“Digital transformation” has been a corporate buzz word for years and – in the HR world – we’re finally at a point where organizations are developing multi-year HR transformation projects to help manage the impact of technology on organizations. However, far too often, the mobility side of HR is getting left behind
I come from a management consulting background, and so have witnessed many changes and trouble spots in my time – so much so I co-founded MOVE Guides with Brynne Kennedy. Our goal was to transform the way companies relocate employees, bringing best-in-class technology to mobility teams. We have made great headway on our journey – but still see mobility treated as an afterthought. Why is that?
Why are the big HR vendors not focused on it?
Traditionally, mobility hasn’t been a primary focus for HR; simply because not that many employees were mobile. You had a few traditional, long-term expats, and that was it. One-way moves, cross-border recruiting and frequent business travelers were rare by comparison. Over the last decade – we’ve seen huge shifts to lower-cost policy types, and a significant increase in the desire for employees to relocate for career growth opportunities. The resulting mobility landscape is dramatically different. Soon, mobility will be part of everyone’s career journey. In fact, global mobility management is expected to grow to a $11-15B industry by 2023, according to Aragon Research.
Despite the growth, traditional HR technology vendors have not (yet!) gone after mobility. For example, Workday has focused on global expansion and core payroll technology for new markets. Other major ERP and HCM vendors, like SAP and Oracle, have invested heavily in the transition to the cloud – but the complexities of mobility management have largely remained unsolved.
Moving employees from place to place, whether a permanent transfer or multi-year assignment, is a huge task. To make mobility management work properly, technology needs to bring together data and information from numerous suppliers and vendors, covering tax, relocation management and immigration. The mobility supply chain is vast and diverse – and heavily fragmented.
Our Vision
Our goal since day one has been to provide an integrated platform that brings together the fragmented mobility landscape, to create a single source of truth for mobility. With our acquisition of Polaris Global Mobility earlier this year, we created a digital “power couple”, to help deliver that vision. We then re-branded to “Topia”, which means “place” in Greek.
Our aim is to deliver a Global Mobility Management suite that integrates seamlessly with your HRIS system, solving the missing piece of the mobility puzzle in the HR tech ecosystem. This makes it possible for companies and employees to Work Everywhere.
Mobility is an expensive line item – organizations are challenged to do more with less. But having one platform that deals with all parts of the mobility maze makes it easier than ever to deliver. We’re hosting a webinar for European mobility teams on August 7th called The New Power Couple to talk you through our new proposition as Topia – and what we bring to the table in this new world order. Please click here to register.