How Internal Mobility Improves Employee Engagement and Retention

What is Internal Mobility?

Internal mobility is a talent movement process within an organisation, both laterally and vertically. An internal mobility strategy can encourage employees to take on new growth opportunities that align with career goals and business priorities.

Internal mobility strategies encompass organisational frameworks created to enable more talent agility to give the best talent a broader range of opportunities to develop engaged employees and a more resilient organisation.

An internal mobility strategy offers considerable benefits for companies and employees as it saves time and money and improves diversity and innovation in the workplace. By giving employees a chance to engage in new experiences and advance in their careers, an internal mobility program contributes to people’s long-term and short-term professional goals.

The Importance of Talent Mobility and Employee Mobility

You may be wondering why internal mobility matters. Talent and employee mobility help employees gain flexibility and more opportunities to shift between organisational roles. Promoting talent mobility can increase employee engagement and job satisfaction by improving productivity and performance. The purpose of talent mobility is to leverage each team member’s skills, traits and abilities to support their growth as well as the growth of the company.

Promoting talent retention within the organisation is one of the best ways to advocate for a more diverse and inclusive workforce. Facilitating internal mobility can help organisations foster diversity across all levels by upskilling and training existing talent and utilising internal mobility programs, which can strengthen employee satisfaction among existing employees.

Furthermore, studies show that employees reported 41% would stay within an organisation that hires from within. Therefore, internal mobility can have a positive impact on employee retention and employee engagement. The lack of career progression is one of the biggest reasons employees seek other job opportunities. If companies offer career development opportunities, employees are more likely to stay.

The Link Between Internal Mobility and Employee Engagement

The growth of any organisation relies on the ability to engage, attract and retain top talent. It has slowly become one of the most significant factors in achieving organisational goals. Internal mobility refers to the movement of employees within an organisation from one department to another.

By understanding the different methods for facilitating internal mobility, companies will be better prepared to employ strategies that nurture their workforce’s continuous development and growth. The relationship between employee engagement and internal mobility can proliferate when employees can move across roles and departments within their organisation.

Internal mobility opportunities include continuous growth and development. It also helps improve skills and job satisfaction while developing valuable positive experiences that help employees become more engaged.

Impact on Employee Retention

Employee retention is a measure of companies and their ability to retain their employees. It requires strong management practices and fostering job satisfaction while investing in talent development, personal growth and recognising success. It adds more value to the organisation’s onboarding and hiring process by ensuring all employees can acclimate to the company procedures and policies. Additionally, it helps companies save costs related to recruitment.

Employee retention is highly beneficial as it directly leads to more significant employee satisfaction. Internal mobility facilitates learning and development while increasing employee loyalty as they move from role to role within the same organisation. Ultimately, this helps promote higher employee engagement rates that will lead to greater job satisfaction and employee retention while fostering a sense of ownership and belonging.

Strategies for Promoting Internal Mobility

Companies can establish a culture of internal mobility by focusing on its value to both employees and the organisation. One of the key strategies for enhancing internal mobility is implementing coaching and mentorship programs that can help internal talent get more insights, advice and guidance.

Promoting skills development, collaboration, and communication among the team members can lead to higher employee retention rates. Clear career pathways and growth opportunities are also essential, and organisations can set up short-term and long-term objectives to showcase the prospects of succession planning and professional development, boosting employee engagement.

This also involves ensuring employees understand the critical steps to progression in their role to help them move between departments and teams they will be most suitable for. Creating role progression maps and clear job descriptions significantly contributes to communicating the career possibilities within an organisation.

Also, enabling an internal mobility program within a business is a full-time job in itself. Depending on the size of the organisation as well as resources, building an internal recruiting team will immensely help in these efforts. What matters the most is that you have people who understand your brand and the possibilities within your organisation so that they feel comfortable advancing and going forward on their career journey.

Benefits of Internal Mobility

Internal mobility offers many advantages in reducing companies’ hiring costs. When positions need to be filled, companies usually hire externally, but choosing internal mobility can save costs in multiple ways.

Internal mobility reduces recruitment costs since external hiring usually involves advertising job openings, screening resumes and conducting interviews. These costs can be significant, but internal mobility avoids these challenges since the organisation already has a talent pool of qualified and known candidates. Also, internal mobility reduces the training and onboarding costs. Hiring externally involves investing in orientation programs and training sessions. At the same time, internal candidates are already familiar with the company’s policies and procedures and have a better understanding of the values and best practices.

Furthermore, internal mobility minimises productivity loss since external candidates often require extended adjustment periods to become fully productive. They may need time to learn about the company and the job requirements. Internal candidates are already familiar with the systems and processes, allowing them to transition and maintain productivity quickly.

Finally, internal mobility supports employee retention rates because employees who see opportunities for growth within an organisation are more likely to stay engaged and committed.

Get Your Desired Career with Olive Recruit

The benefits of internal mobility within an organisation are immense. Organisations can boost employee morale, loyalty and satisfaction through growth opportunities, development and career advancement.

As a recruiting partner for companies across the UK, Olive Recruit can help you reach your desired career destination where you can thrive and develop new skills and experiences.