How Employers Are Boosting Internal Mobility

BY Nick Wolny | June 23, 2023

Who you hire may not matter so much as how you onboard and develop them along the way.

In a rapidly changing world, internal mobility plans continue to be a powerful motivator for managers and employees alike. Skill sets for jobs have changed by 25% since 2015, and that number is expected to double by 2027, according to the latest LinkedIn Workforce Learning Report.

Reaching into untapped workforces and properly developing new talent can lead to higher-performing teams, said Addie Swartz, CEO & founder of reacHIRE, a workforce consulting company.

“For many different reasons, women often need to sideline their careers, and some men too,” Swartz said. “And these people represent an untapped talent pool that could really be fully utilized in corporations if they were given the right training, support, upskilling, and opportunities.” Swartz founded her company after a car accident involving her family forced her to step out the workforce to care for her daughter; along the way, she met many other skilled women who also wanted to eventually return to the workforce, and discovered a reskilling gap.

Leadership professionals need to pull multiple levers to win the present-day talent war, which is why streamlining internal mobility was the subject of a recent From Day One panel titled “How Employers Are Boosting Internal Mobility.”

Start With Your Leaders

At a time when stakeholders are figuring out how to achieve more with less, investing in leaders is “the gift that keeps on giving,” said Meredith Haberfeld, founder and CEO of ThinkHuman, a leadership consultancy.

“If leaders are focused on developing others, it's not all on HR and L&D to make that happen,” she added. Haberfield’s company uses a cohort model, which helps to create a support system that continues on after engagements are complete. “Learning journeys only last a certain amount of time. There's merit in one-on-one coaching for sure, but in a cohort we create this leadership community that then continues after that experience.”

Mapping out longer career roadmaps can further standardize and hardwire development efforts, said Lindsey Datta, vice president of human resources for Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Career roadmapping “allows for customization,” Datta said. “Working on a solid plan to help individuals in a variety of different ways ensures the right experiences on the job.” Datta shared about Thermo Fisher Scientific’s gigs initiative, which lets employees explore other areas of the company by being assigned to projects that provide five to 10 hours per month of exposure.

“A lot of people are really unsure. They don't know if they want to go into product management, or marketing. We are trying to give people a taste of that, so they don't have to say, ‘Okay, let me uproot my current career and make a huge transition,’” she added.

Nick Wolny, top left, moderated the conversation among Lindsey Datta of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Meredith Haberfeld of ThinkHuman, Diane Psaras Vitas Healthcare, Brian Little of Intel Corporation, and Addie Swartz of reacHIRE (photo by From Day One)

HR professionals should also keep up on technology advancements like artificial intelligence to help assuage fears among staff that jobs or opportunities will be automated away, said Brian Little, vice president of human resources for Intel.

“What you're seeing today is only the very tip [of AI], and it's going to change a lot more,” Little said. “From an HR perspective, AI today is something like a really good helper. It helps you screen resumes. From an employee benefit perspective, being able to see and diagnose challenges or opportunities you already have is good. But the bias is there.” Little cautioned that technologies like AI should be leveraged more to help, rather than replace, to ensure the human element isn’t lost in important initiatives.

How to Engage Employees at All Levels

To avoid siloing your development efforts to leadership only, consider connecting employees of all job titles to various business initiatives, said Diane Psaras, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Vitas Healthcare.

“The most impactful way we've been able to drive engagement at all levels and customize what folks get out of it has been through involvement in the business,” Psaras said.

“We also look at what skills individuals need to build. They learn so much about various dimensions of the business, as well as acquire skills on how to influence other people's perspectives and present to an executive audience, with respect to their own ideas,” she said. “Those two things have really gained a lot of momentum, and have gotten the most excitement from our employees.”

Internal mobility is critical for sustained business success. But learning and development cannot be isolated to upper management alone. Incorporate a coaching and learning culture throughout your organization and you’ll walk away with a more resilient workforce.

Nick Wolny is an editor, journalist, and consultant. Currently a senior editor at CNET, he has previously written for Fast Company, Fortune, Business Insider, and OUT Magazine, and is a frequent television commentator on technology and work life. He is based in Los Angeles.

