Use Storytelling to Promote Internal Mobility and Retain Talent

For a lot of organizations encouraging internal mobility is a great way to retain and develop talent. In this article I highlight a few of the benefits, some of the challenges, and how employee stories can be incorporated into mobility priorities.

Internal mobility has many benefits.

1. Talent development: when you provide employees with new challenges and opportunities within the company, they can develop new skills, gain new perspectives, and broaden their experience. This can help to create a more engaged and motivated workforce.
2. Improved retention: When employees feel like they have opportunities for growth and development within their company, they are less likely to look for those opportunities elsewhere. This can lead to improved retention and reduced turnover costs.
3. Increased efficiency: When employees are familiar with the company's processes, culture, and systems, they are able to hit the ground running in new roles. This can lead to increased efficiency and productivity.
4. Diversification: Internal mobility helps to diversify the workforce by giving employees from different departments and backgrounds a chance to work together. This can lead to new ideas and perspectives, and foster a more inclusive and diverse environment.

There are obstacles.

Internal mobility can be challenging for employees for several reasons:

1. Lack of opportunities: Employees may feel that there are limited opportunities for growth and development within their current company, making them less likely to pursue internal mobility options.
2. Fear of failure: Employees may be hesitant to take new roles because they fear they won't be successful or won't fit in with a new team.
3. Resistance to change: Employees may be resistant to change, and may not want to leave their comfort zone or familiar work environment.
4. Unclear career paths: Employees may not have a clear understanding of what opportunities are available to them within the company, making it difficult for them to plan their career path.
5. Lack of support: Employees may feel like they lack the support and resources they need to succeed in a new role, or may feel like they will be seen as a burden by their new team.
6. Inadequate training: Employees may feel that they are not adequately prepared for a new role because of a lack of training or development opportunities.

Many of these challenges are shaped by perception, influenced by managers, and very often the result of poor communication.

Try Employee Stories to Promote Your EVP and Leadership's Commitment to Mobility

One thing that can make or break Employee Mobility efforts is consistent and trusted communication about employees’ personal experiences and how they have benefited from your commitment to the employee experience.

Who the stories come from really matters. According to the Edelman “Trust Barometer” (a survey of 33,000 people in 28 countries), one in three people doesn’t trust their employer. Peers are motivated most by other peers, not messages from corporate.??

Personal employee stories are relatable and trusted by peers. They can reinforce benefits, debunk the myths, remove resistance, and motivate great employees to seek new opportunities rather than explore career development elsewhere.?

Use Employee Stories to Promote Specific Internal Job Opportunities?

As an external candidate you are bombarded with job ads and “We’re Hiring” posts.?For many companies it is hard to promote internal jobs because employees are overwhelmed with company top-down communications. Too much of the content they see is administrative in nature or strictly company promotions.

Employee experience stories related to specific internal roles can be leveraged to promote opportunities in a way that is more relatable, accessible and inspiring.

And matching employee experience stories with internal job descriptions is a really unique way to show internal candidates what is possible.

Capturing Employee Stories is Easy.

Ask Good Questions. Get Great Stories.

In our work building GoodSeeker we get the same two questions all the time.?

“I love the tool you built to simplify and centralize everything, but who do we ask for stories, and what do we ask?”? Great questions with easy answers.??

TIP: Who to ask for mobility success stories??

To identify potential story sharers you can talk to HR or even look at LinkedIn.? Ask for a list of people who transitioned into a new role over the last year, and who recently completed a milestone, i.e. new certification, employee awards, etc. Then invite these individuals to share their career journey story. You’ll be doing it at a point in time when they feel pretty good about the transition!??

You can also leverage LinkedIn.? Do an advanced search with criteria such as:?

• Up to 10 years of experience
• 3-5 years with your company
• Less than a year in a new role at your company
• Filter by keyword “certification”

You’ll end up with a group of employees who are more than likely willing to share their experience related to moving into new roles.

TIP: What to ask?

When asking for employee stories make sure that employee success is at the core of the content. Here are 15 questions you can ask to generate employee stories to support your communications strategy to promote internal mobility as a value at your company.?

1. What motivated you to seek new opportunities within ____?
2. What skills set you up for success in your new role at ____?
3. What were the keys to success in transitioning into your new role?
4. What three words describe the first month in your new role at ____?
5. Who made you feel welcome in your new internal role at ____?
6. When did you realize transitioning to a new role was the right decision?
7. What has been the most rewarding thing about moving into a new role?
8. What new skills have you learned from your new team?
9. How do you and your team help new internal hires succeed in their new role?
10. What advice do you have for someone curious about internal opportunities?
11. How have you been able to up-skill and find new opportunities at ____?
12. What new projects have challenged you to learn new skills?
13. How have you forged new relationships across the organization?
14. Share a story about a manager or leader discovering your hidden talents?
15. Share a story about your career journey and personal growth at ____.

How GoodSeeker Helps:?When companies sign up for our free trial we customize the platform to align with recruiting, engagement and marketing goals. This includes crafting perfect questions to load into the story generator. If mobility is a priority we'd love to explore whether or not employee stories can help.