or in 20 years, you know, many of us who have been in this industry for quite a long time will probably think about the omissions in policy that are not emissions anymore. Single parent focus, you know, wasn't necessarily spoken to within policies. We are a little bit behind in terms of even bringing our policies up to date. So, I would really encourage a bold approach in terms of thinking about what our employees look like today, what their needs are, and considering what those needs might be in 15 or 20 years.

Trevor: It’s an interesting thought experiment to wonder what the talent mobility landscape would look like if, 20 years ago, core/flex was the norm instead of an exception, or perhaps even barely heard of. And if we had the tech to support it and the inclusivity and the choices available, single parent focus would have been but one of many inclusions, instead of exceptions that we could have been progressing for the last two decades, instead of really just coming into. 

Tracey: And I'll make a plug for environmental sustainability considerations as well. We're seeing some clients start to dip their toes into policy benefits that can have an impact on carbon emissions. I absolutely feel that this is going to be a standard policy component in the future.

Trevor: Thank you for that additional consideration, Tracey. So, Karen, what else should our listeners be considering when building out a crisis management plan? In other words, what is number four on our list of considerations?

Karen: Yeah, well, we've discussed a lot of kind of high-level strategy that folks should adopt looking at this from a holistic point of view. Now it's time to consider what practical support you can offer to impact employees. So, I would say, you know, really, step number four is really never underestimating the importance of on-the-ground support, right? Funds to replace furniture and personal belongings due to unexpected loss or damage in the host property. Extending salary advances, purchasing gift cards, or even organizing grocery delivery for essential household goods items. Those things mean so much to people when these situations happen. I think another key thing to mention is grossing up cash allowance to maximize cash in pocket for those employees that may be displaced and supporting temporary living costs. Block booking can be a more flexible way to secure housing for your employees. Often it can be, again, those little things that go a long way to show employees that you empathize with them and that you care. 

Trevor: No, that's great, Karen, and definitely so important. So, Tracey, if anyone here is a fan of poker, like I was 20 years ago. We are through the flop, past the turn and into the river, so let us flip over card number five, what is our final tip for today?

Karen: So, no surprise, it's compliance. Compliance continues to be a huge priority, regardless of whether we are operating in a crisis environment or not. So, in order to get ahead of that, it really looks like continuing to focus on what you are almost certainly focusing on already, which is staying updated on regulatory changes, making sure that you are compliant with immigration laws, with tax regulations, data privacy requirements across various jurisdictions to avoid any kind of legal pitfalls there. Really important to keep records, to make sure that you have a clearly documented record of when someone crossed borders, especially when that border crossing was not necessarily anticipated. And regulations shift very, very quickly. We saw some visa restrictions be lifted or made just a little bit looser. So absolutely you need to be working with your immigration provider to understand how that is going to impact the population that you're supporting, and make sure that you have clarity on when that provision might end, so that you remain in compliance. Essentially do everything that you're doing today around compliance but pay even more attention to it. 

One of the things we learned during the Ukraine crisis was that regulations changed very quickly. So, several governments in Europe introduced packages where tax relief was provided to evacuees from Ukraine. Where specific government support was extended. So really critical again, to keep that link with local HR, who will be probably the most up to date with which elements you are able to take advantage of and make sure that your you are consolidating and knitting together all of the various support that might be provided in a crisis situation, from the company, from governments, etc.

Karen: And Tracey, one thing that we haven't mentioned in this conversation is the fact that the right mobility solution today may not be the right one for tomorrow. It's important not to over commit when putting these contingencies in place. The Ukraine [crisis] was a great example. Mass migration may not be embraced. So, there is no one size that fits all solution to meet such challenges. Cross-cultural training is key, not only for relocating employees, but for those employees that are working with them in the host location, as well as the managers providing the benefits. These strategies can really help organizations adapt to the evolving landscape of global mobility and really ensure that their policies remain relevant and effective in supporting a diverse and dynamic global workforce, regardless of what tomorrow brings.

Trevor: Yeah, that's actually a great bonus tip there Karen, thank you. In a world where talent trends go out of fashion faster than pet rocks and leg warmers, I want to underscore that the right mobility solutions for today definitely won't be the right ones for tomorrow. So, you said it perfectly, and looking at the time, that is all the time we have for today. So, thank you Karen, thank you Tracey, so much for joining me for today's discussion. And of course, major thank you to our listeners. Without whom, why would we be doing this? If you'd like to hear more mobility conversations, be sure to subscribe to Mobility Matters on your favorite pod-catching platform. And if you have a topic you'd like us to discuss, please email us at cartussolutions@cartus.com, because we would love to collaborate with some of our listeners to turn this into another episode.

Until next time, we appreciate you, take care of yourself, and if you're still wondering… Yeah! Mobility Matters.

Visit cartus.com/podcast for more episodes of Mobility Matters.