Related Stories

Managers Are Overwhelmed. How Leadership Development Can Help Them

Shifting economic forecasts, mass layoffs, political turmoil, inflation, and exhausting news cycles have people feeling like they lack control. That troubled feeling is seeping into the workplace in the form of costly employee burnout.“Managers now really need support to address and handle the shifts and the impact on their teams, their functions, even, quite frankly, themselves,” said Rochelle Arnold-Simmons, the senior director of talent management at sportswear company Under Armor, during the closing panel at From Day One’s March virtual conference on employee engagement.Managers are taking on more responsibilities, and while their work is being supported by new innovations in HR tech, it doesn’t entirely solve the problem of being overwhelmed. Employers can step in to help alleviate their burdens, panelists said.The Problem of Unprepared First-Time ManagerIt begins with promoting and training the right managers.The first-time manager unprepared for the role is a major issue for employers. Managers often get the job because they were top individual contributors, “and a lot of times they lean heavily on what got them to that promotion in the first place, but being a manager is a totally different job,” said Derek Greenacre, head of talent management at commercial insurance firm AXA XL. Organizations, he said, need to do a better job of helping new managers “ruthlessly prioritize” what’s most valuable for the business.The problem is, executives don’t always bother to help. Executive coach Adam Weber gave this example: An executive team makes a big strategic change that affects everyone in the business, but they fail to give managers context or instructions on how to implement the changes. “As soon as they share this new bold initiative, their team asks the one question that the manager doesn’t have the answer to,” Weber said. “So the manager is in this really confusing spot: They can either fake it–and it’s really obvious to the team that they’re faking it–or worse, and more common is that they commiserate and join the team.”Executives need managers on board,  but without support, they set them up to oppose the change, even tacitly. “As leadership teams, we need to share as much context as we possibly can when big decisions are made.” Gather managers for a town hall and ask, “What’s the toughest question your team will ask?’” Provide answers to those FAQs. “Equip them to be an advocate for the company,” Weber said.Feeling Safe Enough to FailManagers must feel comfortable and confident enough to press leaders for more information. It helps to have a culture where senior leaders are already candid about the mistakes they make themselves, said Kavita Juvvadi, director of HR tech transformation at Amtrak. This sets the tone for a team “where there is no fear of retaliation or criticism, a culture where mistakes are normalized and treated as opportunities to learn from, rather than failures.” In short: psychological safety.Of course, ask any manager and they will tell you that their team is psychologically safe, but how do you really know? “If all the decisions are escalated to the top level, that’s an indication that people don’t feel empowered,” she said, “They may be afraid to make the decisions for fear of being wrong.”Developing Managers Within the OrganizationMore than 11,000 Baby Boomers turn 65 every day, which means employers are facing rafts of retirements and open leadership roles. Not only are companies losing years of institutional knowledge, they have to spur succession plans and prepare new managers to climb the ladder.This is especially true for industries like accounting and insurance, which over-index for older workers. This is what Greenacre is facing at AXA XL. To prepare, the company has invested quite a bit of money into building skill profiles for key roles. They then map them across the organization and say, “I know you’ve only thought of yourself in this particular product line, but have you considered other places where you might be able to almost cross pollinate the other?”Journalist Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza moderated the panel (photo by From Day One)One way to avoid new manager regret is to begin vetting and training them years ahead of time. This is why Juvvadi prefers to fill leadership roles internally, “because we have an opportunity to observe talent over a longer period of time,” watching those who “may not have a title but are problem-solvers, who naturally identify inefficiencies, who are action-oriented, who are early adopters of technology and innovation. Future leaders are sometimes hidden stars in non-traditional roles.”Arnold-Simmons likes to identify high-potential people early and invest in their careers, in part to retain them, with things like executive coaching and career development. “We look to see where our gaps are, and then find those leaders that we believe can accelerate.”Even if you’re not regretting the promotions the company has made and you’re satisfied with your succession strategy, don’t neglect your people managers. “No matter how big your company is, it’s better to do something than nothing” to help them do their jobs, said Weber. He recommended two things: First, create a one-page guide on what it means to be a manager in your organization” expectations for one-on-ones, how to give feedback to team members, and how to delegate tasks. And second, gather managers to problem-solve together. “Have one person show up with a problem and let people ask questions, then start brainstorming ways to solve the problem together.”Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is an independent journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about business and the world of work. Her work has appeared in the Economist, the BBC, The Washington Post, Inc., and Business Insider, among others. She is the recipient of a Virginia Press Association award for business and financial journalism.(Photo by wenich-mit/iStock)

