Reimagining Mobility
On this episode of FEDtalk, three guests from a leading global mobility thought leader, BGRS, join to discuss trends they are seeing in talent management and mobility. Guests compare the U.S. government, Canadian government, and around the world approaches to talent management, talent competition, employee experience, and shifts in work habits amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing ‘Great Resignation.’
Joining host Jason Briefel from BGRS is Eliane Savard, Vice President and General Manager, Company Security Officer for the Government of Canada; Jessica Larsen, Senior Manager for Mobility Experience Solutions; and Amber Tucker Vice President for Government Client Services.
The discussion began around a joint study issued in early 2021 by BGRS and the Senior Executives Association (SEA), Post-Pandemic Relocation and Talent Management Strategies: Responses and Perspectives from North American Public Service Leaders which offered insights and suggestions from February 2021, earlier in the pandemic. FEDmanager covered the study this summer.
The panel remarked that while the findings are results seemed to bear themselves out over 2021, the dynamic nature of the pandemic, and other shifts in the future of work and the talent marketplace, continue accelerating changes. Savard noted how the hybrid-centralized model in Canada allows best practices to be disseminated to government components from a central hub, but components are still able to tailor and specialize actions based on their mission needs. The central office then acts as an information hub for components to report back on what worked for them.
“While we have the centralized program and one directive, we have department national coordinators at each department and agency that actually manage based on their own business needs. So, for example, where we have some more office requirements in administration, those departments will have different types of relocations. They may relocate executives and government councils, compared to other more boots on the ground departments that will actually focus more on initial appointees and bring in new hires – maybe 70 percent of the relocations will be new hires,” Savard explains.
Larsen highlighted new findings on the growth of virtual mobility, meaning rotations within a company across functions or boundaries that are all performed virtually. Larsen explains on virtual mobility is expanding opportunities for companies and employees to use their talent and opportunities to use data about the employee experience to improve working environments.
In the context of the “great resignation” and data use, Larsen explained, “It is no longer just a question of tracking costs and spend, but also moving into the world of what is the [employee] experience actually like? How successfully are we placing people into these roles and are they staying? Are they enjoying? Are they achieving their development as far as what they’re getting out of assignments and opportunities?”
As federal agencies prepare to return to work, Tucker noted how virtual mobility and relocation cannot be an afterthought in return-to-work considerations. These recent evolutions in virtual work and mobility will allow organizations to focus extra attention on the roles where employees did need to physically change duty stations and how they can be reintegrated in an in-person working environment.
Tucker explained, “One of the things I think is getting left behind is a perception that federal employees aren’t moving anymore, or we aren’t going to need to move them. The reality is that’s not the case… We are still seeing a ton of moves. I hope the mobility piece and career pathing and culture building don’t get lost in the questions of who can come back to work in an office and who doesn’t. Ss people are relocating, we need to think about how you reintegrate all those people into a single organization. How do you keep people engaged? And how do you build a new culture that embraces the change?”
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FEDtalk is a live talk show produced by Shaw Bransford & Roth P.C., a federal employment law firm. Bringing you the insider’s perspective from leaders in the federal community since 1993.
FEDtalk is sponsored by the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP). The FLTCIP is sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, insured by John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company, under a group long term care insurance policy, and administered by Long Term Care Partners, LLC (doing business as FedPoint).