Global mobility initiatives have encouraged companies to increasingly turn to international labour markets to source their new talents. Mobility is critical as the knowledge and skills required in some industries are so specific and advanced that the local pool of potential candidates for an opening is way too limited to ensure that companies get the best profiles. This phenomenon also had a significant impact on the mobility of researchers in the academic sector. With the increasing number of agreements between universities, researchers have the possibility to pursue an international career and continue their research in another university. Relocating abroad is not necessarily a painless experience and it brings its own set of challenges that researchers have to manage and be aware of. Some researchers will come with their families and their relocation will bring even more social, psychological and logistical challenges. These cases are typically characterised by high risk of failure and potentially substantial direct and indirect costs. Swiss and international universities have been increasingly developing structures dedicated to facilitating the relocation of incoming employees and researchers. In this paper we compare the various relocation services offered by Swiss universities’ “Welcome Centers” and draw conclusions on the best practices in terms of relocation of international researchers. While this study focuses on Swiss universities and the creation or development of mobility teams within their organization, our findings will mostly be also applicable to private companies seeking to source talents on the international labour markets. Indeed employees in both sectors will face the same psychological, social and cultural challenges that need to be addressed by global mobility teams. The main difference between academic and private sector will lie in the way cases are managed. While both sectors realize the importance of a successful relocation, the private sector tends to rely more heavily on relocation agencies and other external partners as a way to increase the quality of the service offered. This study covers and analyzes the various challenges encountered throughout the relocation process. We were able to identify the most critical ones on which Welcome Centers should focus their efforts. Among these are housing, childcare, professional integration of the partner and immigration
