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When relocation is approached with well-being, structure and sustainability built into the process, it not only supports assignees during an exciting and challenging time, it also creates the conditions for lasting behavioral change.
As explored in the first two articles in this series, relocation is a moment of disruption. Old routines are broken, new habits are formed, and everyday decisions are re-evaluated. This makes relocation not only a risk period, but also a rare opportunity: a point at which people are more open to change. When companies support assignees during this phase with clear systems, practical guidance, and choices that prioritize wellbeing, the impact often extends far beyond the assignment itself. This is where sustainability ambassadors can emerge.
A sustainability ambassador is not a job title or a certification. It is a behavioral outcome that emerges when people are supported through change in a practical and meaningful way. In this regard, we do not only talk about sustainability in terms of the environment, but with a broader ESG perspective in mind. Alongside emissions and energy use, this includes social aspects such as employee wellbeing, health and safety, access to services, and the ability to function sustainably in everyday life – all of which are essential for employee wellbeing during a relocation.
In the context of relocation, sustainability ambassadors are assignees who develop new ways of living and working that feel both manageable and beneficial from various perspectives. They are people who have learned, through experience, how everyday choices around housing, mobility, routines, and services can be more environmentally friendly, reduce stress, improve wellbeing, and make daily life function more smoothly.
Sustainability ambassadors influence others because they are relatable. Their credibility comes from having navigated the same challenges others are facing. They share what they have tried themselves: how they set up their home, recycle, how they navigate mobility, how they reduce daily friction in a new environment.
In this way, individual experience becomes collective learning.
One of the less discussed benefits of responsible relocation practices is their reach beyond the employer.
Assignees do not leave their habits at work. They bring them home. They share them with partners, children, friends, and professional networks. Over time, this creates a ripple effect that extends well beyond the organization’s formal ESG scope. When employees say, “This is how I learned to do it during my relocation,” it carries a level of authenticity that no policy document can replicate.
Sustainability ambassadors need to be enabled.
Organizations can support this by:
The first two articles in this series focused on why wellbeing and ESG matter in relocation, and how HR and Global Mobility teams can design systems that support people through their relocation. This final article looks at what happens when those systems are experienced in practice.
When relocation is designed to reduce stress and support everyday functioning, assignees do more than settle successfully. They form new routines and expectations that support wellbeing and responsible decision-making. Over time, these experiences shape how people approach mobility, work, and daily life.
In this way, wellbeing-led, ESG-aligned relocation moves from policy to culture. Sustainability ambassadors emerge naturally when people feel supported and confident in their daily lives. The impact extends beyond individual assignments, reinforcing wellbeing, strengthening ESG commitments, and contributing to more resilient ways of working.
When wellbeing and ESG are embedded into relocation from the start, the result is not just successful assignments, but people who carry sustainable practices forward.
Image credits
1 Picture by pressfoto on Freepik
2 Picture by byzain on Freepik
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