The Forum for Expatriate Management is thrilled to announce our partnership with Lexicon Relocation on a deep dive study into the housing practices of global mobility programs worldwide.

In a series of academic research we are entitling “Policy Provisions in Practice”, these papers will look critically at the process and delivery of key individual mobility policy components in a deeper and more meaningful way than ever before. We have chosen to begin with housing as it often presents the most challenges as well as opportunities for cost optimisation, assignee contentment, assignment planning, exception management and vendor/client relationship.

We are also delighted that this research is among the first to consider both the vendor and client positions, asking relevant questions to find out how the delivery of housing provisions can be improved on either side for a more robust and holistic service model.

FEM is leading the research on the corporate housing (temporary accommodations) portion of the survey and together with Lexicon will be going to market in the coming weeks obtain the critical insight of service providers and corporate clients in how they handle corporate housing requests from the beginning of an assignment to repatriation. With flexibility continuing to define the future of global mobility, short-term accommodation, corporate housing and the transition in allowances are of particular importance for many global mobility programs and we are proud to be at the forefront of this research.

In relocation anywhere, housing has always been not only a ‘big ticket’ item in terms of cost but also a potentially emotive one in terms of policy. It is essential that companies keep pace with current and trending practice in this cornerstone policy area. With global talent acquisition efforts increasingly expanding to developing nations whose economies and infrastructures create new challenges for global mobility, flexibility in policies and practices is a must. Accurate data on current and projected practices is key to supporting corporate mobility programs effectively. Lexicon Relocation will be leading the research on corporate expatriate housing policies and practices that provide this key. The 2016 Lexicon – FEM Global Housing Study will shed light on the following:

• Current and trending policies and practices both globally and regionally worldwide, including housing benefit practices in developing countries and capped benefits programs
• The trending extent of assignees’ financial responsibilities as regards the cost of assignment-related housing
• The impact of global talent strategies on assignment housing benefit programs and the use of housing benefit as a tool in the recruitment process

Our comprehensive study will, uniquely, cover both temporary living accommodations as well as the more traditional longer term assignment housing.

The goal of our research is to provide answers on what is best in class, how programmes can achieve best in class and the role the relationship between vendor and client plays in achieving and maintaining assignee contentment whilst allowing them to fulfil the business objectives.

We invite you to discover the findings this Autumn!