The future of Global Work and Mobility

Entering theage of agile

workforce

source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/191bd7b2-dfe8-11ea-9a3a-c45f6db42dc9?share-Token=d5d99bd5e1593d8f6df4114216c57358

There’s no question that lockdown has done away with presenteeism. It has shown many business leaders that their people can be productive, engaged and happy working from home.

Kevin EllisPwC Chairman

We entered the new decade with organisations searching for answers in an increasingly complex working world. Automation, offshoring, the different needs and wants of younger and older workers – knowing where and how to start planning for the future was in itself a challenge.

It has taken the COVID-19 pandemic that has swept the globe to be the catalyst for accelerated workforce change. Overnight planes were grounded, offices were shuttered and workers locked in their homes. As we emerge from wave one lockdown, it is clear we are not going back to the working world pre COVID-19. But the accelerated shift to remote working is a window of opportunity to rethink how work is done, how workers can become happier and healthier, and how organisations can become more diverse and therefore stronger. It also creates a one off opportunity for the global mobility function, and professional, to speed climb up the value chain of the organisation.

From a recent survey conducted by PwC, 31% of the respondents foresee a decrease in international moves, and 27% of respondents feel that the pandemic will have a fundamental impact on how we view workforce mobility and the need for international moves. On the face of it, worrying times for the mobility professional in difficult economic times.

This will have a fundamental

impact on how we view

workforce mobility and the need for international

moves

We’re likely to see a decrease in international

moves

We’ll return to BAU as soon as

possible with the same number of

moves

Don’t know We’re likely to see an

increase in international

moves

Other

31%27%

24%

10%

4% 3%

What impact do you think the outbreak will have on mobility at your company in the future?

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This content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional advisors.

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But the pandemic has shown us how important organisational agility is. Many organisations had to quickly pivot their workforces to other areas – from Formula One teams making ventilators, to payroll professionals delivering the Furlough scheme – moving quickly and decisively to refocus the global talent pool allowed the best organisations to thrive and make a difference in those difficult months.

Now, this new found global workforce agility will be maintained by those leading organisations as they seek to thrive in a rapidly changing global economy. Global mobility is uniquely placed to help an organisation be successful in this new working world. We believe the new mission for global mobility is ‘enabling a globally agile workforce’, and it is a mission we can complete successfully.

True global workforce agility will bring increased productivity, greater organisational diversity, attract talent into more interesting career paths and truly enable an organisation to evolve and adapt quickly.

Of course, the agile use of talent to quickly match skills and capacity with, bluntly, work that needs to be done, is not a new nirvana being sought. Enterprise wide HR systems deploy talent matching systems in internal skills ecosystems, usually populated by workers themselves. However, the decision to send people to the work required, traditional movement of people via mobility, or work to the people is rarely underpinned by much more than instinct, and HR and the enterprise wide systems that HR rely on lack the sophistication to support decision making with risk, cost and other important organisation wide strategic priorities. Currently, these systems lack the ability to support decision making as they generally cannot answer a number of fundamental questions, such as:

Global mobility functions and professionals are the key to provide answers to all of the above. It is the function that can provide the insight to drive better decision making on how work is done (and therefore better commercial, talent and strategic priority outcomes), the deep knowledge of how to enable the movement of work and/or the movement of people across a border and to enable the globally agile organisation.

In short, at a time where COVID-19 has literally locked us within our homes and locked us out at the border, mobility has become much more important than ever. The opportunity has come to play a central role in the future of every multi national organisation – it is one we can and should take.

What are the risks and exposures for the organisation, i.e. the legal, tax, immigration, social security implications of this decision. How can they be overcome and managed?

4

What are the wellbeing implications of this decision? Will the employee and their family/dependents be happier and healthier as a result of this decision?

5

Does this decision fit with the inclusion and diversity goals of the organisation?3

What is the environmental impact of the decision? Does this decision fit with the climate change goals of the organisation?2

What does this decision cost?1

If you are interested in having a discussion about any of the themes within this piece, please contact your PwC Global Mobility Services team or one of the following professionals:

iain.a.mccluskey@pwc.com, clare.d.hughes@pwc.com, ingrid.m.bussell@pwc.com, jil.solanki@pwc.com

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