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza April 04, 2025

Fostering a Workplace Culture of Purpose, Passion, and Play

While data and process are important elements of running a global business, Liz Ference, head of employee experience at Mattel, says “there’s something that’s really missed when we don’t [consider] the qualitative side of things as well.” There are key aspects of the employee experience that numbers can’t convey, which she discussed during a fireside chat with moderator Nicole Smith of Harvard Business Review at From Day One’s March virtual conference.It can be easy to treat employee experience as a catch-all, so when Ference started in her current role she charted out the employee life cycle into a comprehensive experience map. This exercise helped identify important questions about how the company facilitates talent acquisition and management. It also led to deeper insights into employee programs and experiences that enabled her to see possible gaps while understanding the business levers available to influence change.The Company’s MissionMattel has shifted its mission from well-being and optimism to incorporate the themes of purpose, passion, and play, Ference says. This strategy encourages team members to balance efficiency and achievement with recognizing the value of their work and taking the opportunity to experience everyday joy. One way to do this is by bringing the magic of what they do to the center of their employee experience. This allows everyone—even team members separated from the company’s products—to boost their sense of purpose by seeing and participating in this positive collective experience.Given the business that Mattel is in, the company sees play as not only an important business lever but a basic human imperative, according to Ference. She acknowledges that it can be hard to find time to play in an overwhelming, deadline-driven environment, emphasizing the value of creating play opportunities that are authentic to your culture and business. “This is actually when we need to create the space for it more than ever,” she said. While Mattel has fun experiences built into its everyday culture—like a life-sized Barbie box for selfies or a giant Hot Wheels van that can be used as a meeting space—the company is also purposeful about creating occasions for teams to step away from deadlines and have fun or learn together.Signs and Impacts of BurnoutLeaders need to notice when their team is approaching burnout and offer support to get them back to a place of balance. Regarding burnout, Ference says, “[it’s] completely lost its original definition from the World Health Organization, and it’s kind of a synonym now for just being stressed out. But [that] speaks to how ubiquitous it is.” When in burnout, people may distance themselves from their work or distance themselves emotionally from their coworkers. You might notice that their days are full of wall-to-wall meetings, which means they don’t have time or space for deep-focus work, breakthrough thinking, or life outside of work.Nicole Smith of HBR interviewed Liz Ference of Mattel during the fireside chat (photo by From Day One)“You can have the best benefits package in the world. You can have all of these community events, [and] development opportunities for your people. But if people are not prioritizing that space because they’re so rushed in both areas of life, then they won’t get to those things,” Ference said. She and her team try to counteract burnout by creating space for self-care, development work, and community.Embracing Inclusion and AuthenticityMattel has recently launched new programs to support employee well-being and personal growth. One is a global well-being platform, in partnership with Modern Health, which offers free therapy, coaching, and other resources. The second is a series of personal growth programs that employees have reported are life-changing experiences. Lastly, as people and relationships are one of the largest impacts on the employee experience, Ference says, they ensure that leaders and teams are empowered to make time for community and culture events.To ensure an exceptional employee experience across a large, diverse workforce, Mattel uses a global-to-local approach that relies on regional business partners to optimize broad benefit and community programs for local cultures before integration. The company also maintains its strong public commitment to inclusion. “We talk a lot about how our products and brands are a reflection of the communities that we serve,” she said. “If we didn’t walk that talk and have our employees bring their unique lived experiences to the creation process, our products and our brands would no longer be as culturally relevant as they are.” Mattel’s ten employee resource groups create a sense of belonging through frequent events, relevant speakers, and other community moments.Tools and MeasurementWith so much data to sift through, analyze, and interpret, Ference and her team have implemented a listening strategy. Among multiple platforms and sites that gather and organize employee experience data, one key piece is the company’s Global Pulse Survey. The quantitative employee responses to this survey help them understand whether an initiative is building engagement and going in the direction they had hoped, she says. By combining data across all touchpoints, they can identify and communicate action-oriented themes to improve the employee experience. The company reduces bias in its interpretation and application of these themes in part by embracing artificial intelligence for data analysis.In addition to her leadership role, Ference is a coach in the company’s executive coaching program. She helps leaders use deeper listening and feedback skills to shift performance management from an annual event to an ongoing coaching discussion that continuously empowers employees.When employees achieve balance and start to feel more empowered and flexible, leaders will notice them using their benefits and doing things that energize and refresh them, like taking PTO or engaging in development courses. Employees return revitalized and drive creativity and innovation by infusing their renewed passion into their work.Jessica Swenson is a freelance writer based in the Midwest. Learn more about her at jmswensonllc.com.(Photo by Aum racha/iStock)

