The Importance of Giving Workers New Opportunities Within Their Companies

BY Stephanie Reed | October 31, 2024

Intuitively, business leaders and HR professionals know it’s important to offer their workers career mobility within their companies. And it turns out research underscores the benefits to both workers and employees. According to McKinsey & Company, internal mobility in the form of advancement and other opportunities leads to less turnover and more engaged employees.

What strategies, programs, and policies are organizations creating to support their employees' career trajectories? How are organizations creating a culture where employees are encouraged to learn other skills and transition into other positions within their companies?

From Day One’s Boston conference last month featured a panel of business leaders sharing successful strategies they’ve implemented in their organizations to support internal mobility.

Career Growth as a Collaborative Effort

“How much onus is on the individual employee, versus the employer, to seek out ways to advance,?” asked Katie Johnston, moderator and reporter for the Boston Globe asked the speakers. Anne Feeley, global talent and success leader at the health-sciences company Revvity, replied that initiative from the employee and employer is equally necessary.

Feeley said that at Revvity, employees are encouraged to ask about advancement opportunities. The company also has an established, annual talent review to strategize individual career development. During the review, their HR partners discuss who has shown interest in other positions within the company. “[W]ho are those personalities who could try new things? And then we really focus 11 out of the 12 months on developing them and progressing those opportunities for them.”

Showing this consistent attention to advancement is crucial, according to another McKinsey & Company report: 70% of employees believe work defines their sense of purpose. Company leaders and managers must match the aspirations of their workers by facilitating programs to help workers find meaning and purpose in their careers. Or they risk losing them.

Jason Cerrato, VP of talent-centered transformation at Eightfold, a talent-intelligence platform, described Eightfold Talent Management, which allows employees to see how their skills can be used in other positions and identifies career openings needing to be filled. Eightfold Talent Management blends employee initiative with organizational guidance and leadership.

Stephanie Ricks, director of corporate development and technology partnerships at Strategic Education, discussed the company’s educational platform Workforce Edge, where workers can browse a library of certifications, degree programs, and courses. Workforce Edge is an innovative solution to underutilized tuition-assistance programs, providing educational and training resources that company tuition-assistance policies often don't cover, Ricks said.

Shardé Marchewski, global head of DEI and social impact at the furnishings company Wayfair, discussed a program called the Career Jungle Gym where employees can seek new positions. Wayfair has also generated an internal-mobility pool where current employees are considered first for newer positions before searching for talent externally. Marchewski explained that in addition to allowing employees to create their career paths, underrepresented employees have experienced more opportunities to apply to different positions.

Maintaining Engagement

What if an employee is happy with their role? What if an employee has already obtained a PhD and is at their highest skill level? In what ways can an organization keep them engaged? Alexandra Kiniry, the regional head of talent acquisition at the industrial and consumer-products company Henkel, recommended providing those employees with opportunities to mentor or lead special projects. “I had one woman on the team 42 years with the company, another gentleman 30 years, and same kind of thing,” Kiniry said. “Just always engaging them in things, in departments that touched our department, or, like I said, that mentorship.”

Feeley shared how Revvity created a “gigs” program where employees spend up to 12 weeks on a project for skill development. Revvity also launched a scientific forum where employees can learn more about their field and receive guidance on their career trajectories.

The goal is to cast a wide net for internal talent to collaborate with managers and leaders for their career trajectory. Employees take the initiative to inquire about other positions, different skills, and special projects that contribute to feeling purposeful within their organizations. Then, by collaborating with managers and leaders on special projects and mentorships by utilizing mobility policies, employees feel a sense of purpose, self-direction, and support within their organizations.

Jason Cerrato, VP of talent-centered transformation at Eightfold, shared insights on the importance of internal mobility 

LinkedIn News reported that workers who move internally are 64% more likely to stay at an organization longer than three years. Internal mobility is a sustainable strategy for employer and employee success. “The people that are leaving are often saying, ‘I didn’t know there was a path,’ Cerrato said. “So all the things we’re talking about today are finding ways to both make that more transparent as well as create a broader audience for inclusion.”

Stephanie Reed is a freelance writer focused on news and marketing; Much of her work features small business owners throughout diverse industries. She is passionate about promoting ethical and eco-conscious businesses.

