Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of WERC.
In the world of talent mobility, policy is foundational to the work we do. It informs how corporates and suppliers support each other and their transferees, guiding each player in the ecosystem to deliver as consistent and smooth of an experience as possible.
Policies may vary by organization, depending on unique needs and culture, and even become outdated with time or changes in leadership. For this reason, they are foundational yet dynamic; they are living pillars that guide an organization to do their best work while recognizing change is necessary and inevitable.
Tackling policy change—whether that’s starting from scratch or revising what already exists—can seem daunting. However, the task becomes more manageable when you realize it can be broken down into a few key steps: having clear objectives, knowing your stakeholders and company culture, leveraging data to inform your work, and communicating throughout the entire process.
Start With the End in Mind
When creating and reviewing policies at your organization, start with an outcome in mind. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” Having a clear goal will pay dividends as you navigate this process and seek feedback from multiple stakeholders.
One way to stay on top of policy needs is maintaining a detailed log of exceptions by category. This should include approved exceptions and ones that were denied, as you’ll want a full scope of options to draw from when reviewing and revising a policy. Keeping track of these exceptions will help you see trends and how the needs of your employees have evolved with time.
It’s also important to remember that the journey from creation to final implementation may not be a straight path. Policy changes require flexibility and, at times, temporary measures along the way, especially if it involves a big cultural change. Maybe you’re looking to get rid of a program. First, you’ll need to consider what’s needed to get employees through that transition. What kind of disruption might that bring and how can you mitigate it? Being deliberate about your objectives will help reduce any friction you may encounter along the way.
Know Your Stakeholders and Company Culture
Identifying the right stakeholders is a crucial step in tackling policy change. Be strategic about who you’ll engage for feedback and who needs to provide buy-in. For example, if you’re managing a U.S. domestic policy, all HR professionals would be considered stakeholders. However, this doesn’t mean everyone in the department must approve the policy. You may want to gather information and feedback from HR managers to inform your work, then collaborate with those at the vice president level to get approval.
Stakeholder engagement is all about identifying who is an influencer in your sphere. Doing this will help determine how often you need to check in and to what degree you need approvals. It’s equally important to know the politics of your organization—will there be a lot of proverbial red tape, or will one person act as influencer when it comes to approvals, allowing others to follow their lead?
Beyond internal dynamics, you also need to understand your organization’s culture. This isn’t something you can read up on—you have to experience it. This can take the form of interviewing leaders and making connections with other people across departments.
As global mobility professionals, part of our job is to assimilate, take in the culture and goals of the organization, and use our talent mobility skills to help the organization get to the outcomes they need. You can write the greatest policy in the world, but if it’s not right for your company, it won’t prove valuable.
Use Data to Inform Your Work
Data is the backbone of any good policy—before, during, and after it gets implemented. This is where tracking exception requests comes back into play; whether there are too many or too few, the data will indicate when change is necessary.
As an example, an organization may give buckets of cash to cover several different policy components. Without data to back it up, however, it will be hard to tell which, if any, components are being used. This may lead you to shift to a direct reimbursement system, which comes with more detailed data to make future policy adjustments.
As you work on a policy, develop a plan to measure and show results. This can be through customer satisfaction ratings, cost savings, or any other significant factor that informed your policy to begin with. Having a full range of data will not only help your team in the long run but will also allow you to show results to your leadership and share your good work, advocating for yourself and your team.
Knowing What a Policy Is and Is Not
Not everything will need to be a policy, so it’s important to understand what needs strict requirements and what can be developed into a benefit guide. A benefit guide that sits under a policy will likely require simple updates as needed versus a full policy revision.
If litigation could be potentially involved, then you may consider moving toward a policy. Corporates will want input from their relocation management company (RMC) partners, too. HR and legal should decide if something is required to be in a policy and what that framework looks like.
Developing a policy is about finding the right match for an organization’s needs, which means it won’t be set in stone. Don't be afraid to change your policy after you've rolled it out, and set that expectation with your stakeholders. You’ll want room to make adjustments based on outside influences, changes in corporate culture, and your desired outcome.
Making Policy Change Manageable
Rolling out a new policy doesn’t have to be a two year-long project. When looking at this space from a macro level, there aren’t that many different policies out there. Recognizing this first can help you understand this to be a more manageable task.
Start by breaking the work into hourlong blocks of time, and don’t be afraid to start small. Have a clear timeline in mind. Identify roles and responsibilities early on: Who’s writing the policy? Which supplier is involved? Who will approve the policy? What expectations within the policy need to be clear? Have your stakeholders review language as you go—by agreeing on components now, there will be fewer surprises later.
Communicate early and often, too. Policy creation and revision doesn’t need to be a secret. The more you socialize your work, the more you may find other departments can offer valuable feedback. Tell your teams and stakeholders the steps you’ll take—before you do it, while you’re doing it, and after you’ve done it. Understand your audience, and be prepared to host multiple meetings and in-depth presentations. Where it makes sense, invite yourself to other departments’ meetings to inform your work. As experts in the talent mobility space, we must define the role we play and keep that seat at the table.
Talent mobility professionals are connectors by nature. We have to continue to work on breaking down silos. The good news is, as a profession, we’re well equipped for this, and it will only make our work more successful. We have visibility into many areas of an organization—and that’s something few other people have.
Join Christopher Chalk at GWS 2024 on Thursday, 24 October, for a policy design workshop, co-led with Sarah Buell, director of account management at Graebel. These experts will provide tools, ideas, and resources to assist in designing and implementing mobility policies for your company.