Every day, talented employees leave for one simple reason: they don’t see a future inside your walls. Internal mobility changes that.
When Google launched its “g2g” (Googler-to-Googler) program, it created a workplace where a customer service rep could become a data analyst or an engineer could step into product leadership.
- They solve problems faster because they know the company’s DNA.
- They build stronger teams because they understand the culture.
- They innovate better because they’ve seen challenges firsthand.
The result is compelling too: reduced hiring costs, faster onboarding, and deeper engagement. But beyond the metrics, it’s about people finding new challenges without starting over.
Yet most companies still treat career growth like a straight lineup. Let’s change that—not with complex systems but with practical, human-centered ways to help talent thrive where they are.
What is Internal Mobility?
Every time an employee walks out the door for a new opportunity elsewhere, the cost is more than just recruitment and training. It’s losing someone who knows your business inside and out.
Internal mobility, also career or talent mobility, is utilizing your existing employees for new roles instead of looking for external hiring. It helps retain talent and leverage the existing employee’s knowledge by assigning it to a different capacity vertically or laterally.
Consider these cases:
- When hiring for a new role, you’re probably focused on specific skills—like finding the perfect finance manager or marketing executive. But what if the ideal candidate is already on your team and ready to step up?
- Or that shiny new hire fits the role perfectly but also has the skills to grow in a completely different department. Over time, they can upskill or explore new challenges within your organization.
In both cases, enabling internal mobility will be a game-changing strategy that makes sure that you are making the most of your top talent.
Why does internal mobility matter?
Internal mobility is a total win-win! One big challenge companies face is employee turnover—losing talented people creates gaps and impacts operations. With an internal mobility strategy in place, you can reduce this by offering existing employees a chance to grow within the company. It strengthens your talent pipeline, promotes a culture of learning and growth, and keeps your creative minds around for the long haul.
Also Read: 13 Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) Tools to Transform Your Talent Pipeline
👉 As an effort to improve the retention rate, Schneider introduced the ‘open talent market’ in 2019, which employees can utilize to apply for internal roles. All they have to do is mention their business positions and the marketplace. The AI will match the titles to new roles, mentorships, or gigs.
Benefits of Internal Mobility
Here are a few important reasons why you should consider implementing internal mobility:
☑️Enhanced Employee Retention: Research found that the top 10% of companies with ‘high-performance work systems’ are more efficient at making sales per employee. These top-performing companies are filling more than 60% of their roles from within. Interestingly, the bottom 10% only manage to fill 35% of jobs internally.
So, internal mobility is a must if you want to improve your company’s employee retention rate. Workers who recognize opportunities for employee development are more likely to stay loyal to your business and deliver strong performance.
☑️Cost Efficiency: External hiring is expensive (In fact, external hires pay 18% to 20% higher than internal hires). You put in effort to find the right candidates, navigate endless interviews, and invest in onboarding, only to risk candidates rejecting offers or finding out later they are not the right fit.
With the right mobility plan, you can use your existing talent pool—employees who already know your company’s culture, deliver results, and are ready to grow.
☑️Faster Productivity: Internal mobility helps employees take charge of their careers and focus on developing their skills. This approach benefits the company, too. The IRL school study from Alan Benson and Ben A. Rissing showed internal hires perform better than external ones because they are already familiar with the job and workplace, making them productive right away.
By prioritizing internal mobility, companies can build a high-performing workforce while reducing hiring risks.
☑️Increased Engagement: One of the best ways to keep employees engaged is to offer them opportunities to grow and learn. Knowing about internal job opportunities gives them something to aim for while also helping them build their expertise on the job.
An engaged employee is like a seed in the right soil—give them room to grow, and they’ll thrive right where they’re planted.
☑️Resilient Workforce: Focusing on learning and development opportunities helps you build a workforce ready to step into new roles without skipping a chance. This creates a skilled, adaptable team that is always prepared to stay competitive.
No matter how much you plan, unexpected challenges will pop up. That’s when having a resilient team saves your day. They will help you navigate challenges with fewer bumps and keep things running smoothly.
💡Pro tip:
Build a strong succession plan to make internal mobility work without hiccups. When employees move into new roles, it ensures no gaps are left behind. Developing your team’s skills creates a pool of potential leaders ready to step up when needed. Want to know how it’s done? Check out these succession planning examples for ideas!
