\u201cThese aren\u2019t traditional migrants who settle permanently in a new place,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey may live in one country, have family in another, and spend parts of the year elsewhere. When you ask them where home is, they don\u2019t have one answer \u2014 they have many.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This demographic is distinct in important ways, she explains. Not only do they resist a singular definition of home, but they actively construct and manage a portfolio of homes \u2014 each with its own psychological, emotional and logistical weight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For organisations, Mimoun, Sharifonnasabi, and Bardhi say this creates both challenges and opportunities: supporting these employees well means recognising the complexity of their living arrangements, and the demands this places on their time, wellbeing and mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These aren\u2019t traditional migrants who settle permanently in a new place. They may live in one country, have family in another, and spend parts of the year elsewhere. When you ask them where home is, they don\u2019t have one answer \u2014 they have many.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n For the globally mobile professionals, \u201chome\u201d is no longer singular. Instead, they operate across four parallel concepts of home \u2014 each serving a different function<\/strong>, according to Mimoun, Sharifonnasabi, and Bardhi\u2019s research.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey define the concept of home across different locations,\u201d Mimoun says. \u201cThey do not have one home that is truly convenient; they have four.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first is what they term the \u201cemotional home\u201d, where attachments and memories reside. Then there is the \u201chome away from home\u201d, where day-to-day life plays out and most family routines occur. A third, more utilitarian space is the \u201cbase of operation\u201d, often stripped of emotional significance but serving practical needs. Finally, there is the \u201chome on the road\u201d \u2014 the most flexible, made up of things they can easily pack and take with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For companies, these highly mobile workers can seem like an ideal group \u2014 flexible, fast-moving and able to adapt quickly to changes in the market or political environment. But Mimoun and colleagues caution against this simplistic view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cManaging multiple homes is very costly. It\u2019s a heavy mental load,\u201d she explains. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of planning involved \u2014 keeping track of where your possessions are, what\u2019s needed in each place and coordinating travel between them.<\/strong> Then there\u2019s the emotional side \u2014 you\u2019re constantly missing things, which can take a real toll.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In essence, the mobility that fuels a global career also fragments experience. Holidays are missed. Social connections erode. And while air miles and loyalty programmes suggest comfort, the emotional strain of juggling life in multiple places is something companies rarely acknowledge in their policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So how do people create a sense of home when their lives are spread across different places? For Mimoun, Sharifonnasabi, and Bardhi, it comes down to relationships \u2014 some of them surprisingly transactional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne of the key ways people recreate a sense of home is by building relationships with businesses they interact with regularly,\u201d Mimoun says. \u201cIt could be hotel managers or staff, for example. Over time, they form friendships and feel recognised as individuals by these people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though not the central focus of the research, Mimoun acknowledges that brands also play a subtle but important role in stabilising identity across geographies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBrands help recreate the feeling of the emotional home,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey often carry nostalgic value and are linked to specific national or cultural identities.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In this context, a particular type of coffee, scent, or home appliance is no longer just a product \u2014 it becomes a proxy for comfort, a tool of psychological continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the key ways people recreate a sense of home is by building relationships with businesses they interact with regularly. It could be hotel managers or staff, for example. Over time, they form friendships and feel recognised as individuals by these people.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n For business leaders managing globally mobile talent, Mimoun, Sharifonnasabi, and Bardhi offer a measured call to awareness. It begins with recognising the complexity of \u201chome\u201d in the lives of these employees \u2014 and ends with adjusting expectations accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne key takeaway is simply recognising that this dynamic exists,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s important to understand which version of \u2018home\u2019 the individual is trying to recreate in a new place. Another is acknowledging the personal cost employees take on to be where the company needs them to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/escp.eu\/thechoice\/wp-content\/uploads\/laetitia-mimoun.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nOne life, four homes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The hidden cost of flexibility<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Home, by brand and by bond<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Home as strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n