Workia Knowhow

Developing an Effective Global Mobility Strategy for Your Business

by Fathers & Lavan on Aug 12, 2025 11:09:51 AM

Developing an Effective Global Mobility Strategy for Your Business
6:16
Global mobility strategy

 

What is a global mobility strategy?

A global mobility strategy is a roadmap for how your organisation manages the movement of people between countries.

It sets out why mobility is important, how it supports wider business objectives, and what processes, policies, and responsibilities are in place to make it happen.

A good strategy will:

  • Define different types of moves and the policies for each.
  • Detail how moves are approved, managed, and supported.
  • Clarify who is responsible for what at each stage.
  • Link mobility directly to business priorities like market growth, leadership development, and talent retention.

What are the benefits?

A well-defined mobility strategy benefits both the business and employees:

1

Clarity and alignment

Everyone understands why mobility matters, so moves are approved faster and with less justification needed. This makes the business more agile, even for employee-driven requests.
Clarity and alignment
2

Consistency and fairness

The same criteria and support apply to every move, ensuring fair treatment and clear expectations.
Consistency and fairness
3

Stronger employee impact

Movers see how their role contributes to business goals, making their efforts more visible and valued. International opportunities also help them develop leadership skills and capabilities for future roles.
Stronger employee impact
4

Proactive risk management

Built-in processes anticipate and address tax, immigration, and employment law issues before they cause problems.
Proactive risk management
5

Cost control

Moves are costed in advance, kept within budget, and resources are deployed in ways that benefit the whole business rather than just local priorities.
Cost control
6

Talent advantage

Mobility is tied into talent development and retention strategies, making it easier to attract, develop, and keep the right people.
Talent advantage
7

Scalability

As the business grows or enters new markets, the existing framework can be expanded without starting from scratch.
Scalability
8

Data-driven decisions

Defined measures and reporting help demonstrate ROI, justify resources, and make improvements where needed.
Data-driven decisions
9

Smooth execution

Clear processes minimise disruption for both the mover and the business, ensuring moves happen efficiently and effectively.

Smooth execution

What should your strategy include?

While each organisation’s strategy will reflect its own culture, priorities, and values, common components include:

An outline of why global mobility is important for the business, for example how it aligns with the broader business strategy to achieve certain business goals or how it contributes to leadership development. 
An outline of why global mobility is important for the business, for example how it aligns with the broader business strategy to achieve certain business goals or how it contributes to leadership development.
A policy – to outline things like the types of moves, assignee selection and approval criteria, the compensation offered, how tax and social security will be handled and repatriation. 
A policy – to outline things like the types of moves, assignee selection and approval criteria, the compensation offered, how tax and social security will be handled and repatriation.
A process to ensure that steps are taken in the right order and in the right timeframe to identify and manage costs and ensure compliance with immigration, tax, social security and local employment law requirements.  
A process to ensure that steps are taken in the right order and in the right timeframe to identify and manage costs and ensure compliance with immigration, tax, social security and local employment law requirements.
Definitions of roles and responsibilities – for example who is responsible for what part of the move? Who must approve and sign off assignee selection and / or costs?  What if something needs to be outside policy? How do those roles split between the home and host locations? 
Definitions of roles and responsibilities – for example who is responsible for what part of the move? Who must approve and sign off assignee selection and / or costs? What if something needs to be outside policy? How do those roles split between the home and host locations?
How and to what extent vendors are required (for example immigration and tax or relocation providers).
How and to what extent vendors are required (for example immigration and tax or relocation providers).
Details of the support given to employees in terms of their overall experience, including wellbeing. 
Details of the support given to employees in terms of their overall experience, including wellbeing.
Specification of what tools and technology will be used to manage the mover population, streamline processes and provide data points for analysis. 
Specification of what tools and technology will be used to manage the mover population, streamline processes and provide data points for analysis.
How the success of the global mobility strategy is monitored and measured against the overall rationale for having global mobility – for example market growth, employee retention, promotion, growth goals, increased diversity. 
How the success of the global mobility strategy is monitored and measured against the overall rationale for having global mobility – for example market growth, employee retention, promotion, growth goals, increased diversity.

Getting started

Firstly, ensure there is clarity and agreement on the reasons the business has for relocating individuals. This might be to develop leaders, to enhance employee experience, to knowledge share in new markets, or to support market growth, or a combination of these. Ask – how will the business and employees benefit? What problems does global mobility solve? What elements of the wider business strategy does it complement? Are some moves and some locations business critical – which are these? 

Ensure that you have identified all relevant stakeholders – it is easy to underestimate how many different parts of the business will have a view.  It is then important to consult with these stakeholders to make sure that your understanding aligns with theirs – do not assume you know everything or that the other stakeholders know what you are doing! At a minimum this will be the leadership team and potentially also HR, finance, pensions and department heads. 

What to do next

Build the framework

Once you have broad consensus, you can start to work on what you think should be in the strategy – the policy, process, roles and responsibilities.
Build the framework

Get buy-in from stakeholders

Communicating with and getting support from your stakeholders at key stages is essential. This will include how you roll out and implement the strategy and whether this is used just internally or whether it is communicated more widely in the marketplace to attract and retain talent.
Get buy-in from stakeholders

Review regularly

A review of the strategy should be at least considered on a reasonably regular basis – and definitely if the outcomes of your programme are not as expected or if assignments and moves fail. 
Review regularly

In summary

Even if you only move a few people each year, this is a process worth going through. The issues for moving one person are the same as for multiple moves and if you don’t move that many people, it can be tempting to take short cuts that may inadvertently become embedded in your approach. 

Having a strategy means that you will not have to reinvent the wheel each time you want to move someone (or an employee wants to move) and with a robust strategy, moves can happen in a cost effective and compliant manner, actively supporting business objectives as well as enhancing the experience of your people. 

 

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