Jessica Swenson April 03, 2025

Attracting and Retaining Employees: Essential Tips for Leaders

Gone are the days when competitive compensation alone could secure top talent. As external pressures mount, Robert Foster, AVP of TA at Amtrak, has observed that candidates are prioritizing long-term security over pure compensation. He emphasized the need for transparency in hiring while highlighting that employees can enhance their value through continuous skill development. “I encourage people to control what they can control, which is their own work ethic, skill set, ability to stretch and reach across the aisle,” he said during an executive panel discussion at From Day One’s February virtual conference. Felix Mitchell, co-CEO of talent solutions business Instant Impact, highlighted the organizational responsibility that accompanies this shift. “We need to think about what we’re doing with learning and development, with re-skilling, and with career pathing, to make sure that we’re preparing our teams for a world where maybe we’re seeing a lot of restructuring and a lot of change,” said Mitchell. Amid the anxiety that comes with uncertainty, maintaining humanity throughout the recruitment process has become essential. Kim Stevens, senior TA manager at Employ, says the importance of clarity and communication while balancing the use of AI is crucial. A compassionate approach isn’t just good ethics, it’s good business, she says. “Uncertainty is, unfortunately, the norm in our space,” Stevens said. “What comes with that is that high anxiety from candidates who are applying, who are going through rigorous interviews. For me, it starts with really making sure that clarity and communication are top of mind.”Technology can help in the communication process as well, says Mitchell. Technology should enhance rather than replace human interaction during the recruitment process. “I absolutely love that framing of bringing that humanity back into the candidate experience,” Mitchell said. “The technology and all this cool AI... they’re only impactful where they can improve that candidate experience, and where they have really human impacts at the end of the day.”Reimagining Employer-Employee RelationshipsAttracting and retaining talent has also evolved, says David Bach, senior director of TA at LabCorp. “Attraction and retention comes down to redefining the model that worked in previous generations,” Bach said. “I saw a LinkedIn post the other day. It made me giggle. It said, 'My salary is just my employer’s subscription fee to me every month,’” he said. “It’s really kind of almost become that.”Journalist Alexis Hauk moderated the panel discussionBach suggested a more structured approach to these modern employment relationships, including “defined employment contracts with notice periods, long-term incentives for all employees, fair and transparent severance policies, and comprehensive benefits that meet modern needs.” This shift recognizes that while the pension-based employment model isn’t returning, organizations can create frameworks that provide both flexibility and security.Evolving Expectations Across GenerationsThe panel explored how different generations approach employment, with Shantra Laye, VP of campus recruiting at South State Bank, offering insights on Gen Z candidates.“Gen Z’s are looking for culture. They’re looking for purpose-driven organizations,” Laye said. “They’re asking questions about sustainability, community impact, and less about traditional benefits. They’re looking for flexibility and work-life balance.”While acknowledging these patterns, Mitchell cautioned against overemphasizing generational differences. “I think the difference between Gen Z and the rest of the workforce is overplayed,” he said, suggesting that broader workforce trends affect all generations, though they may be felt more acutely by younger workers.The thorny question of remote work continues to divide corporate America, with some executives pushing for full returns to office while others embrace hybrid or fully remote arrangements. “Having been remote for seven years, it’s harder to get noticed. You have to make a really concerted effort,” said Bach. However, he added, “I think it improved upon my mental health and my relationship with my family.”Bach suggested that companies uncomfortable with remote work often have more fundamental issues to address: “If an organization is uncomfortable with people working in a remote environment, it’s because they don’t have the right systems and processes set up to monitor productivity and employee performance. And if that’s the reason that you’re not allowing remote or hybrid work, fix your process.”Sometimes the solution isn’t to revert to old ways, and instead looking to fix a process. In an uncertain job market, the most valuable offering employers can provide isn’t permanence–it’s authenticity. Successful recruitment and retention today is about creating environments people “want to stay and where they feel valued,” said Stevens. In a world where uncertainty has become the norm, perhaps the most valuable offering isn't a promise of forever, but a commitment to honesty, growth, and mutual respect.Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media.(Photo by BrianAJackson/iStock)

Christopher O'Keeffe March 18, 2025