Creating Opportunity Within: How Employers Are Boosting Internal Mobility

BY Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza | November 15, 2023

Many think of promotions as a retention tool, but a new study by ADP suggests this strategy is not as sticky as imagined. The company looked at data from 1.2 million workers from 2019 to 2022 and found that within a month of their first promotion, 29% of people left their employer. At six months, those who had been recently promoted were just as likely to leave as their peers who hadn’t climbed the ladder.

In fact, ADP’s data indicates that a promotion increases the risk that someone will leave their employer, especially within the first six months of that promotion – that new job title makes them more confident, and more marketable. Simply bumping someone up a pay grade or giving them a higher-ranking job isn’t enough to keep them around.

The solution may be internal mobility. The notion of a “career ladder” that goes only up or down is losing its appeal, and workers are instead hopping across organizations. Someone may move laterally before they move up, said Gary Blith, head of executive search at insurance firm Humana. “As we try to guide the careers of others, it’s important to let them know that moving within the organization doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to be two or three steps up. It could be two or three steps to the side. What you’re gaining as you move laterally, that’s going to equip you to move up.”

Blinth joined From Day One’s September virtual conference on building a work environment to persevere through multiple challenges for a panel discussion titled “Creating Opportunity Within: How Employers Are Boosting Internal Mobility.” I moderated the panel in which the group talked about fruitful, low-cost ways to get workers moving around, growing their skills, and growing the company in the process.

Who Gets to Move Internally?

Internal mobility often requires upskilling and training opportunities, and panelists were keen to discuss their strategies. When planning to let workers start moving about, the first question to be answered is, Who gets to do so?

The panelists spoke about "Creating Opportunity Within: How Employers Are Boosting Internal Mobility" during From Day One's virtual conference (photo by From Day One)

At global marketing tech company Epsilon, those who get upskilling opportunities are initiative-takers, says Michael Dixon, the company’s global SVP of learning and organizational development.

They’ve demonstrated their desire in two ways: The first is that they’ve taken it upon themselves to start learning on their own, perhaps by earning a new certification or a coding language, for instance. “We see folks make the demand without doing the homework. If you’re looking for that new role in data science, but yet you haven’t consumed any of our wonderful AI-driven data science training or networked with somebody inside the company who’s got a Ph.D. in data science, we’re a little curious how you think you’re gonna pull that off.”

The second is that they’ve asked their manager for more responsibility, to work on a new project, sit in new meetings, or take on extra client work. “As a leader, I want to see that you’re willing to take on more before we ask you to, or especially before you ask to be given formal scope,” he said.

Training requires resources, of course, and sometimes they’re just not available at the moment. If you have to choose, then choose managers, said Meredith Haberfeld, founder and CEO of business training and development platform ThinkHuman. “If they’re trained and supported, they become a cascading force where they’re identifying growth areas, coaching people, and having developmental one-on-ones.”

Insurance provider VSP Vision is investing in making its workforce leadership-ready, so they’re poised to move whenever it’s time. “No matter where you sit, we’re looking at providing opportunities to upskill in business acumen, team development, and self-development so that at every layer in the organization, you’re ready to go,” said Jennifer Malena, the company’s VP of employee enablement. “We had several workshops on developing leadership skills, even if you’re not in leadership right now.”

What Skills Get Added to the Organization?

Savina Perez, co-founder of upskilling and training platform Hone, recommended first conducting an internal skill-gap analysis to identify what your current workforce needs to meet your future business goals. In tandem, stay abreast of trends in your industry – regulatory, tech-related, and otherwise. “Another opportunity to identify skills is doing industry analysis, understanding current market trends, staying updated with current research and reports, attending industry events, conferences, and workshops to hear what others in the field are saying.”

When picking what skills to instill in your newly mobile employees, prioritize efficiency, said Haberfeld. Ask, “What are the one or two behaviors that would have the biggest impact?” Potency matters too. She likes an 80/20 rule: “What 20% shift could have 80% of the impact?”

Low-Cost Training and Mobility Opportunities

There are opportunities already in your workplace waiting to be tapped. ThinkHuman uses bungee assignments: The chance to step out of one’s current role and briefly dip into another. That could be in the same team or business function, or in a new one altogether. “The person gets new connections, new perspectives, and new skills, enhancing what they have to offer and what they receive from the company,” said Haberfeld.

“Bungee assignments are high impact, but they’re also high effort,” she added, so enter only with appropriate support for employees and their managers to get it done productively.

Internal Mobility Is a Talent Magnet

Mobility is the stuff of growth, said Perez. “You’re not only able to hit business goals more efficiently and more quickly, but you’re also diversifying talent and breeding innovation. And, of course, you’re going to reduce turnover.”

Cutting back on training and opportunities for growth and development might save money for now, Dixon noted, but employees will notice, and they’ll notice what companies are providing what you’re not. “They’re going to go where they see that they have development and internal mobility. We see [talent development] as non-negotiable. We have to spend money to keep these folks here.”

Internal mobility can retain workers, and, just as well, it can attract new ones. “One of the distinct advantages of retaining your employees is that they’re great culture carriers,” said Blinth. “The longer someone has been at the organization, the more they’re embedded in the culture—you could use them on interview panels, and you could use them to help sell the organization.”

Creating movement is a means of cultivating belonging, he pointed out, and that feeling is contagious to those outside the organization. The more you give people to build their skills and move throughout the company, the more they understand the company is invested in their success. “We all want to work for an organization that has a strong culture, right? The more you upskill, the more you provide those opportunities. You’re equipping those folks to help you to sell the organization. They’re the talent magnet.”

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz at Work, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.

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