Workplace trends are changing with each passing day forcing many employers to make drastic changes on how their offices are run. For example, today, many employers have to run their enterprises on a limited budget, with a limited workforce but despite these challenges, they still have to meet the ROI goals. This has forced many employers to look for ways they can improve global mobility programs. In order to improve organizational global mobility, more and more employers are relying on technological solutions that have the ability to add value to their outfits while at the same time improving efficiency and effectiveness.

As it is, technology for global mobility has varying meanings to different organizations.

For example, to some organizations, leveraging technology may mean the use of Excel spreadsheets. However, there are other organizations that have their eyes set on more advanced technological innovations that have the ability to give them strategic advantage over the competition while at the same time improving operational efficiency.

A Guide to Understanding the Global Mobility Technology Needs for Your Organization

There are a lot of technological innovations available in the market that can support global mobility for your organization. It is however worth noting that though some of these innovations may sound great especially when being pitched to you by the developer, they may not be realistic or ideal for your organization. Before investing in any technology meant to enhance your organization’s global mobility, you have to ensure that you are investing in technology that aligns to your organization’s needs as well as growth and operational strategy.

Before starting your search for technology that can improve your organization’s global mobility, it is imperative that you have an understanding of how to initiate the most ideal global mobility strategy for your organization. The best way to do this is to carry out an entire audit of your organization and the technology you are currently using. This will help you identify which type of technology can best prop up your organization, potential risks that may arise with implementing certain technologies, and, most importantly, an audit will help you determine exactly what your organization needs. Based on the audit results, you may find that implementing new systems or using new technologies may help enhance global mobility within your organization.

When determining the type of technology to use so as to enhance your organization’s mobility, there are certain key questions that you should ask yourself. They include:

• How many of the employees in your organization work remotely?
• How will you structure deployments for employees who will be working remotely? Will most of the employees be working remotely for a short period of time, or, will you have a few employees working remotely for a long duration of time, or, are you looking to have your employees work remotely permanently?
• What is the current mobility structure in your organization? Is everyone in the organization a part of the mobility program or is it specialized? Where does the responsibility for ensuring the effectiveness of the current mobility structure lie?
• What system is currently in force at your organization? Are you looking to integrate mobility for your workforce with the existing system or are you looking to overhaul the existing model entirely?
• If a new mobility system is enacted in the organization, who will be in charge of ensuring that it is always fully functional, and further, once the new system is enacted, will the organization need to train existing employees and any potential new hires?

By answering the questions above before investing in any new technology, you can ensure that you choose a technology that will fulfill your desired mobility needs while at the same time helping advance the wider organizational goals and objectives.

How Can Your Organization Benefit from Investing in Global Mobility Technology?

As an employer, your business can benefit in several ways after investing in the right technology for global mobility. Some of the benefits you are likely to see include:

• More accuracy and efficiency in business operations – Ensuring operational efficiency in an organization that has global mobility systems in place can be strenuous. However, automation through technology can help streamline certain processes within the organization. For example, technology can be leveraged to help mobile teams with international immigration compliance and in offering relocation support services. This will free up time for the teams working remotely allowing them to provide more meaningful contributions which will end up improving organizational efficiency and efficiency
• Improved response and communication with the organization – By improving the rate of response within the organization, you can improve communication within the entire business. For example, chatbots can be used as the first line of response. If your organization is already leveraging this technology, it can easily start testing out more advanced technology like AI
• Better data insight – One of the main reasons why many organizations integrate technology in their operations is the growing appetite for data – sourcing it, storing, sharing and putting it to use. With the right technology in place, your organization will have access to quality controlled and vetted data in the real time which can enhance global mobility through the integration of different systems and cross-functional collaboration
• More control over the organizational budget – Cost control remains to be a major concern for all organizations. Today, there are technological innovations that are gaining root such as cost calculators which can help your organization be able to forecast expenses related to the activities of mobile teams including payrolls, tax and pensions
• Better engagement with employees – As it is technology is already helping enhance better communication with workers who have been posted on overseas assignments. With the right technology, employees can also be able to provide feedback in real time. With better communication, you can be able to enhance the morale of your employees while at the same time relieving some of the stresses that come with overseas postings. This will eventually lead to the retention of talented employees within the organization

What Are the Potential Drawbacks of Implementing Technology for Global Mobility?

• The integration of new technology increases may increase your organization’s vulnerability to external attacks
• Integrating new technology requires a huge initial capital outlay which some organizations may find prohibitive
• Implementation of technology will necessitate an overhaul of your organization’s management structure, policy changes, changes in how you communicate with stakeholders, and changes on how your workforce is trained
• An increased use of technology means that the employer will have to shoulder more responsibility in ensuring the privacy and protection of data as well as cybersecurity. As an employer you will also have to ensuring that you are GDPR compliant when handling the data at your disposal
• On implementing new technology, you will also have to ensure that your existing employees up-skill. For example, employees who handle things like HR will have to be technologically adept 

Final Word

As an organization strives to be more globally mobile, there are always that technology can support and even drive enhancements that can help save time and financial resources.