Internal mobility of managers in companies: implementation, advantages and disadvantages

Increasingly popular with companies, internal mobility is indeed a very favourable solution to meet the current challenges related to human resources management (major resignation, talent shortage, disengagement, etc.).

What about the internal mobility of managers? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this form of professional mobility? And how to implement it within your company?

 

What is internal mobility?

Internal mobility refers to the change of position of an employee within the same company or group.

There are several forms of internal mobility:

• Vertical internal mobility : this is the transfer of an employee to a higher or lower level of the hierarchical ladder, within the same organizational structure. This mobility in the career path can be upward (promotion) or downward (demotion).
• Horizontal internal mobility : This form of mobility consists of a change of position at the same hierarchical level, but within a different department.

Internal recruitment can be relevant for talent management in several cases (fast-growing companies, creation of new positions, high turnover in times of crisis…). This mobility can be implemented on the initiative of the company or at the request of the employee himself (desire for professional development, desire to change profession/retraining, desire to increase skills, etc.).

 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of internal mobility for managers?

Offering internal mobility opportunities to your managers has a number of advantages, but also some limitations that should be known.

The advantages of internal mobility for managers

Implementing internal mobility has several benefits, both for the company and for the mobile employee, such as:

• Time saving and accelerated recruitment without a long sourcing period;
• Reduced recruitment errors : the company already knows the skills and interpersonal skills of the manager concerned;
• A reduction in costs related to external recruitment, possible missfits and long sourcing processes;
• A Smooth Transition For the mobile manager: the latter is already acculturated, familiar with the codes, customs and values of the company. Onboarding is therefore much simpler and faster. In addition, there is no latency period between the end of the employment contract and the taking up of the new position;
• Better talent retention : internal mobility makes it possible to better retain employees and managers and to make them true ambassadors of the company;
• A decrease in the resignation rate, turnover and absenteeism;
• The manager is operational faster than an external collaborator, which can help improve the company’s performance;
• The company’s employer brand is valued;
• The company demonstrates its desire to enhance its human capital and to support each employee in the realization of his or her professional project and in his or her career development;
• The company promotes continuous training, well-being at work and the development of the skills of its teams, which contributes to improving employability ;
• Internal mobility is one of the tools that can be used for the forward-looking management of jobs and skills (GPEC).

The disadvantages of internal mobility for managers

However, it is important to be aware of some obstacles to internal professional mobility, such as:

• The risks of tensions, resentments and conflicts within the company linked to a feeling of favouritism, which could greatly degrade the quality of life at work and the social climate. It is therefore important to anticipate the impact of internal mobility on human relationships and on team engagement;
• It must be borne in mind that recruitment is still necessary to replace the absent manager, who is mobilized for another position;
• Internal recruitment can generate additional, sometimes unexpected costs (training plan, HR follow-up, etc.);
• This form of mobility limits the evolution of the company’s culture, which could be encouraged by the integration of external managers;
• Internal mobility can be difficult to implement in small structures.

 

How to set up internal mobility for your managers?

In order to facilitate the implementation of internal recruitment of managers Within your company, it will first be important to integrate the internal mobility strategy into the human resources management policy and, ultimately, the corporate culture. In particular, it will be necessary to communicate, in a transparent manner, about this method of recruitment and to highlight The benefits of internal mobility for managers and employees.

In particular, it may be wise to draw up a charter in order to clarify the conditions and process of internal mobility: selection criteria; support measures proposed; application and job intake procedures (interview, trial period, transition, training, etc.); means and tools for disseminating job offers and opportunities, etc. These terms and conditions will have to be defined with the various stakeholders of the company (the HR department, the mobile manager, the department director, etc.).

It will then be necessary to communicate the job offers internally (via an intranet tool or an internal job board for example) to all employees. It will also be important to ensure that the mobile manager’s taking up of the position is supervised and that this transition is facilitated: set a date for a change of position, anticipate his or her transfer and replacement, set up an onboarding process (training, referent person, etc.).

Finally, it will be necessary to ensure that the manager is monitored and properly adapted to his or her new work environment and to support him or her as best as possible to ensure a serene and smooth start to the job.