Dialogues, Part 1: Navigating a changing mobility landscape

Mercer observations

Global mobility has experienced significant transformation over the past few years, and the pace of change is accelerating. We’ve witnessed a diversification in the types of mobility that extend beyond traditional definitions. The rise in cross-border moves, commuter arrangements, permanent transfers, international hires and extended business trips reflects a broader understanding of mobility in today’s globalized world. This trend confirms a pattern we’ve observed over the past two decades: the emergence of new forms of mobility. While traditional long-term assignments aren’t disappearing — they remain essential for business-critical moves, especially to challenging destinations — their prevalence is declining compared to other mobility types.

One of the most notable trends is the growing maturity of international remote working practices. Temporary international remote working, also known as “workation,” is rapidly becoming an expected benefit. Two-thirds of companies now report allowing this form of temporary remote work as part of their formal policy or on an ad-hoc basis. Employees increasingly work remotely abroad for periods ranging from 10 to 90 days, with 20 to 30 days becoming the most common policy practice.

One consequence of these changes is that mobility is no longer limited to a small cohort of expatriates; it now encompasses a much broader segment of the workforce who are likely to cross borders, even for a limited period. This expansion brings with it increased compliance challenges and strains HR resources. But it’s also an opportunity for mobility teams to play a more significant role within the business.

Crown Worldwide observations

Our observations dovetail exactly with Mercer’s. For many years, we’ve witnessed the shift from traditional mobility packages to more flexible, employee-driven offerings, which accelerated during the pandemic. Post-pandemic, the world of mobility has been catapulted into a new reality, with remote work, employee-requested moves, work from anywhere and employee choice now dominating discussions with our clients.

Over the past three years, this collective loosening of the “old” ways of doing things has seemingly become a permanent shift. COVID-19 necessitated new ways of working — from home, from anywhere, hybrid arrangements or combinations of all these. As an industry, mobility has found itself at the forefront of this reinterpretation of what it means to work, develop and, more generally, live.

This amounts to what we call the “democratization” of mobility. The chance to work overseas, once seen as a prize bestowed from above by senior management, is now seen as a viable route for anyone who can advocate well and avoid compliance complications. Democracy has come to mobility — and that’s undoubtedly a great thing.

Mercer observations

A defining characteristic of the evolving mobility landscape over the past few years is the rise of employee-driven mobility. Although this concept has long existed, with many companies offering reduced benefits compared to business-driven assignments, the trend has accelerated in recent years. This shift reflects changing attitudes toward work-life balance, technological advancements that facilitate remote work and a labor market increasingly influenced by talent shortages.

Interestingly, employee willingness to relocate doesn’t always align with an employer’s ability to fill specific job roles. We see a growing disconnect between the destinations employees prefer and the locations where businesses require talent. Although economic fluctuations can temporarily shift the balance of power back to employers, demographic trends and evolving skill requirements mean employees today wield more leverage than they did 10 or 20 years ago. The proliferation of mobility arrangements, from permanent transfers to commuting and remote working, is partly due to the disconnections between employees’ expectations and business necessities.

Crown Worldwide observations

Despite the shifts away from traditional mobility packages and policies, mobility is a constant. According to a survey conducted by Strategic HR Management in 2023, 80% of Gen Z want to work overseas during their careers — something Gen Xers and boomers most likely never even considered possible. Now, there’s an expectation where once there was only a dream, and employers struggle to fulfill these expectations to attract and retain talent.

With attitudes to the relationship between employer and employee also shifting, employers need to be aware that what they can offer an employee is as vital as what an employee can offer them. Gone are the days of jobs for life, along with the mentality that one employer can (or should) offer everything an individual might need throughout an entire career path. As a sibling of talent development, mobility offers a way to keep employees engaged and excited. While many new start-ups rely on remote work or use employers of record to manage compliance risks and ensure their people can literally work from anywhere, employers with greater compliance concerns still have to ensure the risks are addressed.

