US Network Huddle - October 2024

We recently facilitated our US Network Huddle at Grant Thornton's New York offices, and what a day it was! Whether you joined us or not, here's a recap of the day. We couldn’t have asked for a better backdrop as we arrived it was the perfect sunny fall day. We were ready to welcome a host of global mobility professionals for a day packed full of learning, thinking outside of the box and making valuable connections.

The day began with our traditional networking over breakfast and an icebreaker (which involved 6 alleged trombone players on one table, you had to be there!). our first huddle was an important one: embracing diversity and inclusion in mobility. We shared best practice and experience to ensure we only discussed tangible, realistic ideas to make our programmes more inclusive.

More networking (and an ice-cream machine no less!) followed before we got technical with a US and global immigration update from Magrath Sheldrick. As well as the latest trends we covered the latest in US politics and how this may impact future immigration policies, keeping us on our toes in this ever-evolving field.

Next up, Jorge Vargas from Culture Wizard led an enlightening session on maximising employee experience and mental wellbeing for globally mobile employees. We explored how developing cultural awareness and sensitivity can help employees settle quickly, ultimately improving assignment success. Jorge then hosted a huddle discussion to help us take a deeper dive into our own biases.

Lunch provided a great opportunity for more connections and great view of New York City from the balcony. Grant Thornton then gave us the very latest in US and global tax as Richard Tonge looked at the impact of the impending election and the global market. John Neely then walked us through up-to-the-minute survey results.

Kaitlin Moore from Hakluyt gave us a fabulous corporate update and share about her spreadsheet that has helped her team monitor and control costs. The “people have chosen” huddle was next and the people chose strategy in global mobility! We heard some really innovative ideas on how we can shake this up and implement day to day.

The last session of the day was everyone’s favourite, Perspective Playground! Two teams formulated opposing debates on whether global mobility should focus only on compliance, or on maximising employee flexibility. We really saw some personalities shine through and some excellent arguments on both sides! The winners will remain anonymous, you really had to be there!

As we concluded with a recap and networking drinks, the energy in the room was high. Whether you were with us in New York or not, we hope to see you at a future US event.

Thank you to all who attended and contributed to making this huddle a success. Here's to continued learning, collaboration, and growth in global mobility!