This article is taken from chapter 5 of the K2 Bespoke guide to Successful business-critical (VIP) assignments.
Executive, business-critical or VIP relocations will typically fall outside of an organisation’s standard global mobility protocols.
Such assignments are unique. In most cases, due to the business-critical nature of the assignee, they require an extra level of support and attention to detail, and bring with them heightened expectations and greater risks.
When planning for a business-critical assignment, make sure to do the following:
1. Think beyond the relocating employee
The welfare and happiness of the assignee’s family is key to the success of a business-critical relocation. What are they going to need and can you anticipate those requests? Do they have realistic expectations and if they don’t, how can these be diplomatically and empathetically managed? Always bear in mind that for the purposes of the assignment, the family are an extension of the assignee themselves.
2. Plan for quality and quantity of resourcing
A strong and trusted team is an essential component of a business-critical move. Such a team has the ability to mitigate risk, negotiate challenges and prevent the assignee from becoming embroiled in the distracting logistics of the move. Within the business, you may not have the capacity or the skillsets required to manage the assignment, so careful outsourcing will be required. External providers must become a part of your strong and trusted team, communicating effectively and taking accountability for various aspects of the move.
3. Understand that there is much more to a move than mere logistics
Service delivery is critical to a successful business-critical move. It is not just about moving an assignee from A to B. It is about providing a truly positive experience for the assignee, one which involves their family being happy, their work being undisrupted by logistical concerns, and their integration into the new environment being as seamless as possible.
4. Manage the pressure, make the most of the opportunity
Business-critical assignments tend to come hand-in-hand with increased pressure levels. This pressure needs to be managed to protect both wellbeing and quality of service. Though increased pressure levels can be unpleasant, with high risk comes high reward: business-critical relocations can present HR and global mobility functions with the opportunity to further demonstrate their strategic value to the business, leading to greater senior-level visibility.
5. Set realistic expectations
However experienced your team and however well you plan and prepare, unexpected issues (strikes, outbreaks of disease, medical issues within the assignee’s family etc.) can rear their ugly heads. Both the client and the assignee need to be made aware that sometimes things will happen that are out of everybody’s control. However, they should also be reassured that your team is experienced and agile enough to tackle unexpected challenges swiftly and successfully.
If you would like to discover more you can unlock the complete guide to Successful business-critical (VIP) assignments today.
Whether you wish to build a business-critical programme from scratch, or simply evolve/extend an existing programme, our experienced specialists are here to help, speak to a member of the K2 Bespoke team today.
