With job openings and turnover soaring in the labor market, organizations must prioritize retaining the talent they already have. However, new research from Gartner shows that only 33% of employees seeking a new role looked internally at their own employer first. Three inequities are driving employees out of the internal labor market: awareness, access, and support. The authors share ways to democratize awareness, expand access to opportunities, and build support for mobility

Looking For A New Role Within

Most employees don’t think of their own organizations when they’re looking for a new opportunity.Three main barriers that discourage employees from applying internally:<ul><li>Awareness</li><li>Access</li><li>Support</li></ul>

Searching For A New Profile

It can be easier to learn about opportunities at a competitor. Gartner analysis reveals only 51% of candidates are aware of available internal job openings, which are often communicated informally. This “tap the shoulder” approach gives the advantage to employees with stronger social connections and can perpetuate DEI challenges.

The First Barrier: Awareness(Or Lack Of It)

Even when employees are aware of a job opening, they may not believe they have access to it. The top barrier is the perception that another employee is already favored for the role. Organizations and managers often prioritize opportunities for high-potential talent. Of candidates who focused their search on external jobs, 32% said they did so because it was easier to achieve career growth elsewhere.

The Second Barrier: Access

Employees don’t feel supported in pursuing internal roles by their managers, peers, or the organization as a whole. According to Gartner research, only 17% of employees feel their manager facilitates the process of applying for internal job openings, and only 20% feel supported by their peers and team. Many employees find it <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/09-30-21-gartner-survey-reveals-ninety-one-percent-of-hr-leaders-are-concerned-about-employee-turnover-in-the-immediate-future">easier to look externally</a>, because they can avoid the awkwardness of expressing their interest in changing jobs and the potential hint at dissatisfaction.

The Third Barrier: Support

Organizations should start treating employees as they do potential external candidates. In-demand talent receive multiple notices every day from organizations trying to hire for open roles, yet employers don’t do this with their current employees.While internal job boards are a good start, progressive organizations are going further, guiding employees’ exploration with platforms that match people to jobs based on their skills. The best platforms can help employees build a development plan that prepares them for roles of interest.

Democratize Awareness Through Technology

Internal job platforms should also allow employees to signal which roles they are interested in, whether or not they’re available at the moment. This can both keep employees from missing opportunities and help HR leaders ascertain interest in and the quality of the internal pipeline for a particular role. Organizations can also use this knowledge to create informational sessions or development opportunities related to roles of interest.

Allowing Transition To Roles Of Interest

the internal labor market does not work fairly for everyone. Women are 55% more likely than men to say they were <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/2022-01-26-gartner-recommends-organizations-confront-three-internal-labor-market-inequities-to-retain-talent">not aware of internal job openings</a>, and women from underrepresented backgrounds are three times less likely to be formally identified as high potential.

The Gender Gap At Work

While most organizations have goal-setting processes to chart in-role growth, progressive organizations work to surface employees’ aspirations beyond their current position or job trajectory. They provide career coaches or mentors who work with employees to uncover their interests, passions, and motivations and explore career opportunities.For employees, exploring a new career at their current organization may feel less risky than changing employers and roles at the same time.

Open Universal Access to Opportunities

Applying for an internal job can feel like cheating on a partner. This discomfort is made worse by policies that force employees to tell managers before they apply. External jobs avoid this discomfort entirely.<a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/how-the-best-managers-improve-employee-performance-and-health">Managers should normalize conversations with employees</a> about their next role, building discussions of potential career options into goal-setting and performance conversations. HR leaders can facilitate this by putting together potential career paths for each role, including lateral moves with similar skill sets.

Express Support for Mobility

With job openings and turnover soaring in the labor market, organizations must prioritize retaining the talent they already have. However, new research from Gartner shows that only 33% of employees seeking a new role looked internally at their own employer first. Three inequities are driving employees out of the internal labor market: awareness, access, and support. The authors share ways to democratize awareness, expand access to opportunities, and build support for mobility.

Stashed ideas

What Stops Employees from Applying for Internal Roles

Since the start of the Great Resignation, millions of employees worldwide transitioned jobs and careers. The next great reckoning to pay attention to is creating opportunities for multifaceted career growth outside of management.
For many professionals with exceeding aspirations, the next step is becoming a manager. They are often promoted to managers because they are good at what they do, but being great at one role doesn't guarantee that they will also be great at making others better.

