Internal mobility, a key recruitment strategy
Internal mobility has become an essential strategy for companies, responding to the most important HR challenges: speeding up the recruitment process, building employee loyalty, employer branding… It is also an excellent way of motivating and engaging teams.
To benefit from all these advantages, it’s essential to develop a strategy and formalize a real policy!
Definition of internal mobility
Internal mobility refers to the process by which employees evolve within their own company, through job changes, promotions or transfers between different departments.
This practice is a fundamental component of human resources management, as it aims to develop existing talent by offering them professional opportunities without leaving the organization.
The different types of internal mobility
Internal promotion
Internal promotion (or vertical mobility) is one of the most common forms of internal mobility. In this case, an employee is promoted to a higher-level position in the hierarchy. This type of mobility is beneficial both for the employee, whose skills and commitment are rewarded, and for the company, which strengthens its career management strategy and encourages the professional development of its employees.
Internal recruitment
Internal recruitment (or horizontal mobility), another crucial aspect of internal mobility, involves thehiring candidates who are already with the company (employees) but who are not moving up the hierarchy. This may involve geographical mobility, a change of department, a change of job within the company… This approach speeds up the recruitment process and also minimizes the risks associated with hiring new people. What’s more, existing employees are already familiar with the company’s culture and procedures, reducing the time needed for adaptation and training.
Internal mobility is a practice that fosters the professional development of employees while making a significant contribution to achieving the company’s strategic objectives. By investing in the potential of their own employees, companies don’t just fill jobs; they build a committed and skilled workforce, ready to meet future challenges.
The advantages of internal mobility
The internal candidate has many advantages. Among them:
1/ A well-known candidate
Personality, softskills, skills… You already know your candidate because you’ve already recruited him or her the first time! By giving priority to internal recruitment, you greatly reduce the risk of making a recruitment mistake.
2/ Greater compatibility with corporate culture and operations
70%: the success rate for recruitment through internal mobility.
This greatly reduces the risk of a mismatch between the candidate’s values and the corporate culture, as well as problems of behavioral alignment or affinity with team members or the manager. These are often the main causes of unsuccessful recruitment.
3/ A stronger commitment
The commitment of internal employees increases considerably when they perceive opportunities for mobility within their own company. This makes them feel valued and recognized. This not only encourages loyalty, but also boosts motivation. This commitment translates into improved productivity and lower turnover.
4/ A more rapidly operational and efficient employee
Employees who evolve thanks to mobility are already familiar with the company’s processes, culture and requirements. They need less time to adapt, and can be up and running faster. This significant reduction in training and adaptation times is not only cost-effective, but also ensures effective continuity in the company’s strategic projects and missions.
5/ Faster sourcing and recruitment
Opting for internal mobility greatly facilitates the sourcing and recruitment process. Recruiters benefit from direct access to a pool of talent they already know, simplifying selection and reducing the uncertainties often associated with external hiring. This in-house approach optimizes the recruitment process and reduces the time and costs associated with finding new candidates.
Make internal mobility an effective recruitment strategy
Internal mobility cannot be improvised. To make it an effective strategy, it is essential to formalize a real strategy and be careful not to fall into certain traps…
Here are the steps to follow to make it a success.
Step 1: Establish a clear internal mobility policy
Defining a detailed internal mobility policy is the first crucial step to successful internal mobility. This policy must specify the eligibility criteria for internal mobility, the processes to be followed for applications… By formalizing these rules, you ensure a unified and clear understanding of mobility opportunities within your organization, facilitating adoption by all employees. It’s a must!
💡 Here’s a template for an internal mobility charter that you can use to define your strategy. Everything is already written, so all you have to do is personalize it with your own terms and conditions.
Step 2: Promote the approach internally and get employees involved
Once the internal mobility strategy and rules have been defined, it is essential to actively promote the approach within the company to motivate employees to undertake internal mobility. The challenge is not just to offer them opportunities for development… It ‘s about making them active players in their own career paths ! They must be proactive in this process. To achieve this, regular communication about internal mobility is essential. This is how your employees will get the reflex to apply internally.
Step 3: Define everyone’s role
Several people are involved in an internal mobility process: the employee, of course, but also the HR team and managers. For the strategy to be fully effective, each person’s role in internal mobility must be clearly defined: who does what, when?
- Employees: their role is central, they are the main players! The process must come from them. They are the ones who will initiate the job change.
- The HR team: The HR team is involved throughout the process, implementing actions to encourage internal mobility. They are also responsible for supporting the employee throughout the process.
- The manager: Finally, the manager also has a role to play in the employee’s mobility. They can intervene upstream, to “validate” the employee’s mobility project, or later, when the process has been launched, to support the transition.
Step 4: Use a digital tool dedicated to internal mobility
This step is in fact the answer to the previous ones. In fact, digitalization with the implementation of an internal mobility tool is a must if you want to make it an effective strategy. It will enable you to :
- Centralize all job offers and make them easily accessible to ALL employees.
- Simplify the application process : thanks to digital technology, it can be done in 1 click!
- Communicate easily on the internal mobility program
- Enable the HR team to optimally manage the internal mobility program
- Offer employees a clear and simple mobility path : they know where and how to apply.
Some internal mobility tools, such as Keycoopt System, also feature automatic functions, such as the targeted and automatic distribution of advertisements. This makes it possible to push job offers to the employees most likely to be interested and apply for the vacancy in question.
Internal mobility is an essential strategy, whatever the size or sector of your company. If the strategy is well thought-out, it can only be an asset for the company! Contact our experts for assistance!