What is internal mobility?

Internal mobility is when employees move to different roles or departments within a company, aligning with the organization’s overall strategic goals. This can include promotions, lateral moves, job rotations, or temporary assignments. It is a strategic approach to talent development, enabling businesses to optimize their workforce, retain top performers, build essential skills, and foster a culture of growth. When implemented effectively, internal mobility benefits employees and employers by increasing engagement, reducing turnover, and ensuring the right people are in the right roles.

Why is internal mobility important?

Internal mobility is important for businesses as it leverages existing talent to help employees grow their careers and gain new insights into the company. Upskilling or re-skilling employees is generally more cost-effective than hiring externally, and internal hires tend to have higher retention rates than external hires. A strong internal mobility strategy can also attract top talent and foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Related: How to Conduct an Employee Evaluation

Types of internal mobility

Internal talent mobility encompasses a range of employee movement within an organization. This includes: 

• Promotions: Moving an employee to a higher-level position with increased responsibility.  
• Lateral moves: Transferring an employee to a different role at the same level, often to gain new skills or experience. 
• Reassignments: Shifting employees to a different department or team to address business needs or utilize their expertise.
• Temporary assignments/rotations: Providing employees with short-term opportunities to work in different areas of the company. 
• Stretch assignments: Giving employees challenging projects or tasks that push them beyond their current skill set.

Related: Improving Employee Development: How to Create and Manage a Skills Inventory at Your Company

Benefits of an internal mobility program

Employers can realize strategic benefits by building an internal talent mobility strategy, such as:

• Talent retention: Employees who see opportunities for growth within their current organization are more likely to stay. Internal mobility programs demonstrate a commitment to employee development, fostering loyalty and reducing turnover .  
• Cost savings: Filling open positions internally reduces recruitment costs associated with advertising, agency fees, and onboarding. Internal hires are already familiar with the company culture and usually require less training.
• Faster hiring: Internal hires can typically transition into new roles more quickly than external candidates, minimizing disruptions to workflows and projects. 
• Employee development: Internal mobility allows employees to develop new skills, expand their knowledge, and advance their careers. This creates a more versatile and skilled workforce. 
• Improved employee engagement: Employees who feel valued and see clear career paths within the organization increase their engagement and job satisfaction. This translates to higher productivity and better performance. 
• Succession planning: Internal mobility facilitates succession planning by identifying and developing high-potential employees for future leadership roles. 
• Enhanced company culture: Promoting internal mobility fosters a culture of growth, learning, and opportunity, which attracts and retains top talent. 

Read more: Unlocking Potential: How Career Development Plans Help Support Employee and Employer Growth

How to make internal mobility part of your company culture

Making internal mobility part of your company culture and implementing a successful program requires a strategic approach. It starts by securing support from senior management to ensure the program receives the necessary resources and commitment. Here are some more important steps:

1. Define objectives: Set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals for the program, such as reducing turnover, filling critical positions, or developing specific skills. Examples include reducing employee turnover or targeting the development of a specific number of employees with vital digital skills within a particular timeframe and filling a certain percentage of open managerial positions through internal candidates.
2. Communicate the program: Promote the benefits of internal mobility to employees and managers. Share the program through various channels, including internal newsletters, intranet postings, and employee meetings.
3. Identify talent: Create an internal acquisition team to identify high-potential employees. Evaluate their skills, interests, and career goals using performance reviews, skills assessments, and career development discussions.
4. Create internal opportunities: Establish a straightforward process for posting internal job openings and ensuring they are easily accessible to all employees. Encourage managers to prioritize internal candidates for open positions.
5. Provide development opportunities: Provide training, mentorship, and other development programs to equip employees with the skills required for new roles.
6. Streamline the transfer process: Make the internal transfer process as smooth and efficient as possible by minimizing paperwork and administrative hurdles.
7. Track and measure results: To evaluate the effectiveness of an internal mobility program, track the internal hire rate, employee retention rate, time-to-fill for open positions, employee satisfaction surveys, and cost savings from reduced external hiring. It is essential to regularly review and update the program to ensure it continues to align with the organization’s goals and meets employee expectations.
8. Foster a culture of mobility: Encourage managers to champion employee growth and development by recognizing and rewarding employees who pursue internal mobility. This support fosters a culture of advancement, enhances team morale and retention, and improves the employee journey.

Identify and maximize internal mobility opportunities

Employers who proactively identify and develop internal talent can help employees upgrade the skills needed to progress and create clear pathways for career advancement. This makes it easier for employees to move within the organization. To achieve this, employers can implement regular skills gap analyses to identify areas where employees need development. Additionally, creating a mentorship program can pair high-potential employees with experienced leaders, and using talent management software can track employee skills, performance, and career aspirations. A well-defined internal talent mobility strategy effectively communicates job openings across the company, with regularly updated descriptions of each position.

Related: Skills-Based Strategies to Future-Proof Your Workforce

By prioritizing an internal mobility strategy, organizations cultivate a dynamic, engaged workforce, aligning talent with strategic business goals. This proactive approach creates intentional career paths for employees and ensures sustained organizational growth and success in an ever-evolving market.