Creating opportunities for multifaceted career growth

Part of companies celebrating diversified perspectives and talents means admitting that some aren’t meant to become managers. Bad managers can be causing high levels of turnover.
Leaders should remember that employees choose where they want to work and what they want to do. Becoming a manager should be a choice not prompted by career progression. There are ways to create alternate career paths for those who don't want or are not a good fit for a managerial role but can still grow.

Finding alternative career paths

Try to explore what opportunities may be available and could motivate people.
<ul>
<li>What business needs require a more experienced employee?</li>
<li>Are there options for high performers to become their own manager and continue to do meaningful work?</li>
<li>Is there a way for struggling managers to "step off" into a meaningful position that better fits their strengths and interests?</li>
</ul>
Sometimes just being given a new opportunity to learn and grow can be very helpful.

Reflect on the needs of the business

People don't know what they don't know. Creating greater awareness of what's possible helps people find the next step.
<ul>
<li>Clearly describe and outline dual career paths within your organization - ones with and without management requirements.</li>
<li>Consider asking them what they would like to experience in terms of roles and responsibilities so you can present targeted opportunities to them.</li>
</ul>

Define career path profiles based on required skills

Encourage talent enhancement for employees to develop their existing skills or learn new ones that can help them get on a defined career path. Pair employees with "peer mentors" and give employees at all levels the opportunity to contribute their expertise to enhance someone else's. This can lead to an enhanced sense of connectivity within your team or overall culture.

Enable upskilling with mentors

Careers shouldn’t always be viewed as ladders to climb to higher positions argues Apps Associates Lydie Fox. Sometimes a new opportunity to learn and grow can make all the difference.

Not everyone should be promoted to manager. Here’s how leaders can guide alternate career paths

Present the company's key objectives for the next six months and ask your team members how their expertise and interests can help the company reach these goals. Without tying goals to the company's overall strategy, it can feel like employees are just doing something for the sake of doing something.
Managers should refrain from creating goals for employees. You can dictate the objective but not the goal. It's best if the employees come up with the goals themselves.

Show Employees How They Can Have An Impact

Encourage employees to talk about their personal goals, and help them see how working toward these goals can also support the company in achieving its objectives.During an end-of-year, one-on-one conversation, ask employees to consider how they can use a certain interest or a skill they're trying to develop to fill a gap on the team.Invite employees to talk about their unique skills, what they are good at and what is challenging to them, and then set goals that allow them to optimize the skills they have and develop new talents.

Find Common Ground Between Employee and Company Goals

Use experiences from 2021 to help employees consider what they could have done differently at work, and then develop goals to address those issues. Ask each employee, "If you were able to make changes, what would you have done differently?Helping employees set goals that will get them to collaborate with colleagues in other departments. This will give them the opportunity to learn something new, increase their visibility and help them form new relationships that have the potential to advance their careers.

Consider New Possibilities

The process of goal setting had gotten a negative slant because of the focus on documenting goals.Goal setting can also be termed as "expectation setting" to put more emphasis on the conversation and less focus on the process. Under this new concept, managers talk to employees about what is expected from them based on their role, job level and projects from three angles—what the firm expects, what the team expects and, finally, how the employee hopes to grow in the coming year.

Change The Name

Give employees time to reach their goals. Perhaps employees take a half-day every Thursday to work on their goals, whether that means taking online training, meeting with a mentor or thinking through a stretch project.
Work with employees to break their goals into bite-sized achievements that can be celebrated. Building in milestones is a win-win. If you don't achieve the entire goal, at least you hit a milestone and we're still miles ahead than we were before.

Help Employees Achieve Their Goals

Ask employees to think about how attaining that goal would improve their lives.For instance, perhaps they would become more confident, learn a new skill or earn a bonus. Help your employees to see the goal as not just an end, but as the beginning of something else that could be new and improved in their lives.

Show The Benefit Of Reaching The Goal

Too often, performance goals set at the start of the year become obsolete by midyear. Here are six ways managers can help employees set meaningful goals for 2022.

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What Stops Employees from Applying for Internal Roles

Not everyone should be promoted to manager. Here’s how leaders can guide alternate career paths

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Here’s How Managers Can Help Employees Set Meaningful Goals

Bite-sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

#careerpath

IDEAS ABOUT #careerpath

What Stops Employees from Applying for Internal Roles

Not everyone should be promoted to manager. Here’s how leaders can guide alternate career paths

It's time to

READ

LIKE

A PRO!

Here’s How Managers Can Help Employees Set Meaningful Goals

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career