Employee-requested moves now form a standard element of many companies’ policy offerings, and the rise of workations or work from anywhere is a subject our clients are keen to discuss. We anticipate this trend will continue for years to come.

Mercer observations

Mobile employee expectations are evolving, as are the approaches companies take to address them. In a recent talent trends study, we referred to this phenomenon as a “lifestyle contract.” A work setup and total rewards that include flexibility in return for broader choices, more mobility, and the promise of clear purpose and relevance are supplanting the traditional and somewhat paternalistic approach based on base pay, fixed benefits and security.

It’s tempting for organizations to push this logic too far and argue that such flexibility could be used as a cost-cutting measure. In practice, there’s more compromise between lifestyle expectations and the economic realities that affect employees and their families. While lifestyle isn’t necessarily a substitute for base pay and essential benefits, it plays a role in employees’ decisions.

The lifestyle contract shouldn’t be understood as a simplistic work arrangement. It’s also linked to long-term personal development (skill acquisition) and desired career paths. Companies need to balance these different elements effectively to attract and retain employees.

Crown Worldwide observations

Focusing on long-term development and skill acquisition is vital as the zeitgeist shifts toward “lifestyle” elements. And it’s just as vital that mobility professionals recognize the true value of mobility, especially through the “lifestyle” lens.

Our 2024 survey on What Assignees Want revealed that career development and skill acquisition were two of the top three push factors for taking an assignment. When we asked respondents what they believed they’d gained from their assignments, cultural adaptation and acquiring new skills were the top two benefits cited. We dug down further to ask what skills assignees believed they’d gained. Cultural adaptation, resilience, communication skills, flexibility confidence and enhanced management skills all appeared in the top 10.

This is overwhelming proof that mobility delivers — and can represent the difference between an employment offering that merely addresses lifestyle concerns and one that treats personal development and career longevity as integral elements.

Mercer observations

These developments raise critical questions for mobility teams. Should they expand the scope of the mobility function? Increasingly, mobility teams are being called upon to act as business consultants on various cross-border issues. They possess the necessary skills, and there’s a clear demand from businesses to manage compliance related to these emerging mobility types. The focus is moving from assignment-based mobility to managing a distributed workforce and fast-moving international employees.

Moreover, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to categorize moves neatly; mobility is more of a continuum that includes commuting, extended business trips and periods of remote work. Effective tracking and compliance require a comprehensive overview of all these mobility types, even if they fall outside traditional definitions.

However, implementing these changes is easier said than done. One of the primary challenges is that mobility teams are often expected to do more with the same resources. In our 2025 Talent Mobility Outlook survey, organizations say they’re under-resourced — 64% in terms of staff and 66% in terms of tools and technology.

Ultimately, this isn’t just a compliance issue; it raises crucial questions about how much effort and resources can be allocated to these new mobility types without compromising the effectiveness of existing programs. It’s also fueling the adoption of better processes and technologies.

Crown Worldwide observations

Our observations support Mercer’s view. One post-COVID silver lining for the mobility community was the extreme focus on employees’ locations and the imperative to enable home working, which thrust mobility teams into the spotlight. After years of struggling to get that all-important “seat at the table,” mobility became the focal point of HR discussions. This focus continues as companies attempt to address the demand for remote work and work from anywhere.

This shift has largely been positive for mobility professionals as their roles have expanded to encompass this looser, less structured world of movement. Yet some elements now coming under mobility’s remit are returning them to the role of order-taker and coordinator — a fate many thought they’d escaped. Managing business travel, for example, now frequently falls to mobility and limits the scope for strategic, considered talent mobility.

Our latest survey, conducted in September 2024, offers some encouragement. Career development emerged as the number-one driver for taking an assignment. As employees continue to demand control over where and how they work, employers that fail to keep them motivated will lose out. With no oversight or strategic thinking applied to an individual’s career path, that incredible assignment you sent them on may send them right out the door once they return. Now, more than ever, it’s imperative to keep the mobility function at the heart of talent-driven, strategic decision-making around employee mobility — whatever form it may take.