In 2022, a study by Lever found that 25% of millennials want their leaders to prioritize internal mobility and 38% of Gen Z want their leaders to prioritize flexibility.
In the same vein, LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report 2024 tells us only 1 in 5 employees feel confident about their ability to transition internally. While many companies that promote internal mobility see higher retention rates, a more agile workforce, and employees with broader cross-functional knowledge, there still seems to be barriers for internal movers, including potential bias toward external hiring or a lack of visibility to open roles. So, how can organizations better support internal mobility to meet their employees where they are, and enhance retention and satisfaction?
The case for internal movers
At Intuit, we celebrate internal mobility. There are many opportunities for our teams to grow their careers by taking stretch assignments, building skills through training, or moving laterally into new roles. We’re also developing formal rotation programs that accelerate learning through work experience. In one of Intuit’s internal mobility pilot programs last fiscal year, employees with at least three years of experience were matched to roles across different business units to build new skillsets.
Intuit is building a culture of mobility by increasing awareness and capability, driving leadership accountability, and establishing and implementing internal hiring best practices. We continue to update our internal job website to make it easier for employees to identify roles, including the ability to set personalized alerts for when new roles pop up. We’re also developing formal rotation programs that accelerate learning through work experience.
Mohan Kumar, Director of Talent Acquisition at Intuit India, spotlights his experience with Intuit’s internal mobility. Four years ago, he was encouraged to take on an interim role, along with his primary role in talent programs. “I used my skills and experience to assist the talent acquisition team and provide on-ground support to our leadership team. Little did I know that it would bring invaluable experience and open doors to bigger opportunities,” he recalls. After a few quarters, he moved into a permanent role with an expanded charter that facilitated his lateral growth.
A strategic imperative: learning-focused mobility
Internal mobility is about creating better experiences for employees and setting them up for success. It’s also a great retention tool for companies, given 4 out of 5 employers have reported difficulty in finding skilled talent.
Intuit’s mobility program is designed to facilitate lateral and personal growth. Employees are equipped to develop new skills and learn new crafts, while also bridging the talent gap.
Intuit engineer Saman Tamkeen, is a mobility success story. While working on several AI-driven projects as a member of the reporting team, his interest lay primarily on crafting AI algorithms to power products. Last July, Saman applied for and was offered a role as a machine learning engineer after hearing of the opportunity from his current manager who leads the Smart Products Team at Intuit India.
The mobility culture at Intuit supports learning right from the start. Saman says, “I was encouraged to converse with people like Prashanth Seshadri, Director AI at Intuit India, and other data scientists to hiring managers to ML engineers; my manager included. Even if my pursuit of mobility hadn’t succeeded, I would still have a valuable amount of learning from my craft demos, interviews and interactions with the panel and AI team.”
Companies should build out a structure which isn’t about fitting people into boxes based on their job descriptions. It’s about crafting a space where skills, interests, and career paths are open for exploration.
If you are interested in joining our team, check out Intuit India’s open positions.