What are global mobility services? A guide for employers

What does global mobility mean?

Global mobility is the movement of employees from one location to another for work. Most moves cross a border. Some stay inside one country, such as a transfer from Chicago to Dallas.

The person who moves is usually called the assignee. The home country is where they work today. The host country is where they are going.

A global mobility programme is the set of rules, budgets and suppliers an employer uses to manage these moves. Global mobility services are the practical work inside that programme.

What do global mobility services include?

Most providers group the work into six or seven areas.

Relocation. This is the physical move. It covers shipping household goods, finding a home, choosing schools, pet transport, orientation in the new city and support for the family. It also covers the return home at the end of an assignment, often called repatriation.

Immigration. This is the legal right to enter, live and work in the host country. It covers work permits and visas, residence permits, family visas, document checks and consular appointments. Delays here stop everything else, so immigration usually starts first.

Tax and payroll. An assignee may owe tax in two countries at once. Tax equalisation is a policy where the employer keeps the employee's tax bill the same as it would have been at home. Shadow payroll is a second payroll run in the host country so local tax is calculated and reported.

Assignment management. This is the day-to-day running of each move. It covers approvals, cost estimates, letters of assignment, allowances, extensions and end dates. The goal is that every move follows the employer's policy.

Policy and advisory. This is the design work behind the programme. It covers mobility policy, cost control, governance, compliance frameworks and the reporting leaders use to judge whether moves are worth the money.

Communication. Employees need to know what they are entitled to and what happens next. Clear guides, briefings and leadership messages reduce anxiety and cut the number of questions sent to HR.

Technology. Portals, dashboards and workflow tools hold the data for each move in one place. They show where each assignee is, what has been spent and which deadlines are close.

Who usually owns each service in-house?

No two employers split the work the same way. The table shows a common pattern at large organisations.

• Relocation. What it covers: Household goods, housing, schools, settling in, repatriation. Who usually owns it in-house: Global mobility team, with procurement for supplier contracts.
• Immigration. What it covers: Work permits, visas, residence, sponsor duties. Who usually owns it in-house: Global mobility or HR, with legal for compliance sign-off.
• Tax and payroll. What it covers: Tax returns, tax equalisation, shadow payroll, social security. Who usually owns it in-house: Reward or payroll, with the tax department.
• Assignment management. What it covers: Approvals, cost estimates, allowances, extensions. Who usually owns it in-house: Global mobility team.
• Policy and advisory. What it covers: Mobility policy, governance, reporting, cost review. Who usually owns it in-house: Head of global mobility or HR director.
• Communication. What it covers: Employee guides, briefings, leadership messages. Who usually owns it in-house: HR communications or internal communications.
• Technology. What it covers: Portals, dashboards, workflow and data integration. Who usually owns it in-house: Global mobility team, with IT and information security.

What types of move do global mobility services support?

Employers use the same services for several kinds of move. The mix of services changes with the length and purpose of each one.

• Long-term assignment: usually one to five years abroad, with the family often moving too.
• Short-term assignment: a few months on a project, often without the family.
• Permanent transfer: the employee moves to a host-country contract and stays.
• Commuter assignment: the employee lives in one country and works in another during the week.
• Business traveller: frequent short trips, which can still trigger visa and tax rules.
• Domestic relocation: a move inside one country, such as a US state-to-state transfer.

What are the employer's legal duties when staff move abroad?

The employer carries legal duties in both countries. These are the main reason companies use specialist providers.

In the UK, an employer that sponsors overseas workers needs a sponsor licence. Home Office guidance says the employer's responsibility for each sponsored worker starts on the date it assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship. A Certificate of Sponsorship is the electronic record that supports the worker's visa.

The same guidance requires the employer to report most changes in a sponsored worker's circumstances within 10 working days. The duties also include keeping records and complying with UK immigration law.

Social security is a second duty. Inside the EU, a posted worker can stay in the home country's social security system on a temporary assignment. The proof is a form called the PD A1, which the EU says is issued for a maximum of 24 months.

Missing one of these steps can lead to fines, a lost licence or an employee who cannot start work on time.

How do global mobility companies differ?

Global mobility companies fall into five broad groups. Many employers use more than one.

• Accounting and tax firms focus on tax returns, tax equalisation and policy advice.
• Relocation management companies run the physical move through a network of local suppliers.
• Immigration specialists and law firms handle visas, permits and sponsor compliance.
• Employer of record platforms employ staff on the employer's behalf in countries where it has no local company.
• Integrated groups, such as K2, combine relocation, immigration, advisory and technology under one group, with a separate specialist brand for each.

The right choice depends on the number of moves each year, the countries involved and how much work the in-house team wants to keep.

How do you choose a global mobility provider?

Start with your own data. List last year's moves by country, type and cost. That list shows which services you need most.

Then ask each provider these questions:

1. Which countries do you cover with your own staff, and where do you use partners?
2. Who is my single point of contact, and who reports on performance?
3. How will you apply our mobility policy to each move?
4. What reporting will we see on cost, compliance and employee experience?
5. How do you protect employee data?
6. How do you measure employee satisfaction, and what was your last score?

Ask for references from employers with a similar mix of moves.

Where to find K2 services for each part of a move

K2 Group brings its global mobility services together across six specialist brands. Start with the K2 Group services overview for the full list, or the brands page to see which brand does what.

• Relocation: see relocation services on K2 Group. For moves of every size, from high-volume programmes to individual assignments, go to K2 Relocate.
• Immigration: see immigration services. K2 X Border is the group's specialist immigration brand, covering work permits, visas, residency and compliance, at www.k2xborder.com.
• Advisory and assignment management: see advisory and assignment services. Policy design, process mapping and data-led reporting sit with K2 Indx.
• Technology: see technology and UX for dashboards, automation and platform integration.
• Coverage: K2 Group has 15 offices across 11 countries and supports mobility in 186 countries. Details are on the global coverage page.