Hire or fire? How about internally reshuffling staff?

Recruitment is far from being a precise science. More often than not, employers get it right, but sometimes the fit is just wrong and no one’s to blame. Perhaps the employee has realised their heart’s not in the role, or the employer’s expectations do not align with their skill set. 

That doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road for the workplace relationship. Internal mobility can foster career opportunities by transitioning an employee into a new role, leading to impactful outcomes for both parties.

What is internal mobility?

• Internal mobility isn’t just the process of promoting staff; it also includes encouraging and supporting employees to advance their careers within their current workplace by moving into a new role or department 
• Staff can still move vertically, such as taking on a management role in a different department, or laterally, such as moving from administration to a care role
• Survey results from LinkedIn’s 2023 Future of Recruiting Report found that 75% of recruiters believe internal recruiting will be an important talent acquisition tool over the next five years

When is the right time to reshuffle roles?

Moving an employee to a new role within your organisation may not be a straightforward process. First and foremost, does the employee actually want to stay with the company and are they interested in taking on a new role?

When someone does want to move into a new role due to burnout or career fatigue, it’s often a drastic change such as starting their own new small business. It’s hard for an employer to convince someone to stay in that situation.

However, there are plenty of situations where you have scope to negotiate new opportunities, including:

• If an employee is moving to another location where you also operate: In this scenario, ideally you can transfer an employee into a like-for-like position, but it may be an administration worker could take on a payroll job, or a lifestyle coordinator could become a retirement living manager.
• If they love the company and are a great culture fit, but dislike the role: Perhaps a communications professional is looking for a change of pace and you can train them as a personal care worker.
• You can see there’s long-term career potential but there’s no room for direct promotion in their current team: You can move an experienced Enrolled Nurse into a management role in another team or home, pending further vacancies for nursing staff in the organisation.
• They are clearly interested in a new role or career path but they don’t know how to follow it: A worker has applied to be a support worker but they are training to be a marketing professional. You can negotiate a potential new role once they have graduated, or offer part-time work in the marketing department.

Fill another role, or create a new one?

Arguably the toughest part of moving an employee to a new role, or even a new hire, is determining what role that should be. It’s easier when an internal vacancy presents itself but what if you don’t have an opening, should you create a new role?

Employers should look at where gaps exist in the current workforce: do you need a new digital marketing professional, an additional manager for a growing team or a care worker to support a new client? If you see a gap, are you confident you can sustain and support the new role? There truly needs to be a long-term position for the employee.

In addition, don’t forget that the creation of a new role or a simple job switch will take time to navigate. Give the employee time and resources to successfully transition especially if you have created a new role with previously unexplored responsibilities.

An organised approach to talent retention

Internal recruitment provides countless opportunities for businesses where there’s a diverse number of roles. Aged care fits the bill perfectly as you can support industry professionals into care-oriented roles when they want to step away from the desk, or you can support care workers into less demanding jobs once they want a change of pace. 

An internal mobility program, or similar, could be the perfect opportunity to encourage employee movement without losing staff. You can choose to launch an internal mobility program with an external human resources or recruitment-focused company – that’s up to you. But if you’re looking to take small steps, consider:

• Sending out a company-wide email to encourage staff feeling unmotivated or burnt out to speak with human resources regarding new job opportunities
• Ask managers to identify staff with skills and qualifications that could be suited to other roles or departments
• Encourage staff in different departments to take part in training courses unrelated to their direct field of work: this could lead to new opportunities
• Promote job vacancies internally to all staff

There’s no need to make your approach to talent retention overly complicated. Simple conversations, honest communication and a willingness to try new things are all you need to help staff find their calling without having to find a new workplace.