Career and internal mobility: how to overcome challenges

Traditionally, the opportunity to build a career has been one of the company's advantages as an employer. Many companies include this point in their employer value proposition and tell candidates about it (especially relevant for young employees).

Also among the HR trends of 2023, the focus on the growth of internal mobility is one of very important (so-called "quiet hiring" becomes a reason for developing internal mobility).? It is not only about growth and development within one function, which has always been a classic of career building.? Now more and more attention is paid to the topic of horizontal career and movement between different branches (including geographically) or between different functions (with the possibility of learning a new profession).? Companies today are not only hiring candidates from outside but are increasingly creating opportunities for internal mobility and opportunities to build different career paths within the organization

Difficulties of ?internal mobility development

According to an Aptitude Research survey of more than 300 vice presidents of talent acquisition and talent management, recruiters, and IT professionals, 70% of employers say they have increased their investment in internal mobility. Meanwhile, 29% say executives make it difficult for internal candidates to apply for a position within their organization.

Also conducted by Cornerstone People Research Lab and Lighthouse Research & Advisory, the 2023 survey found that nearly three-quarters of workers worldwide want to know about career opportunities within their organization. And nearly 50% of them are more satisfied with their jobs if they can explore internal opportunities and know they are available. This also affects employee engagement, including the factor of internal career-building opportunities. And the likelihood of employees who are unaware of internal mobility opportunities and believe the company doesn't have them increases by 61%.

To develop internal mobility, many companies launch special internal platforms with vacancies, as well as training and retraining programs.? But without proper work with line managers, their effect can be minimal.? So what can be the challenges and how to overcome them?

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Managers resistance

Many companies create incentives for employees themselves, motivating them to apply for internal vacancies. But at the same time, immediate supervisors may be strongly opposed and discourage the employee in every way possible: both from an internal transition and from additional training.? To avoid this, several strategies can be utilized:

?Educate and motivate managers by showing the benefits of such mobility for them personally as well. As well as the costs and problems that limiting internal mobility entails, from hiring costs to losing top employees

?Create an incentive system that places greater emphasis on overall company performance

?Introduce an internal mobility manager position in large organizations who will be responsible for finding, developing, and promoting employees within the company

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Stereotypes about careers

?Often, many managers and employees believe that career development is about moving up the ladder. Horizontal moves or location changes are not seen as a bonus.? This is where both informational work on the part of HR and building new career trajectories for employees can help.? The more career options there are: managerial, expert, project/portfolio, the easier it is for a company to develop internal mobility.

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Internal mobility as part of company culture

According to Josh Bersin, co-founder and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company, one of the common mistakes employers make is to rely entirely on employee initiative. But in doing so, they don't create a culture within the company that fosters development, moving the individual within.

One of the important tools to promote internal mobility is to create a culture within the company that would motivate employees to develop and strive to move on. For this purpose, both traditional methods and modern approaches can be used.

For example, the growth and development of employees can take place through their involvement and participation in social responsibility programs (for example, as volunteers or coordinators).

Engaging employees as company ambassadors is no less effective: this way they not only develop their brand but also improve skills that may be useful to them in their new position. Plus it allows them to become more visible within the company, which means more chances for promotion.?

We tell you how to create such ambassadorship programs, develop employees and help them develop the company's culture in our course "Employees as Ambassadors".

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