Internal mobility and streamlining job roles
Employers in recent years have seen a crunch in the talent market, especially now that candidates have the upper hand. For employers this means facing difficulties in hiring new talent into the organisation.
But what should employers do to overcome this problem?
Internal mobility may be the answer. Internal mobility is the movement of employees, whether vertically or laterally, to new career and development opportunities within the same organisation. Employers can either promote or demote their employees, offer new positions within the organisation, assign employees to cross-teams or take on additional projects, job shadowing, and job swaps.
For companies and businesses, internal mobility offers considerable benefits such as the reduction of hiring costs, the improvement of employee retention rates, and promotes diversity and innovation in the workplace. Not only does internal mobility benefit the company, but employees will also reap the rewards! Your employees get the opportunity to be a part of different experiences, to advance in their career within the company, to hone new skills and also contribute to their short and long-term professional goals. In turn, this will benefit the company as well because employees are likely to stay which will promote longevity in the company.
To do this, managers will play an important role to understand the competencies of the employees, and to weigh this against the needs of the business. Furthermore, an effective process to connect workers to a variety of internal opportunities must be in place.
Internal systems
New may not always be better in the recruitment process. Although hiring externally provides a greater talent pool for employers, looking inwards could be beneficial for the company. A step that managers can take is by implementing processes which foster the internal hiring within a company. Managers should not underestimate the employee’s agility to adapt and move around different functions. Therefore, managers must be aware of employees that have the potential to grow within the company and must have plans in place to develop such talent within the organisation.
Skills development
Another important aspect of internal mobility within the organisation is the opportunities which employers provide to their employees. When employees prove themselves to be agile within the company, managers should take the opportunity to provide the employee with the opportunity to upskill, reskill, and develop their experience and knowledge. This benefits the employees as they do not feel stagnant in their job roles and at the same time, prevents workers from seeking employment elsewhere that may provide them with more opportunities to upskill.
Adequate support for cross-functional projects
As managers become aware of the employees’ capabilities, managers must consider a skill audit to enable employees to move to different projects within the company. This means seconding your employee to different departments to allow them to work on other projects which may allow them to contribute their existing skills and, at the same time, as a way for them to upskill themselves. Managers must act as facilitators and encourage employees who show promise. Not only will this promote cross-sharing of skills, but it indicates to employees that you, as a manager, are open to internal mobility.
With these in mind, companies must take proactive steps to foster a culture of internal mobility within the organisation.
To find out more about what you can do in your organisation, contact our recruitment specialist today.