Examples of Internal Mobility
How does internal mobility play out in action?
| Promotions | One common type of internal mobility is moving up the corporate ladder or making a horizontal career shift. For example, when a manager or team lead opens up, companies will often consider their existing talent pool to fill it. |
| Transfers | Intradepartmental transfers are when someone moves to a new role but is still within the same department. For example, a sales development assistant might transition into an account executive assistant position. Interdepartmental transfers involve moving an employee from one department to a completely different one. For example, a sales assistant might switch to a marketing assistant role. |
| Additional projects | Sometimes, employees are given additional projects on top of their regular duties. This could be to fill in for someone temporarily away or to help them grow their skillset and prepare for a future promotion. |
| Mentorships | Employees often switch roles to learn from other employees. This could be to prepare for career development or broaden their skillset, which will help them in their current role and beyond. It’s a great way to build a more versatile team while giving employees the chance to grow and gain new perspectives. |
| New positions | As your company grows, you might need to create new roles to meet increasing demand and client needs. Internal candidates who already know your clients can be great for these positions. For example, if your finance department needs a controller, a staff accountant familiar with your company’s cash flow could be the perfect fit for the role. |
| Job swapping | Job swapping is when two employees, whether from the same department or different ones, switch positions for a set period. It helps them develop new skills and better understand each other’s roles. |
Guide to Building an Internal Mobility Strategy
When you build an internal mobility strategy, it is important to consider the following steps:
Identify Skills and Talent Gaps
A study from Harvard Business School says that 60% of companies favor renting or borrowing people with specific skills instead of hiring new full-time employees. The trend toward looking to fill skill gaps is growing, and internal mobility is a smart way to strengthen your internal talent acquisition strategy.
Before deciding who to train and for which roles, identify the skills gap your organization has to address in the future. Start with your key roles today, but also consider what’s required for growth or expansion ahead.
A clear understanding of these needs lets you build a focused internal mobility program, setting employees up for long-term success. It’s all about planning ahead to stay prepared for what’s next.
To spot skills and talent gaps in your team, start by taking a hard look at your current policies. Here are some key questions to guide you:
- Do your employees know how to level up or switch roles?
- When they’re ready, are they getting the support they need?
- Are managers sparking growth conversations?
- And does HR know who’s got what skills and where they fit?
| Want to know what your team really thinks? Run quick pulse surveys. Tools like Peoplebox help you gather honest feedback about career growth opportunities. You can also get real-time insights into creating an employee-friendly internal mobility strategy. |
💡Pro tip:
You can even create a ‘gig’ platform (hiring short-term workers or freelancers like Uber to unlock fresh possibilities. This flexible approach lets employees try different roles within their company by committing just 15% of their time for a few months. It helps them gain experience, build connections, and plan for growth.
Invest in Technology
Companies often make hiring harder than necessary because they use different systems to find candidates internally and externally. They end up juggling tools like LinkedIn, job boards, and agencies, complicating the process.
Internal hires are even trickier. Employee databases are not always updated, so recruiters don’t always have the most current information on their team’s skills.
To fix this, companies need a single system to pull up internal and external candidates and create a solid talent marketplace. You can utilize tools like:
- Automated Tracking System (ATS)
- Talent Management Systems (TMS)
- AI and Machine Learning
- HR Analytics
All these will give an up-to-date view of employee skills, helping you easily find the right person without the hassle of outdated resumes.
Looking to spot the best candidates instantly? Peoplebox’s AI Resume Screening Tool combines AI technology and Talent Insight to help you effortlessly identify top applications in your ATS. |
Foster a Learning and Development Culture
Helping your employees grow and advance starts with strong learning and development programs. Here’s how you can make it happen:
- Managers as coaches: Managers play a big role in guiding their teams. By guiding their employees, they can point them toward learning opportunities, whether it’s through in-house resources or outside courses, helping them grow in the right direction.
- Try fun cross-training ideas: Cross-training is a great way for employees to expand their skills and understand how different teams work. It’s all about building collaboration and a deeper connection to the bigger picture.
You can achieve that through:
👉 Job shadowing – Let employees follow their teammates around to see what they do. It’s a hands-on way to pick up new skills and get a feel for other roles.
