Acumen International stands with Ukraine and the country's people. Join us

Workforce Mobility – the world of opportunities

More and more companies are seeing the value in expanding their business internationally, whether they are planning to enter new markets, expand their market share, or diversify their customer base. In order to do this, companies need to be able to recruit international talent and to relocate some of the team members to foreign countries. By doing this, companies can get a strong foothold in the new markets or tap into unique skills, regardless of where they are based. For this reason, the notion of workforce mobility is becoming more and more important.

Workforce Mobility Trends

First, let’s talk about some of the key trends that are driving global mobility across the board. One thing that’s making the prospect more attractive is the idea of developing the employee experience. For example, say you are a company planning for some major international expansion soon and have an employee quickly rising onto a management track. It would just make proper sense in this situation to try and invest in business travel for them to create a more well-rounded prospect.

Many companies are dealing with a skilled talent shortage, especially in certain markets and niches. Hiring on skills versus geography is a great way to get around this, but you also need to have the means to deploy international talent when it is needed.

Finally, having an international workforce inherently benefits your international expansion. From globalizing your methods to helping develop your networking, being able to lean on the expertise of your international workers is great for helping you make headway in an environment, where the customer base and business norms may be different.

Elements Of Global Talent Mobility

So, if you find that corporate mobility is for you, what are some of the ways that you can go about doing it? There are three main methods up for discussion, and sometimes, a combination of these is the best option.

Foreign employment: Sometimes, you want to work from the outside in and augment your in-house team with a pool of contingent workers in the target country you’re looking to do business in. Just make sure you onboard them in full compliance with employment legislation of the host country.

International assignment or secondment: Another option here is taking employees from within your company and assigning them elsewhere for a limited period of time Such employees are seconded employees. They continue to contribute to the home country for social security while working for the employer company overseas.

Expats sent overseas – By using your existing team and deploying them as expat workers, you can have the exact talent you want leading your new branch or company overseas. Just note that this can take a long time and a lot of expenses to manage.

International expansion to new markets: In some cases, you may want to take a more formal approach, like setting up a new branch, to get into a new market. This allows you to build the organizational structure to get a proper presence.

Best Practices For Corporate Transfer and Relocation

So, with all these elements kept in mind, what are some of the best practices that companies can put in place for managing their corporate relocation?

First of all, it’s essential to have contingency plans on top of contingency plans when it comes to addressing common relocation concerns. Here are a few of the common examples that tend to arise.

  • Immigration complexity: Every country has its own unique immigration regulations, and oftentimes, they can be in flux. As a result, you need to make sure you are fully aware of the laws on the books, but also how future laws may be trending to build your team.
  • Uncertainty: As mentioned before, especially in recent years, immigration and immigration policy have been a hot-button issue in many countries. You want to make sure your business is ready to adapt accordingly.
  • Visa delays: Many companies building international teams will want to have a few members of their core teams sent over in order to both teach others and ensure a universal standard. Visa delays can end up negatively impacting the timeline if not accounted for.
  • Demographic challenges: In some cases, it may be difficult to find prospects in the right demographics that you want for a certain position in a certain country.

Immigration compliance hangs over all of these points as a greater issue. Failing to comply with a country’s immigration regulations not only means potential sanctions and risk of visa rejection but a severe hindrance of you doing business in a given country in the future.

Finally, it’s essential for companies serious about workforce mobility solutions to have a partner in place to help facilitate the process. As our other examples show, there are a lot of bureaucratic and logistical roadblocks to relocating your top talent across international settings. Looking into countries that help with relocation is a good way to ensure you’re staying in compliance and minimizing the risks of some of the most common concerns.

If you’re looking for a global mobility consultant to further your goals, using a work permits for expats program, like what Acumen International offers, is the perfect match. Our global mobility consultants can provide work permit and immigration support for over 190 countries. Be able to smoothly move around talent to further your international expansion with our support.

More blogs are listed below
Blog
03.05.2019
Think Employers-Workers’ Sync: Company Perks of the Future
See More
Blog
#Business expansion #Hire Globally
26.12.2019
Navigating Risks In Cross-Border Employment
See More
Blog
#Business strategy #Compliant hiring
01.06.2020
Providing Local Support to Foreign Clients During Territorial Restrictions: a Manual on how to Keep Going
See More
Need More Information?
Ask Us a Question