Comparing to Europe, North America and Oceania, many things are different in Africa. So is Global Mobility. Changing that perspective is what this article is all about.
The ability of sending talent around the world for business-critical purposes, is essential for any international business no matter there the headquarter is located. The key to success is neither a generous salary package nor the destination itself. Success with Global Mobility is closely tied together with structure, predictive-ness, collaboration between stakeholders and access to the right support & information when the assignees (and partners) need it.
For many companies in Africa, Global Mobility is a fairly new discipline, but following our 5-step guide below will bring you significantly closer to your goal and we guarantee it will raise the employee satisfaction tremendously!
1. Recognise the need
Everything starts with understanding your company needs. Spend a little time on considering where you are now and what has been done so far. Allow yourself as a company to admit mistakes and listen to your employees as well as your supporting staff to pick up their experiences with the process (or lack of process) and which challenges they have met trying to support international assignments whether long or short term. Where are your delays? How is your money spent? What’s the quality of the services you buy? What is your compliance level? Can you stand an external audit for an ISO certification? We are here to listen, take notes and help you getting an overview of where you are on the Global Mobility Maturity Barometer right now.
2. Understand the game
Global Mobility is not a singular service. It is a myriad of disciplines ranging from compliance topics such as immigration, employment law, tax and insurance to strategic support such a relocation, in-country destination services and trainings within culture, language & security to minimize the time to productivity and maximize the employee experience. Once you know where you stand right now, it is time to fill the gaps of knowledge and understand the game of Global Mobility.
We will provide you with an overview of Global Mobility topics to take into consideration and at the same time train and guide you through the individual topics, so you know what it is all about and can start navigating in the Global Mobility industry.
3. Build your vision
What you want to achieve should always be closely connected to you overall business strategy. Global Mobility should never have it’s own strategy. It depends on how you want to grow the business; which markets your company wants to succeed in; where you have a lack of talent/management/technical skills now and in the future; where you strategically want to be present and not the least: where your talent is available. Once your company vision is clear and you know what Global Mobility is all about, you can start building your Global Mobility strategy.
We only have one promise: we will challenge you in this process! Together we will explore how you can move from no-practice to best-practice and find the blind spots (we all have them) in your company.
Design your framework
When you have your vision in place, it is time to make processes tangible and design your policy hand in hand with your delivery process. This is where you tie it all together. You make a plan. You decide, what you want to do, how much you want to pay and who you want to do it for you.
Having a framework is guarantee for no-trouble down the road, but it covers your back and enables you to focus on the singular problem when they occur, because you’ve got the rest organized and people around you know what to do and what they are expected to deliver.
At this stage, we work as Siamese twins with you. We draft your policies and processes based on your current level og maturity and your vision for the future. We make a plan for you to achieve your goals and we stand by your side providing advice and guidance when selecting your future suppliers worldwide.
4. Taking it forward
Nothing is perfect and Global Mobility is a moving target, where you constantly need to fine tune and keep yourself updated on news. Our best advice is to join on-line groups, participate in webinars and seminars and stay close to your provider. Ask questions, read newsletters and request annual reviews of the collaboration with all your suppliers, partners and – not the least – assignees and their accompanying partners.
How do we support? Relocation Africa is offering Global Mobility Advisory services in order to provide you with efficient support to work through the above 5 steps within a 3-6 months timeframe. Engaging with us, you will have a combined Global Mobility expertise, coaching, mentor and sparring partner in the project and once you are ready to take it forward, we will step out of the process and just be on stand-by if you need us. Contact us on info@relocationafrica.com.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
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