Learn what employee mobility is, its benefits, types, and the best strategies to improve employee mobility in your workplace to enhance organizational growth.
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According to a survey, 63% of people leave their jobs due to a lack of career growth opportunities, revealing the importance of an agile workplace. It stresses the fact that maximizing workplace potential is not just a goal; it is a necessity.
This is where employee mobility conveniently steps in. Contrary to the generalized employee mobility meaning, it is more than relocating your staff or changing their roles. It’s about upskilling your employees with the necessary training to thrive in a competitive environment. This model continues to nurture growth and transform how businesses and employees grow together.
This guide covers all the ins and outs of employee mobility, from its types to benefits, and the best strategies to enhance your workplace dynamics.
Employee mobility, or career mobility, refers to the strategic movement of employees within or beyond the organization. For employees, it serves as a pathway to climb the corporate ladder through promotions, relocations, or project-based assignments.
It’s a crucial aspect of talent management, designed to align workforce capabilities with employee skills and organizational needs, providing a win-win situation. In fact, LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2021 shows that employees who move within the organization into new job roles are 3.5x more likely to be engaged, contributing to the company’s growth.
By embracing employee mobility, organizations can build agile, resilient workforces prepared to adapt to the challenges of the evolving market. It extends beyond physical transitions, fostering personal and professional growth, helping job satisfaction, and addressing resourcing demands.
Source: LinkedIn
There are several different types of employee mobility, each contributing to workforce development and employee learning. It is broadly classified into 3 types:
Source: Direct Employers
Internal mobility involves moving employees within an organization. It encourages employee growth and skill diversification while retaining talent, which enhances job satisfaction and reduces recruitment costs. The 2022 LinkedIn Learning Report clearly reports that companies that excel in internal mobility retain employees twice as long as those that don’t.
There are different types of internal mobility programs, depending on the employee transition. Here are a few of the most common types of internal employee mobility:
External mobility entails the movement of an employee to a different organization, leaving the current organization. It offers a strategic opportunity for employees to broaden their horizons and pursue their career aspirations. This is especially beneficial for people who find their true calling later in life after establishing their careers—for example, a person working in corporate accounting switching jobs to be a finance lecturer.
Companies that don’t support external employee mobility for their growth risk reduced productivity, which ultimately hinders their overall growth and success.
Global mobility refers to the relocation of employees to new geographical locations for work assignments or personal reasons. It is also known as talent mobility since it allows organizations to retain their top talent by relocating instead of letting them go. A classic example of global mobility would be a finance manager based in New York who transferred to London to manage the finance department.
Employee mobility mutually benefits the employees and the organization by supporting individual growth as well as retaining top talent. Here are some benefits of employee mobility, both within and beyond the organization:
Source: LinkedIn
Providing employees a chance to learn and grow in their careers within the organization leads to greater job satisfaction, resulting in enhanced productivity. Research indicates that 63% of the employees are more likely to remain with organizations providing robust learning and career growth opportunities. Therefore, encouraging employee mobility that offers upskilling and individual growth makes the employees feel valued, fostering loyalty and motivation.
Increased job satisfaction also translates to reduced employee turnover, enhancing employee retention rates. Employees usually leave when they feel stuck in their roles. When they are offered growth opportunities within the organization, they prefer staying.
One of the standout features of employee mobility is its ability to address skill gaps by optimizing the workforce. In case of an employee shortage in a specific department, you can transfer employees from other departments after training them for the appropriate role. This minimizes the reliance on new hires, which can be costly and time-consuming. It also fosters a collaborative work environment where employees from different departments bring value to the table.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the average cost per hire for a new employee is approximately $4,700. Employee mobility significantly reduces the financial strain associated with recruiting new talent. This includes the cost of the job opening advertisement, the time cost of the interview panel, and the pre-employment assessment.
Additionally, it helps with employee retention and productivity, which further reduces the cost. When your employees are more productive, they drive better and more efficient results.
