Monsters of mobility!? Which one scares your program the most?

Spooky season is here! As Halloween approaches, let's take a theme from this upcoming holiday and connect it to global mobility. If I asked you to generate a list of the "monsters of mobility", what issues would you name as those monsters? Think about it...if monsters are those big hairy issues that creep up on our mobility work, what scares you the most? Benefit costs, rush moves, exceeding move budgets, escalation issues, rogue suppliers, stealth expats, compliance issues, or maybe even a failed assignment? How about poor technology or lack of reporting across your program? Which issues are particularly threatening or terrifying?

There is a huge variety of monsters in the modern horror landscape. At this time of year, the typical characters that come to mind are Frankenstein, witches, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, slashers like Jason, and the Headless Horsemen. But this article drives home the argument that Dracula, Nosferatu, and all of their vampire relatives take the crown for top monster.  

So of all the mobility "monsters" you jotted down on your list, which one is the vampire in your mobility program? Is there one that sneaks up and bites you when you're not ready? Is there one that seems like it has been around forever and just keeps coming back? Is there one that completely sucks the life out of you over and over? 

Every program is a little different, but the vampire that a lot of my mobility contacts seem to just keep battling is...(drum roll)...E-X-C-E-P-T-I-O-N-S! Yep, exceptions. 

Typically, exceptions emerge from a situation where there is a specific employee need without an approved solution. An exception tends to mean that a relocating employee, and their family, have had something come up that is outside the scope of their relocation policy. Because the "solution" is out of scope, a special request needs to be made and considered by you, the mobility manager. That request usually comes from the employee who has to provide private information that they may not really want to share, just to explain and justify the exception request. Mobility teams are often the middle manager in this situation. They now have to get into someone's business, get all the facts, and spend quite a bit of time and energy with the "exception"-al distraction from their primary work. Adding greater stress to the situation is that there is usually a time crunch to get the issue solved. Even the best exception process in a global mobility program is generally time consuming and scary for everyone involved.

Ultimately, these exception requests get put together, considered and then a decision gets made. The requests are either fully approved, partially approved/denied or completely denied (#thatswhywegaveyouamiscellaneousallowance). Adding to the list of horrors, exceptions that are approved often end up pushing the move past its budget. You just can't defeat the exception request vampire. At best, someone involved in the exception process is not happy, and at worst, everyone involved hates the experience. Once you have removed the autonomy of the employee being able to make a decision for themselves, you run the risk for a bad experience. You may also be running the risk of bias, prejudice and stereotypes impacting the decision.  

If exceptions are your vampire, let me throw out a shameless plug for the only wooden stake in the mobility industry right now, which is guaranteed to eliminate exceptions from your program and give relocating employees the support they really need. If you have another monster prowling your mobility world, take some time to reflect on what's stalking you. Then look for solutions. If you have a horde of monsters to challenge, might you be able to solve for multiple issues too? Looking to recession proof your program while being more flexible? Looking to give employees the autonomy they want while managing cost? Wanting to provide the business with better talent acquisition along with employee retention support? Hoping to rethink policy and give a better experience? Find the weapons you need and fight back!

So what's your mobility program's biggest and scariest monster? Vote here and let us know!