Organizations around the globe strive to acquire and develop the best talent they can find. It’s not an easy task in today’s economy and demographic situation. An important aspect that companies have to work with is talent mobility.
According to The Echelon Group, talent mobility is “The practice of moving people within an organization, in hopes that new skills will be gained and sharpened through the employees’ new roles and responsibilities..”
In a nutshell, it's about giving employees the opportunity to develop beyond the usual linear career progression. Organizations that manage to do this are more likely to get the most out of their employees’ talents. It’s also good for retention rates as people are more inclined to stay if they see opportunities to grow.
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Why do you need a talent mobility program?
I know that so many tasks keep coming up that the idea of starting yet another program gives HR specialists major headaches. However, over the past decade, it has become clear that the new generation of employees places great value on the possibility of evolving and growing in an organization.
As a result, talent mobility is not a “good-to-have” but a “must-have” advantage for any company that wants to hire and keep valuable employees. It’s also a question of workforce and company goal alignment. Having a flexible internal team means that HR can focus external hiring efforts for challenging roles.
Talent mobility helps build a leadership pipeline
One of the frequent challenges that businesses face is finding good candidates for leadership roles. Having a mobility program in place means you can give employees a chance to perform in various roles and see who is a better fit for a specific position.
Companies can gather valuable data about performance and learning and use it to identify the best leadership candidates. Like always, the idea sounds great, but it needs a lot of work and the agreement of various stakeholders before the company can put this into practice.
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How to start your talent mobility program
This is one of those strategies that need to be pre-planned.
Talent mobility is strategic, so several factors need to be considered. A talent mobility program entails moving the talent in your organization to in-house lateral positions where employees can better use and develop their skills. In the meantime, they’re gaining valuable experience as they’re trying their hand at these new roles.
A good talent mobility program will make it easier for HR specialists and managers to know which people can add value to the organization in a different position. And since neither HR people nor managers are psychics, they will need a detailed map. There are several good career pathing software options that can provide a map based on your organization’s structure.
Talent mobility leads to successful succession planning
One of the perks of doing career pathing in your organization is that you’ll have an easier time filling key leadership roles. Instead of struggling with headhunting or attracting external talent, you can make sure that there is always somebody who has the knowledge and skills to step in.
It’s also important to talk to employees and take their aspirations into account. Doing so will show them that managers care and will make an effort to help them reach their personal goals while supporting organizational objectives. This will also lead to greater engagement rates and higher “good employer” scores.
Read more: What organizations need to do for better career development
Closing thoughts
In a highly dynamic environment and with a hiring crisis going on, organizations need to leverage everything they can to attract and retain the talent they need. Having a good talent mobility program will make organizations stand out as desired employers and help them keep their top talent.
