Lauren Herring is the CEO of IMPACT Group, one of the largest career and leadership development companies globally. She has been a C200 member since 2009.
Many corporations aspire to increase diversity across their executive ranks. In 2023, women represent only about 10% of Fortune 500 organizations and just 23% of equity partners in U.S. law firms. An often-overlooked area to improve inclusion is your corporate relocation practice.
Even among organizations that recognize global business experience as a requirement for promotion — few organizations proactively seek diverse representation when recruiting for global assignments. In fact, today 60% of organizations don’t report the gender of internationally mobile employees to the business, according to a 2023 AIRINC study.
Experience gained through global or other relocation assignments can fast track a career. When business executives work with mobility teams, they can be more intentional about interviewing a wider pool of candidates for corporate-sponsored relocation. These organizations are more likely to succeed – in hitting business objectives as well as achieving more diverse executive teams. That’s because the business will be tapping into a qualified, yet often overlooked talent pool. Here’s how to put this strategy to work.
What’s Holding Jessica, Amrita, and Heather Back?
Let’s imagine that three women are top performers in their respective fields of IT, marketing and finance, and they desire larger challenges. However, they need P&L experience to qualify for higher levels of leadership. Roles that would allow them to gain such experience would require relocation. In many organizations, the business side’s hiring managers might overlook these candidates, simply assuming they have no interest in moving or would find a move too difficult.
Sadly, unless the women have keenly observed how emerging leaders succeed in their organization, they might not be aware that their careers are likely to stagnate. An appropriate leadership role in their own city might not surface for years. And ironically, by that time, they may have chosen to leave and work for a competitor in another city.
Is it Likely Jessica, Amrita and Heather Will Ascend Beyond Middle Management?
Today nearly 50% of those enrolled in top (“M7”) business schools are female, yet women’s careers continue to stall. The McKinsey Leanin.org study describes the “Broken Rung” that explains why. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 86 women are promoted. This disparity in first-level promotions lays a foundation for continued imbalance. That’s because the pipeline — or pool of candidates for the next promotion — is weighted toward men.
This first promotion was dubbed, “the broken rung” in the corporate ladder. As women look to move up, 14% find the next rung of the ladder unattainable. And at every subsequent level, the pool of female talent shrinks, which perpetuates low representation of women at senior levels.
Reocation – The Often-Overlooked Advancement Track for Women
Back in 2016 PwC published a landmark study on mobility and diversity involving 134 global mobility executives and nearly 4,000 employees (58% women; 42% men) across 40 countries. About 70% of the employee group had mobility experience. They found that:
- 71% percent of female millennials want to work abroad during their career, but only 20% of the current internationally mobile population were women.
- 65% of women said they would like opportunities to work overseas to be made more transparent.
- 74% of respondents (women and men) said the most preferential time to move is in the first six years of a career – yet 33% of organizations didn’t currently offer such opportunities.
Business, Talent & Mobility Alignment – Strategically, Structurally, & Operationally
Even if the business, DEI and mobility strategies are aligned, nothing much changes without actual operational alignment. In other words, non-executed strategies are just platitudes.
One mobility professional at a large global company recently described a siloed situation, telling me that in his company, talent diversity is in the hands of talent acquisition. “We execute the moves of whomever they hire.” So surely there is an opportunity to increase operational alignment – when it comes to business units, professional talent development, talent acquisition and mobility functions.
Strategic Insights from Mobility & Talent Leaders
Suzie Chapman, HR Partner for Global Mobility at FM Global, advises that whether it’s gender, ethnicity, age or sexual orientation, we’re all diverse, and each of us has unique needs that corporations must consider as they address their duty of care. “In mobility, every time we pick somebody up out of the community that’s their home and put them somewhere else, we are creating a diversity event. And our opportunity is to do that with intentional focus on inclusivity, to support the employee’s success while still leaning into the diversity that we create,” she said.
IMPACT Group’s recent study of CHROs and mobility professionals found that most of these professionals (57%) believe that women are more likely to relocate when they are offered flexible benefits, including career assistance for their spouse. This service has been around for decades, however, many would-be female movers and even talent acquisition professionals don’t know it exists.
Mobility suppliers have developed service offerings to promote wellbeing – and address the unique needs of moving singles and families. Services can include experienced relocation coaches working across the supply chain to ensure that relocated employees get the support they require to successfully re-engage in work as well as personal and family life.
Programs need to address the wellbeing of everyone who moves. This study found that 80% of mobility leaders and CHROs say relocation failure can be correlated with emotional wellbeing. The good news is that investment in wellbeing for relocating employees is on the rise at 49% of organizations surveyed.
Three Ways to Create a More Diverse Talent Pipeline:
- Choose to Win through Diversity — Think of yourself as manager of a fantasy baseball team in a hotly competitive contest. Would you want to restrict your roster to players with names beginning with A through M? You could have Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, and Ty Cobb. But you would be ignoring talents such as Albert Pujols, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. That is exactly what happens when employers ignore the benefits of gender-balanced relocation.
- Assess Your Mobility Policy and Recruitment Practices — Organizations need to assess mobility programs and who has access. Does the company sponsor more moves for men than women? How might you invest appropriately and collaborate across the business, talent and mobility teams?
- Tap Into Today’s Mobility Supply Chain to Support Diverse Talent — Many business leaders remain unaware of the how their mobility supply chain partners support successful moves of diverse candidates. Chapman, who has moved seven times herself said, “the business needs to know that today’s mobility professionals can work with you for your unique, individual family requirements, whether it be education, sports, medical support or the diverse make up of your family.”
As the CEO of a certified women-owned business, I can help organizations add diversity to their executive pipeline, as well as their supply chain. With additional, low-cost support services, corporations can better support everyone who moves. Our most recent study of over 100 individual employees and family members who moved, 70% say they would have benefited from additional assistance to help settle in and feel at home again. Learn about IMPACT Group’s recent research on corporate-sponsored mobility and learn more about our job search support for spouse/partners and our Relo Rethrive™ program here.
Read the full article here
