Internal Mobility - Where should it sit...

Where should internal mobility sit within an organisation

Internal mobility can often be a source of frustration for many organisations. Employees who are promoted from within the company may not have all of the skills required for their new roles, while those who stay in the same positions may be under-utilising their potential. To ensure that internal mobility is done in a way that is beneficial for both the employees and the organisation, it needs to be situated in the right place within an organisational structure. In this article, we will explore why internal mobility should sit at the top of an organisation’s priority list and some suggestions how to do it effectively.

What is internal mobility?

Internal mobility is the process of moving employees within an organisation from one job to another. It can be used to develop employees' skills and knowledge, up-skill, cross-skill and progress employees to meet organisational needs.

There are a number of benefits of thinking deeply about internal mobility, including:

• Developing employees' skills and knowledge: Employees who are given the opportunity to move within an organisation can develop new skills and knowledge, which can be beneficial for both the employee and the organisation.
• Meeting organisational needs: Internal mobility can help organisations to meet their changing needs, by providing them with a pool of skilled and knowledgeable employees.
• Improving retention: Internal mobility can help to improve retention rates, as it gives employees a reason to stay with an organisations ever-evolving and advancing environment to upskill and progress.
• Enhancing career development: Internal mobility can enhance career development, as it allows employees to progress within an organisation.
• Increased staff retention and engagement: Employees who feel like they have opportunities to move up within an organisation are more likely to stick around, and be more engaged in their work.
• Greater organisational knowledge and understanding: Employees who move around within an organisation are able to build up a greater understanding of how the organisation works, which can be beneficial when it comes to making decisions or solving problems.
• Improved succession planning: Internal mobility can help organisations identify potential future leaders, and ensure that there is a pipeline of talent ready to step into senior roles when needed.
• Cost savings: Hiring from within can be cheaper than recruiting externally, as there is no need to pay for advertising or search fees. Additionally, internal moves tend to take less time than external hires, as the new employee is already familiar with the organisation.
• Time saving and productivity increase: the time and people involved in inducting and on-boarding a new person compared to the company IP and heavily reduced time to up-skill someone who has been in your environment for months / years etc, saves a lot of time and cost.

The challenges of Internal Mobility

The challenges of internal mobility are many and varied, but can be broadly grouped into three main areas: logistical, cultural, and organisational.

Logistical challenges include things like the costs associated with moving employees around, both in terms of actual monetary costs and opportunity costs. There can also be disruptions to productivity as employees adjust to new roles and responsibilities.

Cultural challenges relate to the attitudes and beliefs of employees about internal mobility. There may be a perception that it is difficult to move up within an organisation, or that those who do move are disloyal or not committed to their current team. Additionally, there can be a feeling of "us vs them" between those who have moved and those who haven't, which can lead to tension, jealousy and resentment.

Organisational challenges include things like ensuring that there is a good fit between the needs of the organisation and the skills and experience of the employee, as well as managing expectations on both sides. There can also be issues with communication and co-ordination between different departments when an employee moves to a new role.

How to make internal mobility work for your organisation

Internal mobility can be a great way to improve employee engagement and retention, as well as help your organisation move talent around to where it is needed most. But, like anything, there needs to be a plan in place to make sure it is successful. Here are some tips (again, personal opinion) on how to make internal mobility work for your organisation:

1. Define what internal mobility means for your organisation. Is it simply moving employees around within their current department or team? Or do you want to encourage employees to move into new roles or even different parts of the business? Having a clear definition will help you create a strategy that meets your organisation's needs.

2. Communicate the benefits of internal mobility to employees (current and future). Employees need to understand why internal mobility is important and how it can benefit them personally. Make sure you communicate the benefits, both internally and externally, early and often so that employees and external talent are more likely to buy into the concept.

3. Create a system for tracking employee movement. This will help you keep track of who is moving where and when, as well as identify any patterns or trends in employee movement. It will also be helpful if you ever need to justify the costs of internal mobility to exec teams, senior management or other stakeholders.

4. Put together a team of champions / Task force who will drive internal mobility within your organisation. These champions, teams or departments (if you're lucky enough) should be passionate about the concept and be able to engage and motivate other employees. They should also have a good understanding of your organisation's structure and culture so that they can match people into roles, geographies and teams that will challenge them immediately, and medium-long term.

Conclusion

Internal mobility is an important tool and driver for any organisation, as it helps to ensure that the right people are in the right roles. By focusing on developing individual employees and providing them with opportunities to move around within the organisation, businesses can benefit from stronger teams, improved morale, creative innovation, increased productivity and increased competitiveness. Ultimately, internal mobility should be part of a comprehensive talent management and people strategy which is tailored to the specific needs of each business in order to drive greater performance gains over time.