When it comes to mobility, where would you rank partner satisfaction in terms of importance? If the employee has a partner / spouse, surely it’s central to the success of an assignment…
Varied outlook
“The term ‘employee experience’ has been in the Mobility lexicon for quite some time, but the definition of what it means to deliver a ‘good experience’ is quite varied depending on who you ask.” This statement (undoubtedly true) appears in Airinc’s latest Mobility Outlook, which surveys mobility experts from multinationals on an annual basis. So how did their varied answers add up when asked: “What is your definition of a good employee experience?”
Top Three
The ‘top three’ ranked answers were: 1) Right Package (i.e. the right package type and policy approach are selected, and the employee is not having to negotiate to get what they need); 2) ‘Clear Communications’ (i.e. the employee is kept in the loop on all relocation steps and the process is timely); 3) Career Plan (i.e. the employee understands their goals for a successful assignment / transfer and how the opportunity fits in with their career plan).
Seventh heaven
Following in importance were: 4) Excellent Vendor Service; 5) Single Point of Contact; and 6) Proper Preparation (including cultural training for the employee and dependents). Placed in seventh was ‘Family-Friendly’ (i.e. there is support for the spouse / partner and the children). As the providers of partner support, we were relieved to see that our offerings at least made it into the top 7 – phew! Although it begs the question (at least for us): does having a ‘single point of contact’ really trump ‘support for the spouse / partner and children’?
Flying the flag
Of course, not every employee relocates with a partner / family, and we do not doubt that all of the other top-ranked factors (right package, clear communications, etc) are important to nail down when seeking to recruit top talent. However, our work continually reminds us that if the employee does have a partner / spouse, who fails to adjust after relocating (or an unhappy child), then the perfect package and all the rest is in jeopardy. But perhaps that’s why we’re here! To fly the flag for the ‘the expat partner experience’.
