Partner
Vialto Partners
International Mobility Centre, APAC
Schneider Electric
Addressing the needs of stakeholders across the mobility life cycle
The tectonic impact of COVID has transformed the mobility landscape. Short-term international remote work, virtual assignments and other varieties of agile working are now the norm rather than an exception. The shift is intensified by the rising expectations of a workforce that is evolving at a rapid pace. For example, by next year millennials will represent 75% of employees, with 78% of them forming part of a two-career couple. In response to this challenge, employers are stepping up. A recent survey by Vialto Partners on Mobility Agility reveals that 95% of participants consider the experience of their employees to be the primary focus of their mobility programs. Gaining insights into the stakeholder experience within the organization is a crucial first step.
In a panel discussion during APAC Mobility Week 2024, Selina Keller, Vialto’s Workforce Transformation and Mobility Managed Services Leader for APAC, sat down with Stephen Park, Schneider Electric’s International Mobility Centre leader for APAC, to explore their organization’s mobility experience journey.
SELINA:
How is the stakeholder experience prioritized within Schneider Electric’s mobility program? What actions have you taken to cultivate a favorable experience?
STEPHEN:
When I joined Schneider six years ago, I moved to Hong Kong because that’s where a lot of our C-suite stakeholders were based to be closer to our customers. And it was exciting to walk into something where the mobility policy refresh journey had just started.
One of the four pillars was talent eligibility, this was to look at aligning our mobility program to our talent strategy. An example relates to equity issues associated with undefined and diverse local practices whereas now we have implemented our global permanent international transfer policy and imbedded talent eligibility for such mobility. We really looked at the governance piece of talent eligibility, to make sure we are selecting the right talent to go to the right locations. When we do see discrepancies to talent eligibility we may question such requests. Furthermore, we are committed to being the most local of global companies and our approach is that our employees are provided rewards (1) adapted to the purpose of the assignment to fully integrate and remain local or (2) to be in the host country on temporary assignment on their home country compensation model to achieve a specific business result in the host country.
The second pillar was accessibility. Stakeholder feedback suggested the existing mobility policy was rigid, so we decided to embed flexibility, which kind of set us up for the future. This flexibility enables our mobility approach to be Care-Flex. This is important to enhancing diversity, as business can flex upwards to provide more support for items such as relocating partner support, language training and additional support for accompanying dependents.
The third pillar was managing cost responsibly. Mobility was perceived as expensive, so we decided to embed business justification into our policy and started preparing cost estimates in a globally consistent way. This dovetailed governance with talent eligibility, so we could say here’s the cost, ask whether it is justified and documented, and assess the business justification. And the fourth pillar was compliance.
I walked into this change, which included implementing technology with Polaris. It was a big change management project, and the immediate feedback from stakeholders was that it required investment in education. But COVID was an eye-opening experience, this technology enabled us to pull accurate reports at the touch of a button and start talking meaningfully about what is happening and what’s really business critical. We were able to make quite a difference, and that’s where the conversations really started changing. In 2019 the assignee experience rate in Asia was 67% positive. Whereas the last six months, we’ve been experiencing a 93% satisfaction rate from 58% response rate.
SELINA:
How do you manage flexibility within your mobility policies? Is it something that sits with the business, or do employees have some flexibility as well?
STEPHEN:
It really comes down to relationships. Each business line has a HR Senior Vice President that reports into an Executive Committee member. They deal with the most senior people in the organization, so we wanted them to really understand what the mobility program means for that business unit.
We also wanted to get some visibility into their priorities for the top mobile talent in each business unit, then work our way down and mobilize the rest of the mobility function around those key priorities.
Schneider Electric is a diverse organization, with certain business units being cost sensitive. Then you may have more employee experience led functions, which are trying to really motivate their employees to deploy as quickly as possible and deliver immediate business returns. So, it’s a spectrum.
Going back to the original policy design, we wanted it to be flexible. For example, we require all our mobility policies to be relevant for all combinations of home and host locations, for all our business units with various corporate personas, and complex personal situations as well. The ecosystem of mobility is quite diverse, let’s put it that way.
SELINA:
A question that often comes up is how do you strike the balance between cost and employee experience?
STEPHEN:
This conversation is changing. Especially when a globally mobile talent is needed to
accept a position that might have been vacant for a while and critical short-term objectives are to be delivered. Or when a senior executive is trying to get on their feet, integrate and perform immediately. In those situations, we find that investing in enhanced relocation support may be less of an issue. But it all depends on timing and the circumstances.
Obviously, if someone is moving for personal reasons and there is less of a business
driver, then of course cost comes into play. But we need flexibility there as well.
My view is it really comes down to consistency. Sometimes you might not need a certain element, but it is good to make sure it is available within policy. I would rather have the flexibility around an employee who does not need something, versus the business taking relocation support away.
SELINA:
What employee or business stakeholder challenges are you currently facing, and how will this change?
STEPHEN:
During COVID, having the data available was powerful for us, especially around safety and security. Now, the conversation is moving on towards data analytics, and having more insights to share with the business leaders.
At the moment the biggest challenge is predicting what the future will look like. I mean, it is possible that what we have today may not be appropriate in five years. For example, who knew that hybrid working and remote working would now be such key topics that mobility engages in? You need to have a platform which, first of all, is meeting your current requirements, but is also agile enough to manage your future needs as well.
SELINA:
Is there one factor in the employee experience that gives an organisation the edge?
STEPHEN:
I would say the important factor is to ensure there is enough care and empathy in a program. But, if your mobility program already has that built in, then the next step would be to think about how an assignment could fit into someone’s career path and give them the opportunity.
Contact us
For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or the expert below:
Selina Keller, Partner and APAC Workforce Transformation Leader
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