Employee mobility programs come with their fair share of challenges. To ensure a smooth transition, it is crucial you address these hurdles. Here are some common challenges that you may encounter while implementing employee mobility:
Source: eca International
Relocating to a new country can be a daunting experience, considering the language barrier, exchange rate, workplace etiquette, and social dynamics. If an employee is moving with their family, they must also look into housing, childcare, food, and utilities. All this stress of adjusting to a new place may affect employee productivity, affecting company growth.
One of the most significant obstacles in employee mobility programs is the lack of a structured framework to manage the mobility process. Without clear policies and processes, organizations may struggle to identify and align employee skills with organizational needs. To effectively implement mobility programs, organizations should understand their employee needs by arranging focus groups and setting clear policies on the requirements of mobility programs.
Even with a structured mobility program, the managers may resist employee movement. The managers fear losing top talent or disrupting the workflow, considering mobility a threat instead of an opportunity. Overcoming this challenge requires fostering a cultural shift within the organization.
By arranging video-based training, sharing success stories, and incentivizing managers on talent identification, you can encourage them to accept mobility as a positive initiative rather than resist it.
A successful employee mobility program involves establishing a structured framework. Here are a few tips to improve your employee mobility and enhance talent retention, skill development, and organizational growth:
Source: LinkedIn
Tailoring mobility opportunities to each employee’s career aspirations is the key to creating a loyal workforce that feels valued. If the employees don’t even know their available options, how do you expect them to plan their careers in your organization rather than switching to another?
Therefore, it’s important to have one-on-one meetings with employees to understand their needs and offer growth opportunities that align with their aspirations and skill sets. Connecting with your employees also develops trust, which improves productivity and enhances overall job satisfaction.
If an employee wants to relocate to be with their family, encourage them to apply for a global mobility program. At the same time, employees looking to upskill and broaden their skills will value internal mobility for skills diversification.
The most important reason behind employee dissatisfaction is their current workplace's lack of learning opportunities. Hence, offering an upskilling program that equips the employees with relevant skills is mandatory. It ensures they are ready to face upcoming business challenges and makes them feel more productive.
A great way to optimize employee mobility is to utilize technology to simplify tracking and managing mobility. eLearning platforms offering robust Learning Management Systems (LMS) and AI in training courses help employees to upskill effectively. It also systematically tracks employees by providing skills gap analysis and employee training tracking software metrics.
After a skills assessment and a thorough discussion with the employee regarding their goals, it’s time to find a potential place for them in the company. Ensuring an employee is given a role they’re interested in and has the right skills significantly increases outcomes. This is because employees tend to show greater productivity when they are actively engaged.
Initially, you can assign them a project and implement project-based learning and mobility. Once you’re sure of their potential, you can mutually work with the employees and move them to the new department.
Source: BDAE
Transparent policies are the foundation of an effective mobility program. Employees need to understand the eligibility criteria, relocation support, and internal mobility options before making a decision. Most workplaces have a 6 month to 1 year of working prerequisite in a department before the employees are eligible to apply for a mobility program.
Employee mobility is not just a strategy to retain employees. It’s a commitment that nurtures talent by upskilling and providing better workplace opportunities. When employees feel valued in the workplace, they develop trust that improves their productivity and helps them tackle evolving business needs.
Whether through internal, external, or global mobility, establishing a robust mobility program that facilitates employee growth assists the company in building a resilient and adaptable workforce.
If you want to take your mobility program to the next level, explore Coursebox to design a cutting-edge training program. Offering employee training that upskills your workforce sets the pace for a seamless transition and long-term success.
Common examples of employee mobility include promotions, transfers, mentorships, job shadowing, and cross-functional assignments. A salesperson moving to the HR department or an MNC employee relocating to an international office represents employee mobility both within and beyond organizations.
Employment mobility means moving the employee from one role, department, or location to another, in the same organization or outside the organization. It encourages employee learning and growth, fostering a productive work environment.
Mobilizing the workforce means creating a strategic framework that allows employees to transition smoothly to new roles, projects, or locations. It involves upskilling and supporting the employees by leveraging technology and setting clear mobility policies.
HR mobility involves mobility solutions designed by human resources to facilitate employee transitions within the organization. It is essential when relocating employees to a new country or hiring talent from around the globe.
