We recently tackled the problem of Global Mobility teams desperate to prove ROI – waving equations that looked elegant on slides but collapsed the moment anyone asked for data.
The intent is noble. Mobility wants a seat at the table. But the math often leans on variables we don’t control – performance scores, market share, or innovation pipelines we’ll never have sightlines into.
So the question becomes: if not that, then what?
If mobility wants to be credible, not theatrical, what can we actually measure with integrity?
1. Experience scores (our most underrated metric)
This one we truly own. Post-relocation satisfaction is measurable, repeatable, and comparable across time.
A 95% Excellent rating isn’t just a feel-good number – it’s evidence that a complex logistical and emotional process worked.
Executives respect that kind of consistency. It tells them relocation isn’t chaos; it’s a system.
2. Retention (with nuance)
At scale, retention data is powerful. If your relocated employees stay two to three years after assignment, you’re not just moving talent – you’re keeping it.
At low volumes, though, it’s anecdotal. That’s fine. A handful of stories, presented as stories, still matter. Credibility isn’t about pretending to have Big Data. It’s about owning the truth of the data you have.
3. Time to productivity
This is mobility’s sleeper metric.
Did the assignee arrive on time, housed, and operational faster than baseline?
That’s downtime avoided – measurable in days and sometimes dollars.
Executives understand “earlier revenue contribution” better than “smooth onboarding.”
4. Risk avoidance
Immigration cleared before deadlines. Tax compliance handled before audit. Moves delivered without claims or insurance losses.
These are quiet wins – invisible until they go wrong.
But prevention is performance. Every avoided escalation is a small ROI in itself.
5. Operational continuity
This is the unglamorous backbone of mobility: the right leader in the right place before a market launch or plant expansion.
Executives care about continuity far more than slogans.
Mobility that prevents disruption is mobility that earns trust.
The bigger shift: from reporting to reputation
For years, the “gold standard” in mobility reporting has been cost – because that’s what we could measure. But the side effect was cultural: executives learned to see us as expense managers, not strategic partners.
The fix isn’t a new ROI formula. It’s credibility – consistent, defensible metrics that make executives stop skimming and start asking questions.
That’s how trust begins: not with flash, but with substance.
When mobility starts telling that story, with data grounded in what actually happens, the perception shifts. We stop being the line item and start being the line of defense against delay, risk, and reputation damage.
That’s where Part 3 picks up: how to take credible data and turn it into executive influence.
