Rising housing costs, high mortgage rates (although falling in some locations), limited availability for both short- and long-term accommodations in many key locations, and economic instability across global markets make it harder for employees to relocate efficiently and affordably. These pressures also challenge organizations to maintain competitive benefits for their global assignments while remaining consistent and controlling program spend.

Additionally, the rise of cost pressures results in a stronger desire for more flexible relocation programs – such as managed cap, core/flex, lump sum, and self-move – which could solve for budgetary restraints but risks negatively impacting the employee experience.

What Mobility Teams Can Do: Offering customizable benefits tailored for the given move or assignment type demonstrates care, helpfulness, and personalization for employees’ unique needs, which in turn can foster greater company loyalty and engagement in their new role. Plus, flexible program models allow companies to align relocation services with budget, role requirements, and business priorities.

By combining human expertise with advanced analytics to forecast costs, identify financial risks, and model scenarios in real time, Altair supports our clients through periods of economic strain. For those with tighter budget constraints, Altair offers bite-sized, single-service options while still ensuring duty of care for the employee throughout their move – no matter the relocation policy type, this is paramount. On the ground, Altair’s strong relationships with local destination services providers removes layers to ensure quick access to accommodations in high-demand locations, often securing properties before they hit the open market.

The start of 2026 has already brought a wave of new laws, rule changes, and amendments that impact mobility programs. From California Assembly Bill 692 to the continued ripple effect of the landmark National Association of Realtors (NAR) settlement concerning buyer broker compensation in the United States, to a dramatic VAT increase on short-term accommodations in The Netherlands and stricter English-language requirements for work visas in the UK, mobility teams have even more to keep up with. Ever-evolving tax and immigration rules add compliance risk and require constant oversight.

What Mobility Teams Can Do: Many corporations outsource immigration and tax services to dedicated providers who are well-versed in the latest rules.

At Altair, we closely follow legislation that has the potential to impact mobility operations, and team members serve on committees to lend their expertise to others in the industry – such as Kathy Couture, SVP of the Atlantic and Midwest Regions, serving as WERC’s Buyer Broker Compensation Ad Hoc RMC Subcommittee Chairperson. We work closely with our supplier partner network to ensure local expertise and consistent standards. And we don’t gatekeep – our clients and customers get the latest news through regular newsletters, social media, our Client Partner Forum, and by working with our tenured team in Global Consulting Services to adapt policies as needed.

Global mobility teams and mobile employees alike now expect relocation programs that are fast, transparent, and tailored to the individual needs of the assignee. They also want digital tools that offer real-time insight, self-service options, and clear communication throughout the assignment lifecycle. Marrying technological innovation with the human touch is integral for relocation success and employee satisfaction.

What Mobility Teams Can Do: Modernize your relocation policies and your program without sacrificing the human side to mobility. It’s a balance, but one that Altair champions.

Offering employees both digital and human support throughout their experience reflects vigilance in ensuring relocations are secure, efficient, and empathetic. Through our Experience Management (XM) pillars — Customer, Client Partner, Team Member, and Supplier Partner — Altair aligns support across the full mobility ecosystem to improve satisfaction, retention, and long-term talent engagement. Additionally, blending human guidance (i.e., from dedicated Customer Experience Consultants) with intuitive digital tools (such as the Choice Points budget planner and Ali, an AI-powered virtual assistant) enables companies to deliver bespoke, agile service across all assignment types.

With a focus on building the client- and customer-facing tools they need, creating efficiency through tech integration, providing deeper data insights through our XM model, and by being easy to do business with, Altair delivers significant information, data, and enhanced experiences for our partners and customers.

With the rise of AI, personalization, and rapid digitization comes greater cybersecurity risk. Bad actors are getting increasingly sophisticated with cyber-attacks and phishing attempts, creating scams that appear more realistic – and more frequent. This makes prioritizing robust data protection and operational resilience essential.

What Mobility Teams Can Do: Be ready for anything. Ensure your systems are secure, sensitive data is encrypted, passwords are strong, devices are routinely updated with the latest software updates, and emergency response and recovery plans are in place.

At Altair, our resolve to protect privacy and security remains steadfast in the face of an ever-evolving threat landscape. We take this duty seriously, driven by the understanding that the trust placed in us by those we serve is both a privilege and a profound responsibility. This includes being the first relocation management company to sign the official EU AI Pact, undergoing annual SOC 2 Type 1 & 2 audits and pen tests, and maintaining compliance with global privacy regulations including GDPR and CCPA. For our team members, we build awareness through targeted training and internal phishing simulations.

Connect with our Global Consulting Services team to learn how to prepare your mobility program for 2026 and beyond.