New talent mobility: Enabling the business and fueling the growth
Talent mobility allows organizations to meet change with efficiency and agility. From remote work to restructuring, employers in the last few years have been reassigning talent and jobs in ways that go beyond traditional relocation. Mobility teams have also evolved, ensuring compliance and cost savings while mapping mobility programs to business and people strategies.
While this all sounds good in theory, here’s a reality check: Just 30% of global mobility professionals say their mobility programs are aligned with talent management, which is crucial for a productive and agile workforce. So how might the other 70% advance?
Insights from the Talent Mobility Conference
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Workforce agilityMore employees are keeping their current roles — leaving less room for new hires, promotions and lateral shifts. Talent mobility keeps today’s workers efficient and agile by connecting them to opportunities across the firm.
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Talent and skills supplyGlobal trade, changing demographics and the rise of AI are upending supply and demand for certain workers and capabilities. Talent mobility makes in-demand people and skills more accessible, even in labor markets where they are in short supply.
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Work flexibilityMany companies still offer hybrid or remote work, while some are going back to the office full-time. Talent mobility helps navigate the unique challenges that each side faces, from building teams across boundaries to bringing thousands of people closer together.
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Rewards optimizationMoving employees (or jobs) often entails a shift in compensation and benefits. Mobility teams can help fine-tune the mix of rewards based on local market conditions, personal preferences and business priorities to maximize return on investment (ROI).
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Employee experienceTalent mobility also tackles the cultural tensions, family dynamics, technology needs and personal challenges that arise when workers or jobs relocate. Providing the right support during a transition can minimize downtime and bring out the best in employees.
Want to optimize your organizational structure for mobility? Consider the approach used by a multinational company. The company first offered remote international work through a hub model several years ago, and soon many employees were sitting in one location while working for another.
To help ensure compliance while meeting the needs of the business, the company created “hubs” in key locations through which different business units can access talent from anywhere. The firm uses a mix of risk assessments, clear governance, enterprise technology, service level agreements and cost recharges to keep the model running effectively.
Mobility at the company continues adapting, both in response to disruption and in anticipation of future needs. While the number of hubs decreased significantly, the program has quadrupled in growth and supports a four-digit number of mobility cases across hundreds of home country / assignment location combinations
Henkel’s mobility function has evolved, too, from assignment-based administration to broad strategic partnership. A single center of excellence steers everything — strategy, governance, policies and execution — from Henkel HQ in Germany, with added support from an international HR shared service center and external providers.
How does the team build influence with colleagues? Talent mobility has been uniquely positioned to solve a number of challenges, from the impact of COVID-19 to more recent shifts in global trade. By connecting with stakeholders, aligning to business outcomes and chasing progress over perfection, the mobility team has developed a trusted voice in deciding how people and jobs are assigned.
I always tell my team, ‘Action over perfection.’ Because moving forward beats getting stuck in beautiful perfection.
Head of Global Mobility, Henkel
2026 Talent Mobility Conference
23-24 April | Hungary, Budapest
Join us for two days of camaraderie with the best and brightest in your field — register now for Mercer’s 2026 Talent Mobility Conference.
Moving mobility forward
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Lead with purpose, not process
Mobility has always involved assignments, compliance and transactional tasks, but it shines when explicitly tied to talent strategy. Consider requiring a documented business purpose for every move (physical and virtual), and track how these reasons align with broader organizational goals. -
Co-create with the business
Partner with stakeholders from across the organization — especially HR, IT and corporate tax — to drive trust and strategic alignment. Listen to colleagues’ needs and perspectives, speak their language when discussing mobility, and keep them apprised of your progress and contributions. -
Narrow and deepen the scope
Faced with high costs and complexity, leading organizations routinely assess whether their global footprint and mobility programs can be streamlined. Ask yourself: If a few locations and policies support most of the mobility cases, are the other locations and policies still fit for purpose? -
Chase progress over perfection
Full-scale mobility programs and policies can take months to achieve compliance and buy-in — yet most teams can’t wait that long to deliver results. Establish clear governance, regional pilots and less-formal guidelines or “mini policies” for accelerated approval and impact.
Global Mobility Practice Lead, Germany