GWS 2020 Preview: Business and Talent Management Strategies

Embracing new challenges that will come from the next normal will require even more innovation and strategic thinking, but mobility has never been more ready.

Businesses around the world and the mobility professionals that support them have had to grapple with unprecedented challenges this year. Throughout 2020, mobility has demonstrated its strategic importance across all sectors, and will likely continue to do so into 2021. Embracing new challenges that will come from the next normal will require even more innovation and strategic thinking, but mobility has never been more ready.

While many assignments were likely put on hold this year due to the pandemic, relocation has remained a viable option for many workers. In the U.S. alone, research revealed that 35% of American workers are considering relocation to a new town or city because of COVID-19. Of the 600 U.S. adults with remote jobs who responded to the online survey, 40% considered a move to a less populated area, followed by 36% who were considering relocation because there are more opportunities to work remotely than before the pandemic.

Indeed, remote work has taken center stage this year as the pandemic upended traditional ways of working that often included the in-person office working environment. Global research showed that employees required the flexibility to adapt to these unprecedented times to remain safe, while business leaders, executives and managers have had to shift their priorities to focus on productivity, agility, and resiliency while also remaining safe. More than ever, leaders had to learn how to be effective virtual managers and talent managers had to keep hiring running virtually, all while facilitating digital transformation.

Now, global executives are looking to the future to determine what the next normal will look like. While the overall outlook on a quick recovery of the global economy sits at 32%, 3 in 5 executives expect their home economy to quickly rebound. These days, an unprecedented amount of change can be daunting, but executives are up for the challenge, with 61% committed to applying lessons learned and new business practices formed during the pandemic to the next normal.

As the world of work continues to adapt to change, mobility’s strategic importance will continue to grow. Whether tackling issues around tax and immigration laws around the world as they relate to COVID-19, crisis planning, ensuring compliance with country, state and local orders and guidelines, or collaborating with relocation management companies and movers to ensure a safe move and anticipate costs – mobility will be there to balance business and employee needs.

Want to Learn More?

This year, Worldwide ERC® is connecting the mobility industry virtually through our first-ever virtual, month-long Global Work Symposium. 2020 has been quite a year, and there’s much to learn about across all sectors of the industry. We’ve built out new content tracks that are directly relevant to all of these sectors, including business management, talent management, and strategy.

At the Global Workforce Symposium, we’ll discuss pressing management and strategy topics, such as key strategies to keep mobility relevant. Learn how the industry has had to pivot to address varying assignment types and meet the demand for increased flexibility and the mandate from the C-Suite to reduce costs. There will be conversations on how organizations have handled change and have applied concepts to challenges facing mobility and HR professionals, discussions on how to demonstrate the strategic value of your mobility program to get buy-in from your most important stakeholders, and how mobility supports the new nature of work from the recruiting, talent, reward and global experience perspectives.

By retaining all the key elements of our in-person event, GWS will continue to foster connection and learning across the globe for all sectors of the industry. There’s something for everyone at mobility’s biggest annual gathering, and we encourage you to check out our schedule of events and speakers to get a glimpse of what this year’s GWS has to offer.

So if you haven’t already: register now! It’s not too late to sign up to experience this new format with all the elements you’ve come to expect from the Global Workforce Symposium. Join us at the first-ever virtual, month-long Global Workforce Symposium from 28 October to 20 November 2020.