By definition, a talent mobility framework is a strategy companies utilize to determine internal mobility within their organizations. An internal mobility framework is designed to put your employees’ needs (or wants) in the right roles while leveraging each individual’s skills in ways that meet your business objectives and solve particular challenges.

So, that begs the question, “What is talent mobility, anyway?” Basically, talent mobility ensures that your organization is flexible enough to identify various skillsets of your talent and put them in places where they (and your company) will ultimately be most successful. In short, it means you’re able to move people from role to role, ensuring optimal success for all involved.

When your organization puts a talent mobility framework into place, leaders will be able to better define their goals and policies in ways that ultimately facilitate growth and engagement from your team members, as they’re more likely to be placed into positions, which utilize their best assets and strengths. In the end, you’ll design a formal process through which your internal mobility processes will be well-defined and clarified.

With this in mind, how can internal mobility programs support the successful outcomes you’ve built within your framework? Companies with internal mobility programs typically start with a benchmark or reference point and set metrics from there so they can measure successes and opportunities moving forward.

Your internal mobility process should be designed such that it focuses on:

• Helping your team fill vacant roles and positions more quickly
• Improving employee engagement and retention
• Empowering your existing talent pool

When you have internal mobility metrics in place, you’re more likely to identify gaps, opportunities, and goals that your organization should be focusing on. As stated, you’ll need to start with an internal mobility benchmark for each metric you want to measure to ensure you’re starting with a baseline and know where you are at the very beginning of the process.

As you build out your talent mobility framework, think about these questions:

• What percentage of our open positions are being filled internally? Be careful not to examine this solely on a broad scale. In other words, be sure to examine the numbers across departments, as well as cross your entire organization. If you have a high rate of positions being filled internally by a few departments, this can skew your overall results. Instead, compare those internal hires across different functions so you can see if internal mobility is not being adopted by your entire company as a whole.
• Are you keeping tabs on manager-related internal mobility metrics? Your employees should feel comfortable talking about their career aspirations with their bosses. Unfortunately, not every supervisor is great at career coaching. Make sure your organization is checking in on managers’ histories with regard to promoting internal mobility.
• Are you measuring metrics around the nature of mobility? Bear in mind that the old way of thinking about talent mobility largely centered around promotions. Sure, this is still one way to measure internal mobility, but as many organizations have flattened over the years, many metrics surrounding talent mobility revolve around lateral moves. As you examine your metrics, consider calculating your percentages within the following three buckets: promotions, job function changes, and business unit changes. Bear in mind that some moves could potentially fall into multiple categories, so it’s possible for your percentages to exceed greater than 100%.
• Are you incorporating diversity and inclusion ratios? Your diversity and inclusion metrics need to compliment your other human resource policies. It’s vital that you assign responsibility and establish accountability to the individuals or departments who will be monitoring the implementation of each strategy. From there, you can analyze and track results to make sure your company is making progress. Maximize transparency by reporting your findings to managers, employees, and other organizational stakeholders.

When it comes to internal mobility best practices, every organization will be a little different. Your goals and objectives may vary greatly from those of your closest competitors, so it’s important to know your own companies culture and needs before you dig into the details.

Although each internal mobility policy will vary, there are a few tried-and-true talent mobility best practices you should incorporate into your talent mobility strategy from the very beginning.

1. Get Buy-In from Leadership

Your recruiters and HR managers aren’t the only people affected by your internal talent mobility strategy; team leaders and their subordinates are also stakeholders in these processes. As such, you need to raise awareness about your goals and objectives as you implement your new talent mobility framework, making sure to present tangible benefits that everyone can understand and get on board with.

It’s not always easy to get support for new concepts. You’ll likely need to do your homework before presenting this idea to leadership. Start by identifying those who support you, then work with them to define your objectives, implementation resources, and time constraints. This will help ensure your pitch gets the most support from your company’s superiors.

2. Launch an Internal Mobility Program

Internal job boards don’t always do the trick when you’re trying to get the word out about internal openings. This is where internal mobility programs come in handy. Enable your recruiters and hiring managers to pair opportunities with existing employees who fit the necessary skills and capabilities by giving your staff a platform through which they can highlight their expertise. Be sure to utilize elements such as company-wide Slack channels and bulletins to garner attention to your efforts.

3. Redefine Your Recruitment Processes

Sometimes, you have to step out of the old way of doing things. To meet new challenges, your recruitment team might need to rework its conventional practices.

Put some time and money into efficient recruitment marketing tactics and talent sourcing. With the right tools, you’ll be able to source and recruit talent within your organization more easily and effectively.