Virtual global mobility (VGM) is a form of international work in which employees perform cross-border duties through digital communication rather than by physically relocating to another country. It is associated with international assignments, remote work, virtual teams, expatriate management, and the management of employees in multinational corporations.
Definition Virtual global mobility has been defined as the replacement of personal physical international interactions for work purposes with electronic personal online interactions. The concept is used in discussions of global mobility, expatriation, virtual work, and international human resource management. Unlike traditional international assignments, virtual global mobility does not require an employee to relocate to the host country.
Background Traditional global mobility has usually involved the physical movement of employees across national borders for work purposes. This includes long-term international assignments, short-term assignments, international business travel, international commuting, and expatriate work. The Journal of Global Mobility describes its field as research on global employees, including corporate and self-initiated expatriates, international business travellers, short-term assignees, and international commuters. Virtual global mobility developed as organizations made greater use of digital communication technologies to coordinate international work without requiring all employees to be physically present in the same country. Selmer and colleagues argued that, alongside the long-term trend toward physical global mobility, organizations have increasingly been able to move work to people rather than moving people to work.
Relationship to global mobility Virtual global mobility is related to, but distinct from, traditional global mobility. Traditional mobility often involves relocation, immigration procedures, housing support, tax planning, compensation packages, and adjustment to the host country. Virtual global mobility may reduce or remove some relocation issues, but it can also create other challenges, including time-zone differences, cross-cultural communication problems, legal uncertainty, and difficulties building trust across distance.
Virtual assignments A virtual assignment is a work arrangement in which an employee carries out responsibilities connected to another country or international business unit while remaining physically located in the home country or another non-host location. Olivier Meier describes a virtual assignment as an arrangement in which an employee remains in the home country while performing tasks and taking responsibility for operations in a different location. Virtual assignments may be used when relocation is costly, impractical, or unnecessary. They may also be used alongside physical assignments as part of hybrid international work arrangements. Mercer has argued that virtual assignments can reduce some traditional mobility costs and help organizations maintain business continuity, while also raising new questions for expatriate and mobility management.
Advantages and challenges Potential advantages of virtual global mobility include lower relocation costs, reduced disruption for employees and families, faster deployment of international work, and access to international roles for employees who cannot relocate. Potential challenges include communication barriers, time-zone differences, weaker informal networks, unclear legal or tax responsibilities, data security issues, and the difficulty of managing performance across borders. A 2021 KPMG report predicted that talent mobility would likely be combined with domestic and global virtual assignments, hybrid work, and fully remote work options for some workforces. The same report noted that alternative mobile work arrangements may have lower costs than traditional expatriate assignments, but can still involve corporate and individual compliance risks and an employer duty of care.
See also International assignment Remote work Virtual team Expatriate Human resource management Multinational corporation
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