Given the recent COVID-19 pandemic, it’s likely that global mobility work patterns will continue to be influenced by travel restrictions and remote work arrangements in 2023. We are witnessing the following scenarios and patterns in the workplace:
- Hybrid Work Models: Many companies may adopt a hybrid model that combines both remote work and in-person work. This means that employees may work from home or another location for part of the week or month, and then come into the office for team meetings or other activities. This may lead to an increase in short-term travel and temporary relocations, as employees may need to travel for these in-person meetings or to work from a different location for a period of time.
- Increased Remote Work: Remote work has become more common and accepted during the pandemic, and it’s apparent that some companies are continuing to allow employees to work from home. This may lead to a decrease in long-term relocations and more remote collaborations among teams.
- Skills-Based Mobility: Some companies have adopted a skills-based approach to mobility, where they move employees to locations where their specific skills are needed, regardless of their home country or office location. This may lead to more short-term assignments and project-based work, with employees moving between locations as needed.
- Regionalization: Given the potential travel restrictions and uncertainties following the pandemic, some companies are focusing on regional mobility rather than global mobility. This means that employees may be more likely to move within their own region or continent rather than to other parts of the world.
- Business As Usual: Finally, many companies are going back to their original working patterns, relocating employees globally where needed with the goal of reaching pre-pandemic levels of integration and fluidity.
Overall, it’s clear that the global mobility work patterns in 2023 have been influenced by the pandemic and are evolving with broader trends around remote work and location flexibility.