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Embracing Change by Evolving Employee Mindsets and Skill Sets

Technical innovation is continuously streamlining processes and departments, from customer service to daily operations and paperwork, leading to the creation of new roles and a transformation of the modern workplace. As a result, this opens up new opportunities for HR leaders to develop holistic talent management programs and employee development initiatives.At From Day One’s Denver conference, Judith Almendra, group vice president of people and culture at TTEC, shared her perspective on incorporating holistic change management solutions to help employees adjust to new roles and continue to professionally evolve amid these changes.“I think it is very important for us to have to make sure that nobody’s filling in the blank with thoughts that may be counterproductive to what we’re trying to achieve, which is truly driving the business forward with our people-centric mindset,” Almendra said to moderator Elizabeth Hernandez, reporter for the Denver Post.TTEC is an international customer experience company blending human and AI interactions, providing organizations with effective customer service. The technological advancements help deliver effective solutions that can reduce the employee workload.With a reduced workload, employees then have opportunities to build other skills for other roles and achieve new career goals. For example, in 2020 the organization launched its Rewire initiative, where leaders meet and restrategize processes, people programs, and more for holistic business outcomes, says Almendra.TTEC also launched Rewiring for Success, an effective change management solution where employees can ask questions about their career prospects and get information from company leaders.“Change can drive a lot of anxiety in a lot of us, right? It can be intimidating,” Almendra said. “What does it mean for my job? Is my job at risk? [These] were some of the questions that we were getting early on that we were trying to make sure we could address in a timely and very proactive manner.”New Skills, New OpportunitiesAfter evaluating their career trajectories, employees at TTEC move forward by reinventing their skill sets or mastering new ones. Their program called I Aspire offers employees a space to share their career goals and aspirations and have TTEC facilitate their new skill development. By engaging with leaders who act as mentors, employees create new career trajectory goals and advance into new roles within the organization.Almendra recalled her career trajectory with appreciation. She is the first generation of her family to receive an MBA, and was initially an accountant. However, she faced challenges finding finance roles. Almendra needed to adapt to change and eventually joined TTEC, where she was encouraged into different roles, like communications and talent management, until landing her current role in people and culture.Judith Almendra of TTEC spoke with Elizabeth Hernandez of the Denver PostHR employees ultimately benefit from acquiring new skill sets as the modern workforce continues to transform. Taking opportunities to learn new skills and working with a mentor will open new doors, says Almendra. “I think continuous learning is so important in today’s environment, to stay relevant, to stay competitive, to stay fulfilled. We just cannot afford not to learn.” Achieving a Unified VisionHow can companies align on a shared vision of success amid workplace and culture shift? And how can leaders foster employee growth and drive expansion while staying focused on business goals? asked Hernandez. On their talent platform, TTEC Talent, leaders record their goals onto the platform and refer to Rewire to confirm they align with the company's goals. Continuing to adopt a more organic approach to business strategy, leaders from each group are encouraged to meet, define their top priorities, and list three things they can do to achieve positive business outcomes, says Almendra.With fewer rigid priorities or fixed meet-up schedules, and by leveraging a range of engaging programs and initiatives, leaders gain greater flexibility, tools, and support to achieve personal goals while driving positive business outcomes. These shifts reflect the evolution of HR, the adoption of a more adaptable employee mindset, and the expansion of skill sets to shape and thrive in new, dynamic roles.Stephanie Reed is a freelance news, marketing, and content writer. Much of her work features small business owners throughout diverse industries. She is passionate about promoting small, ethical, and eco-conscious businesses.

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Then, during their town hall, the CFO and HR Director offer solutions to what was shared. “This feedback led to changes like implementing paternity leave, increasing contributions to the 401(k), and making December 24th a full day off,” he said. “It reinforces the sense that ‘my voice matters,’ because if feedback goes into the ether, employees feel unheard.”Getting Specific With NeedsCora Claus, VP of HR at Burlington Stores, emphasized the importance of understanding the employee population: who are they? What do they need? What do they want? “I work for a retailer, largely female based, and for a long time we had a lot of them going on leave of absence, starting their families, and they’re not getting paid but a minimum wage,” she said. “We now are implementing policies: as you’re designing the policies, who are you writing them for?”Getting to know the workforce also means helping to clear away any misconceptions. 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