blogs / 15 Jul 2025

hong kong lunch and learn 2025 summary notes

On June 18, the Cartus Hong Kong team hosted global mobility professionals at a Lunch and Learn where we discussed key focus areas, challenges, and strategies for the rest of 2025.

The lunch began with a warm welcome from Alzone Ang, Vice President of Global Talent Mobility and we kicked things off with a recap of the recent WERC APAC Summit held in Singapore, sharing our perspectives on the role of AI in reshaping the talent mobility landscape and the rationale behind embracing flexible mobility models.

As we transitioned to the interactive roundtable session after lunch, the room was filled with enriching conversations from all attendees. Pooling together the vast experiences from everyone in attendance, we have consolidated the key learning points into two main categories.

fostering inclusivity

  • It is important for companies to foster a safe and inclusive environment, which encourages employees to share their diverse needs and family situations. Simple adjustments, like pronouns options, and trust-based benefits, such as policies covering de facto families and single parents, same-sex partners or dependent parents were highlighted as effective solutions to foster inclusivity. 
  • Family structures and situations may change before or during the assignment, or even during a relocation. It is advisable to treat each move as unique and allow sufficient time before the relocation process gets started for employees to share relevant family details. This enables companies to respond thoughtfully and determine the most appropriate course of action.  
  • Pet relocation requests from assignees have been on the rise recently, and for some, this support is considered essential. Offering a flexible benefits approach that includes pet relocation can significantly enhance the assignee experience, without necessarily increasing the overall cost of the relocation.

supporting employees

  • Gen Z hiring challenges point to a need for modernized communication strategies, focusing on visual engagement and direct messaging. Stricter controls should also be implemented, such as requiring documentation before work begins, to ensure compliance and minimize disruptions.
  • Cross-cultural coaching is essential for understanding local norms, even in countries with shared languages. This supports the employee and their family’s well-being, paves the road towards smoother transitions and supports overall success on assignment.
  • While most companies present supported working from home arrangements, there were concerns around the idea of working remotely from overseas. Some had a strong stance against it as it can pose compliance risks, especially when employees did so without company approval. With a rising number of employees working remotely, it is beneficial to explore how organizations can optimize their employee management systems. While many organizations, including Cartus, are utilizing various technology solutions to manage and track remote employees and assignees, others still manage this manually.

moving forward

As mobility trends continue to evolve, shifting workforce demographics and increasingly diverse employee needs underscore the importance of embracing change. Embedding flexibility into a global mobility program can not only drive cost efficiency and reduce exceptions but also empowers assignees and their families throughout the relocation journey and help align mobility strategies with corporate values and ESG goals.

At Cartus, we believe a well-designed mobility program is one that aligns with business priorities while meeting the expectations of employees and HR professionals alike. To learn more about how Cartus can partner with you and your organization, email us at cartussolutions@cartus.com.

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Elodie Marques

about the author

Elodie is the Global Consulting Leader for APAC at Cartus, holds a master’s degree in international business and has been working with global talent for over 15 years. Originally from France, Elodie has enriched her professional journey by living and working in Spain, the UK, China, Mexico, Switzerland, Singapore, and Hong Kong, where she is currently based.

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