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So is the same true in the mobility industry? One area in need of modernization is copy-heavy policies, which can be scary and intimidating for your mobile employees.

Our Global Practice Leader in our Advisory Services group, Laura Levenson explains that some of the policies she sees can range from 5-55 pages (or more!), depending on the policy type.

Yes you read that correctly…55 pages! As a mobility professional, you understand how much time and thought are put into these policies and how much time is spent educating mobile employees on policy details to ensure they fully understand all the components.

The very idea of trying to explain tax equalization (TEQ), cost of living, or domestic home sale, without writing a novel is can be stressful for mobility professionals.  But the challenge is that maintaining this “novel” of information, and subsequently keeping it up-to-date could be a full-time job of its own.

Unfortunately, the flipside of this is that while the idea of a shorter policy sounds great, how do you still incorporate all of the details and explain the full scope of the policy while keeping this simple?

Finding the perfect balance between too much or too little is challenging but Laura explains that the best policies focus on the policy philosophy and general provisions and not the granular details around specific amounts, since they can vary by level or from person to person.

It is best to avoid too many details around processes because they change fairly often with technological advancements and can vary from country to country. Policy principle and provisions, however, should be designed to last for a longer period, taking into account the roles and goals of the assignment, first and foremost. The length of the assignment or transfer, the level of the employee, and the home and host combinations may further play a role in determining levels of benefits and allowances, and these can be specifically addressed in the individual assignment letter

Laura Levenson Global Practice Leader, Advisory Services

So what’s the best way to shorten your policy, while keeping the message simple, yet effective?

• Find places where the information provided is process oriented, then assess whether this is really needed to describe the benefit itself. Most process information can be eliminated.
• Provide a table of contents with links.
• Create a policy summary, and include it at the beginning of the document; you’ll find that your mobile employees will appreciate simply reading a short description of the services to be provided.
• Policies can be further broken down into appendices and sections, thereby facilitating a quick read. If you don’t need the glossary of terms, you don’t need to read it.
• Don’t be afraid to use infographics and matrices.

We are seeing a trend with clients moving to brochure style online policies with clickable links. This is another example of the transformation of our world from printouts to digital, and how mobility professionals are incorporating these simpler digital process into their mobility programs.

“Having online policies really facilitates a quick read and includes all the benefits described at a high level,” said Laura.

For more information on how you can shorten and simplify your mobility policy, contact us today: solutions@weichertwm.com.