Extraordinary Assignments – EMEA Session

Open to HR and Global Mobility professionals in the EMEA region, this virtual roundtable was the second in a series on this topic. 

Daniel Natoli, Managing Director of K2 Bespoke, led the group discussion, during which participants heard from a panel of industry experts, who shared their experiences of managing their organisation’s most business critical and high-level relocations.

Below is an overview of the key talking points raised and insights provided by our panellists and other participants

How do you differentiate or segregate certain populations? And what makes a population extraordinary? 

The definition of ‘extraordinary’, and the factors that can lead to a certain population being handled differently in terms of selection, reward and actual relocation process varies hugely from business to business.

Whilst seniority is one of the main drivers for giving extra time and attention to a particular population’s moves, it is not the only consideration factor. The relocating employee’s role might not be at an executive level, but it may be business critical, for example, in the case of establishing a presence in a new location. Their role may be vital in the context of the broader talent agenda, or perhaps they have a particularly complex family scenario. All these situations require extra focus.

As you would expect, an extraordinary assignment requires an extraordinary level of attention to detail, and this can present something of a challenge for time-poor mobility teams, especially in instances of restructures, where multiple C-suite moves might be being carried out at the same time.

The most senior Executives, understandably, often come with high expectations and a unique set of needs, and so their relocation requires a high-touch approach. They need their moves to be delivered within clearly defined timelines and without impacting their ability to continue fulfilling the commitments of their role.

What extra considerations need to be made when it comes to planning and risk management for these types of move? 

It is incredibly important that internal stakeholders from across the business engage Global Mobility as soon as there is an intention to relocate someone. There are always going to be challenges that arise, and things that are outside of your control, but if the GM Team are involved in the planning discussions as early as possible, they can flag any potential roadblocks.

Getting ahead of the curve and linking in with vendors early can also give GM an advantage, helping to progress the various activities within the required timelines, particularly with regard to areas like immigration where there can be long lead times. This can help to avoid scenarios where an organisation builds plans for critical moves that have unrealistic timelines, unexpected cost or indeed personal circumstances that become barriers to success.

The role of GM is to act as the trusted advisor to the business, to help them look beyond the physical relocation and understand the tax implications, immigration requirements and compliance risks. Partnering with business units and reward functions to create a central forum can enable open dialogue and offer a platform through which to manage stakeholder expectations from the outset.

GM teams have to balance a duty of care not just to the business, but to the employees and their families. There is so much more to successful mobility than moving someone’s belongings and finding them a home, especially when children, extended family and pets are involved. Typically, the more senior the role, the more complex the move, and the more there is to consider outside of the physical relocation. 

Are there any different policy considerations when it comes to top tier moves? 

Whilst there is a desire for consistency across the board, it’s natural that allowances tend to scale up as you go up the seniority ladder. Managing exceptions for the senior population can be a bit of a balancing act however, you must consider why is it required, what is the cost implication, and what are the implications of it not being delivered? You also have to bear in mind that where you flex for one, you must be prepared to flex for others- there are “no secrets” between Expat populations.

There’s also a need to be sensitive to the wider population, particularly if something has been provided which feels disproportionate in relation to what others would receive. What would the response be from shareholders? Is what is being granted realistic and appropriate for a senior person doing their role?

Again, the sector or type of organisation can have an impact on the way exceptions are managed. In some cases, where there is greater governance in place, exceptions may need to go through a committee. This can create pressure in terms of getting exceptions approved in a timely manner.

There is greater visibility of what exceptions are being made at the very top level so it’s important to ensure that you have your governance clear and transparent, but the reality is that you need to be prepared to be challenged when a personal need arises!

What other challenges can GM teams and Partners come up against when dealing with extraordinary assignments? 

These types of moves require additional time and need to be treated as their own projects, with accompanying project plans to keep everything on track. Those in the most senior roles are often very time poor and may not be the most responsive throughout the relocation process. It can be an important course of action to identify the right person to help keep things moving forward, whether that is a family member or a PA, to avoid any delays or missed compliance steps.

We see a need for confidentiality more frequently with senior relocations and may sometimes require vendor partners to manage a move having only been given very basic or restricted information, and then to safeguard this whilst delivering its services. This is where having strong partner relationships is imperative.

Often GM can face extra pressure and scrutiny when managing VIP moves. If issues arise at this level, there is significant reputational risk for the GM team and its partners. On the other side of the coin, if a senior move goes well, this can be a significant bridge into the business and help to build trust and respect internally, reinforcing the GM team’s position as the experts in their field.

What are some things that help with the successful delivery of a VIP move? 

It can be useful to view reward and mobility as siblings. It’s vitally important that the expertise of both is recognised and that they work in tandem, alongside specialist vendor partners, to deliver a seamless relocation.

Building strong relationships with vendors helps them to understand the way your business works, your relocation processes, and expectations, particularly when it comes to those extraordinary assignments. By having these types of partnerships there is a trust and openness that allows you to feel confident in the service that they are delivering for assignees.

Each individual has a different style of communication and preference for how they want to work – some don’t want to hear anything until the final decision; others want to be involved at every step. It is important to ask at the start of the process what an assignee’s preferred method and frequency of communication is.

Be proactive and be prepared to be flexible!

What factors can influence companies to make the decision to split their programme population and employ a different approach for extraordinary assignments? 

The higher profile the move, the higher the level of risk associated with it going wrong. It is in these instances where mobility teams need to consider whether need a greater level of support to be able to offer a high-touch service that both meets expectations and minimises risk through enhanced attention to detail.

Employing a specialist service in these scenarios can give mobility teams peace of mind that the quality-of-service delivery will be as required, without them needing to shift their own focus from strategy and the wider goals of the programme to operational delivery.

The consensus from our panel was that having a tailor-made solution that they could tap in to for extraordinary assignments was invaluable. 

K2 Bespoke

K2 Bespoke offers a tailor-made solution to global clients, whether they require support with one-off moves for very senior people, or assistance with managing moves for an entire tier of employees.

The K2 Bespoke team pride themselves on their specialist knowledge and ability to offer stress-free, distraction-free moves, through detailed planning and precise execution. By uniquely, and intentionally, only ever taking on small caseloads of around 10-15 moves at a time, they are able to dedicate extra time and attention to project managing every move.

We understand that it is vital that your executives or business-critical employees can settle and focus on their new role swiftly and successfully. We offer a premium, tailor-made relocation service, providing the extraordinary attention to detail that is required for those extraordinary assignments.