5 minute read 13 Apr 2021
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Future of mobility – how to deliver on strategy?

Hugh Docherty
By Hugh Docherty

Partner, Swiss Integrated Mobility Lead | EY Switzerland

Partner in EY’s People Advisory Services Practice, serves as the Swiss Integrated Mobility Leader

5 minute read 13 Apr 2021
Related topics Workforce CHRO Insights Digital Differenteyes-magazine
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As mobility evolves from operations to strategy, the function is tactically supporting the HR agenda to enable the business. 

In brief
  • As the HR function transforms, the mobility function is also evolving as a key enabler of business
  • In the new normal, flexible ways of working attract top talent
  • The mobility function should leverage consistent data and technology to support better business and people decisions

Covid-19 is certainly one main driver of all the mobility function’s activities and changes over the last year or so. And the influence is likely to persist until at least the end of 2021, possibly beyond. What hasn’t changed is the need to deploy the best talents regardless of the current pandemic situation in order to meet the business needs, support strategy and strengthen business structures.

With this in mind, we have identified three trends – all tied to talent deployment – that are emerging as the mobility function transitions to the new normal. 

  • 1. Business trips are not a thing of the past

    First, business travel is going to bounce back. This sentiment comes from both the employee and the employer side. In the future, business travel will get smarter compared to the practices of old. That means more time to spend with clients – less time for internal meetings. New ways of working and working from anywhere are here to stay: remote work is enabling an efficiency and immediate global reach in business meetings which was not utilized to this extent before. And lastly, smarter travel will help reduce the global travel footprint, a very important aspect of sustainability.  

  • 2. It’s time to embrace a mix of working models

    Second, the shift to hybrid working models forces the business to re-evaluate operating models. Working from anywhere has become an everyday reality, but there’s no blueprint and businesses require significant organizational change to facilitate and manage this. Connectivity and team cohesion are going to be a huge topic – with the mobility function right at the heart of it. A hybrid approach forces organizations to focus on policies, processes and frameworks to quickly adapt to the business needs. Mobility has the opportunity to move from classic assignment management to complex cross-border activity advisor. Organizations who can offer and cater for cross-border remote working arrangements, will also have a competitive edge when it comes to recruiting the best talent in the market. 

  • 3. Operating models should truly reflect the business

    The third observation in the market is that organizations are exploring options for the best operating model to support their business strategy. Cost remains a key focus and organizations are keen to streamline the delivery of mobility services and talent deployment to reduce cost and optimize service. The focus should be on re-designing operating models, making increased use of offshoring and outsourced managed services, and, finally, using technology and innovation ecosystems more effectively.

Purpose and value

The mobility and HR functions are undergoing fundamental change and transformation, accelerated by the current developments. Moving to future of work is about working differently and changing people’s mindset and the way of working. 

Mobility and HR have the power to create purpose and to contribute to long-term value. For that to happen and to enable the business to transform into new ways of working, the people function needs to shift from activity-based to output-based working. With links across the people agenda, the mobility function is in a prime position to be the driver of the transformation. But how?

The mobility function needs to focus more strongly on providing solutions to the business. The question here is also how the mobility function can support the business in leading the organization through transformation and changes. Individual performance is key, and the skills required on an individual level include a problem-solving mindset and solution-focused orientation. To deliver experience at scale, the people function of the future must operate horizontally across the organization. Essential is the connectivity to talent, IT and systems, tax, finance and to anyone on the resource management and commercial side. From a data perspective, we’ve moved away from just presenting budgets and other figures to the business.   Leading people functions leverage data to spark fact-based conversations and they incorporate the figures in talent and business development decisions. The good news is that it’s absolutely possible to deliver cost savings – while expanding services and improving experience. To achieve this, companies need to prioritize spend and focus on the important skills of strategic thinking, negotiation and leadership.

Mobility as a business enabler

To be a key function for business, mobility should focus on the following main areas: 

  • Aligning employee and corporate experience
  • Robust program delivery
  • Leveraging data to make better decision 
  • Improvement of technology and innovation

Because of the pandemic, companies need to define what flexible and remote work mean for their organization. Employee experience remains a key. They should be asking questions like: do we need people in the office or in their current locations? Could our flexible work, or remote work, approach be more attractive to employees? If we can provide the required flexibility, would employees have a positive employee experience, and could they increase their performance and engagement? Overall, balancing the business needs while striving to be the employer of choice is critical in winning the battle for talent. 

From an operational perspective, this means that organizations need to align policies, processes and the service delivery model to support the strategy. These considerations are key drivers to manage a remote and mobile workforce and to create a robust program delivery model. 

Using data and analytics to deliver

A further key element to the mobility function is data and data analytics – a fascinating topic with endless opportunities. What’s also interesting is how little the mobility function is currently using potentially valuable data. The use of data analytics and leveraging data enables the mobility function to become a true business partner by providing the insights needed to make the right people and business decisions. Using data gives organizations the opportunity to measure the success of an assignment, or the return on investment (ROI), by taking into account all aspects of the assignment and mobility function: costs analysis, retention, performance, sustainability, D&I, succession planning, etc. With the right data, the business can see the overall impact on the organization and make fact-based decisions. To sum it up, data analytics in the mobility function enhances transparency, facilitates strategic decision-making process and optimizes opportunities. 

A discussion on data is not complete without considering the technology infrastructure, which remains one of the core enablers of the mobility function. The current transformation of the mobility function is underpinned by technology. What we see on the market is that different stakeholders have different needs when it comes to the use of technology. Some organizations already use sophisticated technology tools, whereas others are still struggling to find the tools and solutions that meet their specific needs.

Within mobility, the key priority is to attract and re-gain global talents and to safeguard competitiveness on the global market. What all technology users in the mobility function have in common, then, is that they require the foundation of the technology, i.e., the data components gathered in the “data container”, to properly execute the responsibilities and to minimize compliance risks. The right technology enables mobility professionals to consolidate data, meaning they can re-use consistent data and information from the same platforms. Ultimately, this leads to increased efficiency and cost saving. 

Summary

It’s safe to say that the mobility function is on the forefront of strategy discussions, especially given the role of mobility in driving and enabling a work-anywhere approach for business. Now is the time to align mobility to talent, optimize and flex the operating model by utilizing people capabilities and leverage data and technology. This will help the mobility function to step up to a strategic partnership with the business and tactically deliver on the HR agenda. 

About this article

Hugh Docherty
By Hugh Docherty

Partner, Swiss Integrated Mobility Lead | EY Switzerland

Partner in EY’s People Advisory Services Practice, serves as the Swiss Integrated Mobility Leader

Related topics Workforce CHRO Insights Digital Differenteyes-magazine
Upvote