This growing need for globalisation has an impact on global mobility of staff. Moreover mobility is crucial in order to meet strategic business goals and attracting and retaining the best talent. A survey performed by PwC1 in 2014 reports an anticipated 50% increase in mobile employees by 2020. One conclusion from this survey is that there is a marked shift away from the traditional use of mobility as a means of deploying for tactical business needs towards using mobility as a way to attract and develop top talent and create a more global mind-set in the company.
The world is changing. Many people no longer work in their home country. Organisations around the globe are expanding and sending their people to work in emerging markets and high-risk locations. An organisation seeking to optimise its development and growth must look beyond borders these days and consider the global dimension of doing business.
Travel to and residing in other countries is not without risk. Natural disasters, epidemics (Zika, Ebola, SARS, Plague), traffic accidents, a sudden health problem and even a commonplace incident suddenly get another dimension when they occur outside the home country. Therefore it is a challenge for most international organisations to focus both on their business and on the wellbeing of their mobile workforce.