Why internal mobility should be a core part of your people strategy

Career stagnation impacts a significant portion of the workforce, yet it’s rarely addressed as a priority in discussions about employee wellbeing. Employees want to know that their hard work is building toward something meaningful. When that sense of forward motion stalls, wellbeing takes a hit. Motivation drops. Engagement fades. And eventually, people start looking elsewhere. 

When organizations fail to provide visible and accessible pathways for growth, employees are left to assume that they’ve hit a dead end. Stagnation isn’t always loud. It often presents as a quiet withdrawal. Employees who are typically high performers may begin to submit subpar work, exhibit a sense of decreased ambition, or distance themselves from collaboration. 

Mobility strategies are not just people programs; they’re business drivers. And when done well, it doesn’t just support retention. It actively enhances wellbeing. 

What is internal mobility?

Internal mobility is the process by which employees transition to new roles, departments, or functions within the same organization. It includes promotions, lateral moves, project-based assignments, and even role redesigns that align with an employee’s evolving skills and interests. At its core, internal mobility is about recognizing that talent is dynamic, not fixed to a single job description. It creates opportunities for growth without requiring employees to leave the company to advance their careers.

While often associated with climbing the corporate ladder, internal mobility encompasses a broader range of opportunities beyond upward movement. It enables people to explore various aspects of the business, transition into roles that better align with their strengths, or undertake new challenges that reignite their motivation and drive. By enabling employees to move and grow internally, companies reduce turnover, improve engagement, and make better use of the talent they already have. 

Mobility as a wellbeing strategy

Growth is a core human need. When employees feel like they’re growing, they’re more motivated, productive, and engaged. But when progress stalls, it can lead to stagnation, impacting both performance and wellbeing.  

Internal mobility supports wellbeing by offering:  

• A sense of purpose: Employees see how their work connects to something bigger.

• Autonomy: Self-directed growth builds confidence and morale.  

• Recognition of ambition: Encouraging curiosity keeps employees excited about development.

• Burnout prevention: Group and personal challenges reignite energy and keep work fulfilling.  

With The Navigate Platform, these strategies aren’t just ideas—they’re built into your wellbeing program. Our platform integrates career growth into employee health and engagement, offering personalized mobility options, progress tracking, and incentives. With Navigate, employees move forward in their careers while improving their overall wellbeing. 

Let’s take a look at actionable strategies for putting an internal mobility program into practice. 

Making career pathways visible

According to recent research from Forbes, 61% of employers say that their company currently offers internal mobility opportunities—but only 36% of workers agree that is true. This gap suggests that many organizations may be overestimating the visibility or accessibility of their mobility programs, leaving employees unclear about how to navigate growth within their companies. 

Employees want to know how decisions get made. What is the decision-making process when it comes to deciding between internal and external candidates? How often are roles reviewed or posted internally before going external? Furthermore, when a decision is being made for which internal candidate to promote, what are the considerations that go into that process?

Additionally, each employee should have a personal development plan that outlines how to achieve their desired goals within the organization. Leaders should have candid conversations with employees about their goals and the skills required for advancement. These conversations eliminate ambiguity and encourage ambition. When employees understand what they need to do to meet a goal, they are more likely to be motivated to develop the necessary skills to reach it and take ownership of their own growth.

At Navigate, each employee has an individual development plan (IDP) where they specify their individual growth goals and have an open dialogue with their manager to chart the path for them to achieve them. This process eliminates guesswork and opens the door for comfortable communication on what might otherwise be a difficult topic to broach.

Transparency helps build trust in the process and encourages proactive development. It also gives managers a concrete framework to guide career conversations, rather than vague encouragements to “keep doing great work.” 

Build the infrastructure to support growth

For internal mobility to succeed, employees need more than permission to grow. Creating career pathways requires real investment in the systems and programs that prepare people for new challenges and help them succeed once they take them on.

Support can take many forms, but the most effective programs tend to include a mix of structured development, flexible learning, and real-world exposure.

• Mentorship programs pair employees with colleagues who are already working in roles they aspire to. These relationships provide insight into what the next step actually looks like, along with honest advice, encouragement, and a broader sense of the challenges that lay ahead. 

• Workshops and courses build both hard and soft skills. Technical training helps employees sharpen their expertise, while leadership development supports those moving into management roles. These sessions also signal that growth is expected and supported, not just allowed. 

• Education stipends or online learning access remove barriers to continued learning. Whether it’s an external certification, a university course, or an on-demand platform, flexible education options enable people to invest in their future without leaving their current role. At Navigate, each employee has a pre-determined budget for continued education to help build or strengthen skills. 

• Project-based opportunities and cross-training allow employees to explore different types of work on a trial basis. These can take the form of one-off internal projects, cross-functional assignments, or stretch projects that expand someone’s experience without requiring a formal role change.

A strong mobility strategy makes room for all of these paths. The more ways people can grow, the more successful your mobility program becomes. 

Why prioritizing internal candidates is a strategic move

While recently taking a deep dive into employee retention strategies, we learned that internal mobility is a powerful predictor of whether employees choose to stay and grow within an organization. According to global LinkedIn data, 53% of organizations that prioritize internal mobility report longer employee tenures. 

When a new role opens up, the instinct might be to look externally for someone with years of experience and who checks every box on a job description wishlist. But skills can be built, whereas context and culture cannot. Internal candidates already have a deep understanding of your business, clients, team dynamics, and pace. They’ve navigated real challenges inside the organization. That experience can often be more relevant than that of an unproven external candidate.

Hiring based on potential rather than just past experience shifts the focus from what someone has done to what they’re capable of doing next. It also makes the message clear: growth here is attainable.

This kind of internal promotion builds loyalty. It allows people to envision a future without leaving the company. When employees see their colleagues advancing, it normalizes movement and makes the system feel accessible, not political. 

Don’t limit mobility to promotions

Not every career move needs to be upward. In fact, some of the most valuable shifts are lateral. Some employees want to specialize and deepen their craft, while others are curious about entirely different functions.

Lateral moves enable employees to explore different areas of the business, develop new skills, and mitigate burnout. They’re especially helpful for people who want a change of pace or direction without having to start over. 

Cross-training

When employees have the chance to collaborate with or shadow other teams, it sparks curiosity. It helps them understand where they might fit beyond their current lane.  

Formalizing these opportunities, whether through short-term assignments or job rotation, makes it easier for people to say yes without risking their current role. Additionally, cross-training leads to a deeper understanding of a business as a whole. The more knowledge an employee has about a company’s operations from different perspectives, the better they are able to perform in their specific role.

It also sends a clear message: we value exploration, not just execution. 

Final thought: make mobility the norm

Internal mobility shouldn’t be an exception or a favor. It should be part of the operating system. A healthy organization makes growth visible, accessible, and expected.

This doesn’t mean fast-tracking every employee or creating artificial roles. It means looking at talent as dynamic, not fixed. It means recognizing that helping someone move on is sometimes the best way to help them stay.

Ready to see how Navigate can transform employee wellbeing at your organization? Book a personalized demo today!