What is “stracticle mobility?”
Stracticle Mobility is a mobility program that strikes the right balance between tactical execution and strategic alignment. Tactical know-how ensures moves are executed efficiently and compliantly. Strategic alignment ensures those moves serve broader business goals—like talent development, retention, and leadership pipelines.
Are You Aligning Mobility with Talent—or Just Moving People?
Did you know that 70–80% of global mobility programs fail to align with their company’s talent strategy? That stat stopped me in my tracks when I read Michael Ray’s thought-provoking piece on this very topic. As someone passionate about optimizing talent mobility, I found his perspective refreshingly candid and highly actionable.
Here’s a condensed take on his five most common—and costly—mobility missteps, and why fixing them matters if you want mobility to serve your talent strategy.
1. Benefits ≠ Strategy
Too often, companies fixate on the bells and whistles—shipment sizes, housing, training—without asking: Why is this assignment or relocation happening in the first place?
Ray describes one case where long, benefit-rich assignments were solving short-term business needs—creating disruption and racking up costs. Switching to short-term assignments saved money, minimized employee disruption, and improved retention. These assignments also focused on training locally so assignment activity could be reduced.
Takeaway: Start with strategy. Define assignment purpose, duration, and goals before discussing perks.
2. Obsessing Over “Yes”
Getting employees to say yes to relocation is just the beginning. What happens after matters more.
Ray warns against overly generous packages that create “stickiness”—employees don’t want to leave a plush assignment, and repatriation becomes a roadblock to internal mobility. Even completion bonuses can backfire by incentivizing entitlement, not performance.
Takeaway: Benefits should support a full journey—including re-entry. Plan for post-assignment transitions from the start.
3. Blind Benchmarking
Benchmarking can guide you, but it's not a blueprint. Organizations with different cultures, demographics, and talent goals need tailored solutions.
Ray highlights a company that copied a peer’s expat package, only to find it misaligned with its adventurous, cost-conscious workforce. A leaner “local plus” approach worked far better.
Takeaway: Know your people. Know your strategy. Benchmark last, not first.
4. Missing the Talent Connection
If you can’t explain how your mobility program supports your talent objectives, neither can your employees.
Ray shares how one company turned around poor adoption by explicitly tying mobility to a cultural cohesion effort. The shift boosted buy-in and results.
Takeaway: Communication is key. Don’t just change policies—connect the dots to bigger talent and business goals.
5. Tracking What’s Easy, Not What Matters
Mobility metrics are full of KPIs—satisfaction scores, cost compliance, exception tracking. But how many show strategic success? Do they show impact?
Ray suggests tougher questions: Are relocated employees still with you after two years? Are they growing in the org? Are you hitting business targets? That’s the real ROI.
Takeaway: Recalibrate your data. Measure what matters to your talent pipeline and business performance, not just logistics.
Final Thought: Beyond Perks, Toward Purpose
Mobility done well is about more than movement—it’s about momentum. It fuels succession, builds leaders, and drives value when rooted in purpose.
Ray’s article is a must-read for anyone who wants mobility to be more than functional. It’s a reminder: mobility should be a lever for talent, not just a logistics exercise.