Do your employees feel that your organisation, and more specifically, those involved in the global mobility programme care about them?

• Are issues dealt with sensitively and with emotional intelligence?
• Do leaders react positively and in line with values when under pressure?
• Are the needs and feelings of employees recognised?

The festive season can be difficult for employees who have relocated overseas and are away from family and friends at a time where such relationships are celebrated.

Some ideas to help build empathy within your global mobility programme include:

• Connecting with your employees and making sure that they have the necessary support during this time.
• Trying to close out any live issues with employees before Christmas, if possible, to provide peace of mind over the holiday break.
• Communicate with those involved in the programme - particularly if like many offices in New Zealand your team will be taking leave over the holidays. This will help employees to understand why there may be delays in responding to queries.
• Are assignment initiations going to happen over the holiday period? If so, are business units and the assignee aware of the availability of providers and do steps need to be taken earlier in usual to assist in meeting the needs of the business? 

• Clear policies and processes assist in ensuring considered, consistent communication and resolving questions and queries efficiently. KPMG can assist in the development and documentation of a global mobility framework for your organisation.
• Feedback on the experiences of your globally mobile population is a valuable way of identifying matters where improvements can be made and helping to ensure the mobility experience is positive for employees. KPMG can assist with designing, collecting and identifying key feedback themes from your mobile population. 

Your assignment abroad - the 50 most common concerns

While designed for the employee's themselves, this may provide some insight into what key concerns they may have and help to ensure policies and communications address these clearly. 

KPMG podcast: Aligning inclusion and diversity with mobility

A 10 minute podcast highlighting the advantages of aligning inclusion and diversity with mobility as organisations and workforces transform.