Strategies for effective internal mobility

Strategies for effective internal mobility

The battle for talent is fiercer than ever. Vacancies remain open for months, recruitment costs are rising, and at the same time, there are probably people within your organization with exactly the capabilities you’re looking for. Yet internal mobility remains an underutilized tool at many organizations. While right now, in a tight labor market, it can be one of your most powerful strategies. Internal mobility goes beyond filling open vacancies with existing employees. It’s about creating a culture where people can grow, take on new challenges, and fully utilize their talents without leaving the organization. That requires a thoughtful approach and concrete strategies.

Why internal mobility deserves priority now

The numbers don’t lie. Organizations that actively focus on internal mobility see their retention rates increase by an average of 20 to 30 percent. Employees who grow internally also remain engaged longer and perform better than newly recruited talent in comparable positions. But there’s more. The average recruitment costs for a new employee are between €3,000 and €15,000, depending on the role and level. With internal mobility, you not only save these costs, but also the time needed for onboarding. An internal candidate already knows your culture, processes, and stakeholders. Yet many HR departments still see internal mobility as a side issue. Vacancies are posted externally by default, without first looking internally. Managers hold onto their best people instead of helping them grow. And employees simply don’t know what opportunities exist within the organization.

Transparency as foundation

The basis of effective internal mobility is radical transparency about opportunities. This means that all vacancies, projects, and development opportunities are visible to everyone. Not just the official open positions, but also temporary assignments, secondments, and lateral moves. An internal mobility platform or talent marketplace can help with this, but the technology is merely a tool. It’s about the mindset. In team discussions, do you only discuss the current role, or also future ambitions? Do managers encourage their people to look at opportunities in other departments? Or is an internal transfer seen as betrayal? In organizations with a strong mobility culture, these conversations are normal. Managers are not judged on retaining talent, but precisely on developing it. Even if that means someone moves to another department.

Making skills visible

You can only match effectively if you know what competencies are in-house. Yet many organizations still work with outdated job profiles and CVs that only show historical experience. That doesn’t give a complete picture of what people can and want to do. Skills-based HR turns this around. Instead of looking at job titles and years of experience, you map the actual skills of your employees. What technical skills do they have? Where do their soft skills lie? And perhaps even more important: what skills do they want to develop? This requires a combination of data and dialogue. Employee surveys can help to quickly gain insight into existing and desired competencies. Performance reviews shift from evaluating to developing. And talent reviews are used not only to identify high potentials, but to create growth perspectives for everyone. Once you’ve mapped these skills, you can match much more precisely. Someone with project management experience in marketing can be valuable for a product development role. A colleague with strong analytical skills can make the transition from finance to business intelligence. You only see these matches if you look beyond job titles.

Managers as mobility coaches

The biggest barrier to internal mobility is often not a lack of opportunities, but a lack of support from direct supervisors. Managers who hold onto their best people out of fear of team disruption or their own targets. Understandable from their perspective, but disastrous for the organization. You don’t solve this with policy alone. You need to give managers a different role in the mobility process. From gatekeeper to coach. That means regular career conversations where not only the current role is central, but also future ambitions. Where does this employee want to be in two years? What skills does he or she want to develop? And how can we facilitate that, even if it means someone leaves the team? Of course, this requires a different compensation structure. If managers are only judged on the output of their own team, they will hold onto talent. But if development and mobility also count in their evaluation, the conversation changes. Then sharing talent becomes a sign of strong leadership instead of weakness. Training helps too. Many managers simply don’t know how to have these conversations. They’re used to performance reviews, not career coaching. Invest in developing these skills, because without engaged managers, every mobility platform remains an empty shell.

Valuing horizontal mobility

Most mobility programs focus on vertical growth, from junior to mid-level to senior. But not everyone wants or can advance to management. And not every organization has enough leadership positions to offer everyone that opportunity. Horizontal mobility offers an alternative. Employees who transfer to a comparable level in another department or function. This is often seen as less valuable, but that’s a misconception. These moves bring fresh perspectives, broaden organizational knowledge, and prevent people from getting stuck in their role. A marketer who works in sales for a year understands customer needs better. An HR advisor who temporarily works in operations sees where processes are bottlenecked. These experiences make people more valuable to the organization, even if their job title doesn’t change. Therefore, make horizontal mobility as visible and valued as vertical growth. Celebrate these moves internally. Let people share their experiences. And ensure that making a lateral move isn’t a career risk. In some organizations, only upward mobility counts, causing people to prefer making a lateral move externally rather than internally. That’s a waste.

Creating room for experimentation

Not every mobility move needs to be permanent. Temporary projects, job rotation, and internal internships offer opportunities to experiment without major commitment. An employee can work with another team for a few months, acquire new skills, and then return. Or discover that this is precisely the direction they want to pursue. These flexible forms of mobility lower the threshold. Both for employees and for managers. It feels less definitive, less risky. And precisely that safety to experiment is crucial for a learning culture. Project-based assignments within the organization are an example of this. Instead of immediately transferring someone full-time, someone can spend 20 percent of their time on a project in another department. This provides insight into other working methods, builds networks, and can lead to a permanent transfer if it clicks. Job shadowing and mentorships across departments also help. Not direct mobility, but exploratory. Employees get a realistic view of other roles and can make more conscious choices about whether a transfer suits them.

Data as compass

Effective internal mobility requires insight into patterns. Which departments have structural shortages? Where are there waiting lists of people who want to advance? Which skills are underutilized? And where do people get stuck in their development? These are questions you can only answer with data. Employee surveys provide insight into ambitions and satisfaction. Performance data shows where talent is. And exit interviews often reveal that people leave because they saw no growth perspective, while there were opportunities internally. By combining this data, you get actionable insights. You see not only where problems are, but also where opportunities lie. Perhaps it turns out that your tech talent mainly leaves because there are too few advancement opportunities within IT, while other departments are looking for people with digital skills. You only make that match if you have the data. Platforms like Deepler help to obtain these insights quickly and structurally. Not as a one-time measurement, but as a continuous process. This way you stay on top of what’s happening and can act proactively instead of reactively.

From strategy to implementation

A beautiful mobility strategy on paper is worthless without execution. Implementation requires concrete steps and clear responsibilities. Start with a pilot in one department or business unit. Test what works, learn from what doesn’t work, and then scale up. Communication is crucial. Employees need to know that internal mobility is encouraged. Managers need to understand what their role is. And HR needs to have the tools and processes to facilitate matches. This requires a coordinated approach, not an ad hoc initiative. Also ensure quick wins. Show that the system works by celebrating successful internal placements. Share stories of people who have grown internally. This creates momentum and makes the program tangible. And keep measuring. How many vacancies are filled internally? How does the retention of employees who have grown internally score versus externally recruited talent? What is the satisfaction with development opportunities? These metrics show whether your strategy has impact.

The impact on your organization

Organizations that truly embrace internal mobility see concrete results. Lower recruitment costs and shorter time-to-hire are the most direct benefits. But the impact goes further. Employees who see growth opportunities stay longer and are more engaged. Teams become more resilient because knowledge is shared more broadly. And the organization becomes more agile because people get used to change. Internal mobility also contributes to psychological safety. Employees feel that the organization invests in their development, not just in their current output. That creates trust and loyalty. And in a labor market where talent is scarce, that’s your biggest competitive advantage. The question isn’t whether you should invest in internal mobility, but how quickly you can start. Because while you’re hesitating, your best people are leaving for organizations that do take their development seriously. Start small, measure the impact, and build from there. Your talent is already in-house; it’s time to fully utilize it.