Internal mobility is an excellent tool to show an organization’s employees that the company is interested in them and that it offers them opportunities for growth and experience. In this way, the talents that take advantage of this resource will have more experience, will be more grateful and committed to the company, and will improve their performance.
Internal mobility of personnel is an important factor that individuals take into account when choosing a job. Usually, candidates are looking for growth opportunities in an organization, so if you have a large company with more than 1000 people, it is an excellent way to ensure their commitment and dedication.
I write my essay to explain what internal mobility is and how it can be promoted within an organization. In exchange for a modest investment, the company and its employees will be filled with benefits, making it an excellent opportunity to strengthen the bond between talents and the company.
What is internal mobility?
Like many concepts in the world of work, internal mobility has been around for a long time, but it has been boosted by the development of practices to retain talent and the transformation of the labor ecosystem in recent years.
Internal mobility in companies is the internal transfer of employees, changing their job position, role, or function so that they can work in another area of the organization. This practice is increasingly important for talent management and employee experience, as it provides professional development alternatives and enhances the career quality of the employees who carry it out.
As Harvard Business Review mentions, more than 4 million employees quit their jobs every month in the U.S. alone, one of the reasons being that people are increasingly reexamining what they want from their work and career. It is no longer only the monetary aspect that influences an employee to be part of an organization, but other personal and professional factors come into play.
And this is where internal mobility comes in: that rotation in the job position so that an employee adapts to another function in which he or she will probably perform better than in his or her previous position.
Advantages of internal mobility
The internal mobility process offers a number of advantages for both the organization and the employee. Regardless of whether it is a voluntary movement or one that the needs of the company have produced, it is important to consider the application of this type of movement within your company.
Do you want to know why it is important to apply this process in your business? Here are some of the main benefits of applying this strategy in your organization.
- The employee’s professional career is boosted
One of the highlights of internal mobility is that it allows employees to improve and boost their professional careers, regardless of whether it is a temporary coverage or a permanent change.
The good thing is that if an organization knows the potential and value of a mobilized employee, it avoids the risk of making a bad hiring within the company, with the costs and consequences that this represents.
- It is possible to have a greater optimization of time
Time is a key element within companies. Through internal mobility, it is possible to save efforts in the execution of processes that, otherwise, would take more time if it were a question of the entry of a new candidate to the organization.
For example, a mobilized employee does not have to be taught about the company’s culture because he/she already knows and has mastered the main concepts. This would avoid greater wear and tear in the execution of processes for the Human Resources department.
- There is greater loyalty
Showing your employee that you trust him/her to fill a specific position is part of a strategy to ensure the employee’s loyalty to the company. This improves talent retention and reduces turnover rates.
Likewise, it is also motivating for the employee to know that his or her qualities are trusted and that the company does not need to fill the vacancy with external agents.
- It offers a greater boost to the brand
Having a satisfied and motivated work team increases the possibility of improving the company’s reputation and prestige. This is also revealed in the company’s environment since the brand is consolidated as an organization that offers opportunities to its collaborators to maintain sustained and permanent growth.
And this will happen thanks to the employees themselves, who will be directly responsible for enhancing the company’s image. And, in today’s work environment, it is much more important for a candidate to value aspects such as employer branding more than the salary he or she might receive.
What are the types of internal mobility?
With the labor flexibility characteristic of the 21st century, you will see that there are several types of internal mobility, as they are not all the same. You must know each one in order to know which internal mobility strategy to implement.
In this sense, there are several types of internal mobility that can exist within organizations. Below, we explain how each of them works.
- Horizontal mobility
Also known as transversal or functional, this type of internal mobility occurs when the change takes place from one job to another within the same hierarchical level of the organization.
What happens within this job mobility? Basically, it is a labor mobilization to another position with a similar level of responsibility to the previous one, although it does not fulfill the same functions. It can take 2 forms:
- Job-to-job change: salaries are maintained, even if it is a different position.
- Transfer: the departmental location is changed, although the responsibilities, salary, and corresponding tasks are maintained.
Vertical mobility
Unlike horizontal mobility, in this case, the employee is transferred to a position with greater responsibilities and involves a change not only at the hierarchical level but also in terms of salary.
This mobility can be produced by variables such as seniority or by the employee’s merits. Likewise, the employee’s professional career will be enhanced, which is why this type of labor mobility is usually part of talent retention strategies.
Geographic mobility
In this type of mobility, there is a physical change in the place where he/she performs their duties. This is when an employee moves to another workplace, even though they continue to perform the same functions.
This labor mobility can occur both nationally and internationally. Even though it does not involve greater responsibilities, it is usually a factor that is highly coveted by employees, who also see this change as an advancement in their professional careers.
To help you with your internal mobility plan, we present our free job promotion letter template, with which you will have the opportunity to convey the good news to your employees and recognize them for their good performance in the company.
How to develop an internal mobility plan?
Since internal functional mobility is a practice that is not very complex to carry out, there are no internal mobility manuals or a series of strict steps on how to carry it out. For this reason, we share with you the 3 keys established by the Forbes portal to make the most of internal mobility.
Below, you will discover the best way to promote an internal mobility strategy in your organization.
- Make internal mobility part of the corporate culture.
At this point, talents should be encouraged to raise their hands when they find an internal vacancy they would be interested in filling. It is about helping them not to be afraid of facing new challenges and showing them that the organization considers them valid to fill the vacancy in question.
How can this be done? Some of the formats in which these approaches can take place are as follows:
- Mentoring
- Training programs
- Face-to-face meetings
- Informal meetings (depending on the type of company).
- Developing and formalizing the internal mobility program
Internal mobility rules and protocols often vary from one company to another, leaving it up to one department or another. Whichever way you decide to go, make sure it is clear and accessible to all employees so as not to waste time.
The idea is that in your internal mobility program, you can explain not only the objective of this strategy but also the way in which these modifications will take place within the work teams.
- Listen and listen to the ambitions of employees
Looking very carefully for a new star contract is fine, but do not neglect the time and energy of cultivating internal talent. To tap the potential of internal mobility, a group of managers should conduct internal audits to listen to employees, to understand their desires, needs or ambitions and to bring out the best in each of them.
Companies that have proven to listen to employees are often models where internal mobility works well. This improves the company’s image of the outside world.
Internal mobility has proven to be an excellent strategy within organizations. Not only to ensure employee retention within companies but also to reduce recruitment processes in companies and save them time, effort, and money that can be spent on other activities.
Although it is always important to check that your employee is sufficiently prepared to face the consequences of moving within the company. The idea is to look for human talent within the organization and train your team to fulfill various responsibilities within the company.
This has been our post. Learning about internal mobility and its impact on organizations will be of great help to keep your employees within the company and avoid wasting time with numerous recruitment processes.
Good luck!
