This article is written by Nadine O’Regan, a Talent Engagement and Mobility (TEaM) thought leader and the current GM of People Solutions at TQSolutions.
The modern workplace is a dynamic landscape of change and innovation.As such, the linear career path has given way to something more flexible where the boundaries between roles are more blurry.
Today's employees seek more than just a job; they yearn for a sense of purpose, growth, and an environment that fosters their development and access to opportunities.
This changing landscape has sparked a realisation among organisations - that the key to thriving in this new era lies in nurturing internal talent and fostering internal mobility.
And no; simply putting up an internal job advertisement does not equal “internal mobility”.
The reality is far more complex; it's about understanding the sweet spot synergy between employee skills, opportunities, and business needs. As businesses navigate this synergy and adapt to this new era, the question becomes, “How can you connect the diverse skills that your current employees have with the opportunities and future needs of the business?”
That’s the real question today – and one that all businesses need an answer to if they want to survive and thrive.
The Challenges of Shifting Employee Expectations
The change brought on by the modern workforce's rapidly shifting expectations is compounded by a relatively unstable labour market.
Currently, the demand for skilled workers is outstripping the available supply, creating a shortage of qualified individuals in key sectors. Simultaneously (and somewhat paradoxically), the market has also witnessed a surge in layoffs, exacerbating the impact of talent scarcity and presenting a complex scenario for both job seekers and employers.
This disconnect is made worse by a lack of visibility within organisations - neither the job opportunities themselves, nor the diverse skills of current employees are typically made transparent to the right people.
It’s at this stage that a team like TQSolutions steps in. Leveraging software and people-driven solutions, the TQ team help organisations overcome this disconnect and bridge the gap left by the conventional hiring process.
Build, Buy, Borrow, or Bot?
With a glaring disconnect between the talent pools within an organisation and the opportunities available to them, the question becomes “Should we Build, Buy, Borrow or Bot (automate) talent?”Rather than pursue talent externally (Buy) as is the traditional approach, the most successful organisations in today’s business environment are those that adopt a build mentality and nurture talent from within.
It stands to reason that offering a position to an internal member, even if at a slight stretch of their skills will prove more efficient than spending time and resources trying to find that fabled ‘unicorn’.
Talent can also be borrowed internally, for example, ‘Manager A’ temporarily lends an employee to ‘Manager B’ for 30 hours, rather than permanently assigning them. Whatever the method, the successful retention of internal talent in a competitive landscape depends upon the employee feeling valued, heard and developed within the business.
Opportunity lies beyond traditional metrics
A powerful transformation occurs when organisations adopt a human-centric approach.
This approach calls upon employers to recognise and celebrate the innate knowledge, skills, and cultural contributions of their existing employees. It's about reimagining talent acquisition and nurturing a culture of curiosity and learning. As businesses prioritise internal mobility, they strengthen their company culture and elevate employee satisfaction, leading to higher retention rates.This shift isn't just a feel-good measure; it also boosts a business' bottom line.
But there is an elephant in the room - the manager. Managers are not always effective people leaders and talent hoarding is a real issue. As a manager, one of the biggest pain points is having a vacancy in the team - so why let people move? It requires very capable and confident managers to develop, nurture and be willing to share their team.
This leads to a renewed focus on promoting the right people into management roles and a focus on developing their skill.But by promoting internal mobility, businesses reduce hiring costs and streamline talent acquisition, focusing on the employee experience as opposed to traditional metrics. The net impact to the business is extremely positive.
Ultimately, the goal should be to empower hiring managers to shift their mindset and view internal talent as valuable assets to the business, rather than simply liabilities on the balance sheet.
By upskilling themselves and internalising a more human-centric approach, managers can effectively tap into the wealth of talent within the organisation, creating pathways for employees to explore new roles and challenges.
This article is written by Nadine O’Regan, a Talent Engagement and Mobility (TEaM) thought leader and the current GM of People Solutions at TQSolutions
.A final word from GoFIGR...
Looking to the Future, Today
Now that we’ve set the scene of an evolving employment landscape and outlined the importance of internal mobility and career development, it's important to consider the perspective of the employees themselves - the topic of our next instalment, The Employee's Perspective: Navigating Career Pathways Within, by Emma Gibbons.
Until then, if you’re interested in adopting and implementing this innovative approach to building talent from within, then it’s time to explore GoFIGR.
GoFIGR’s Internal Talent Marketplace can help your business thrive
GoFIGR is a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform designed to collect and intuitively analyse employee skill and business requirement insights so you can supercharge your talent retention and organisational development process. With valuable insights collected from your team, GoFIGR allows you to:
- identify your employees’ current skillsets
- align them with your business expansion plans
- realise your team’s full potential
- reduce the cost of recruitment by upskilling from within
Most importantly, GoFIGR empowers you to nurture the skills and talent that your organisation needs to move forward. Your future team is already working for you.
Don’t let that talent go to waste – give them the opportunity to grow their career AND drive your business into its tomorrow. It’s the ultimate way to retain staff, foster a progressive internal culture and minimise the costs of repetitive recruitment.
Contact GoFIGR today to discover how we can help you foster a future-focused workforce using our internal talent marketplace.
Helena Turpin spent 20 years in talent and HR innovation where she solved people-related problems using data and technology. She left corporate life to create GoFIGR where she helps mid-sized organizations to develop and retain their people by connecting employee skills and aspirations to internal opportunities like projects, mentorship and learning.