👉 Mentoring – Give employees the chance to try out a new skill with a mentor by their side. They get real-time feedback and guidance, speeding up their learning.
👉 Cross-functional projects – Pair employees from different teams to work on a project together. It’s a great way for them to see how different departments contribute to the company’s overall success and how teamwork drives results.
Suggested read: Shared OKRs: 6 Best Practises for Cross-Functional Teams
👉 Look at Amazon’s learning and development plan to promote upskilling. The internal mobility programs include free skills training – helping the employees land higher-paying jobs, a machine learning university, and more.
Run Development-Focused Performance Reviews
Just 29% of employees think their evaluation comments are accurate and fair. Ouch. Maybe because most reviews feel like a rear-view mirror, always looking at what’s already happened.
So, encourage managers to discuss internal mobility options, potential career paths, and upskilling opportunities with their team members. Instead of the usual “here’s what you did wrong” chat, make reviews about what’s next:
– Which aspects of your job light you up?
– See yourself trying something new next year?
– What skills do you want to build?
Include self-assessments and 360° feedback -getting input from managers, peers, direct reports, and even outside sources. This way, you capture a well-rounded view of an employee’s performance.
Apart from performance reviews, 1:1 sessions with managers are a great way to build a comprehensive internal mobility program. These meetings help the leaders spot employees’ interests and plan their internal mobility, such as promotions or job swaps.
Get a glimpse of how Peoplebox make performance reviews painless, actionable and fair
| How do you pull it all together seamlessly? Peoplebox will be your go-to performance management platform, handling performance reviews, 360-degree reviews, 1:1s, calibration, check-ins, and more. |
Track and Measure Success
Tracking success lets you see what’s hitting the mark and what’s falling flat. Track success by:
- Promoting the internal mobility program through internal emails and spotlighting it on your careers site. You can even share a link to your internal mobility page on social media to boost your employer brand.
- Once your team is onboard, keep them engaged by sending personalized content about career opportunities, learning paths, and upskilling. Use employee profiles to target specific groups for a more tailored experience.
- To really make it work, weave the program into everyday company life. Set clear goals for managers to fill positions with internal top talent and encourage employees to keep their profiles up-to-date.
- Keep tabs on how things are going – both with numbers and real conversations. Track those obvious metrics like employee engagement and turnover, and talk to people about how they feel about their move. What’s working? What isn’t? Regular check-ins often tell you more than any spreadsheet can.
Implement Your Internal Mobility Strategy With Peoplebox
Ready to put your mobility plan into action? Let’s talk tools. Here’s what you can do with Peoplebox:
- Save time on screening candidates: Peoplebox reviews applications faster than any manual process- cutting your review time by 90%. No more missing out on great internal talent because you’re buried in paperwork.
- Watch the performance in action: See who’s excelling right when it happens, not months later during review season. When managers spot high performers, you’ll know who’s ready to grow into new roles.
- Get the complete story: One simple dashboard shows you everything about your people – their skills, current projects, and growth path. Bring together updates from your work tools, chat apps, and performance tracking to make smarter moves.
Building an internal mobility strategy is the key to utilizing your existing workforce’s full potential. It keeps your people engaged and ready to take on new challenges while also saving time and money.
Looking for a way to simplify and smarten your internal talent management? Peoplebox will be your ideal option. With the platform’s easy-to-use features, you can manage performance, track goals, and boost employee engagement all in one place.
Besides reviews, the platform can accommodate OKR management and KPI boards to align the talent strategy with business goals. Peoplebox also has people analytics software, which turns your employee data into powerful, actionable insights.
To learn more about how we can help you with your internal mobility strategy, schedule a demo with us today!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is another word for internal mobility?
Internal mobility refers to workers’ movement to different roles within the organization. Talent mobility, sometimes called career mobility, – is transferring an employee to a different position inside the company, either a lateral movement or a vertical one.
2. What is the difference between internal and external mobility?
Employees leaving an organization is known as external mobility. When companies encourage internal mobility, it helps both the company and its employees adapt more quickly to changing business demands. Different forms of internal mobility are promotions, demotions, and transfers.
3. What is an internal movement?
When an individual switches departments or takes on a new responsibility inside the same division, it’s called an internal movement. Another name for this is “internal mobility,” and it’s a great way for people to advance in their careers while still being employed by the same company.
