Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Impedements in Internal Growth
Impedements in Internal Growth
relations: While organizations are stressing internal mobility as one way to meet today’s talent
needs, a majority of employees don’t feel supported to look for their next role internally.
Read on for insights into how employees and organizations are navigating the Great Reshuffle.
The conclusion many employees have recently come to, according to our data insights: I don’t
have the support to explore new opportunities at my current organization.
Eric Knudsen, a LinkedIn people science senior researcher, says there’s at least one solution that
leaders can turn to almost immediately.
“Whenever someone starts looking for their next opportunity,” he says, “a lack of manager
support could force an external move. It’s important to frame internal mobility to managers as a
moment of growth rather than a moment of loss.”
Better yet, Eric says, managers have a lot to gain from internal mobility.
“An internal move means their team will have a new advocate and partner in a different part of
the organization,” he says, “something that could improve cross-team collaboration, which is a
key element of organizational success.”
And managers should keep in mind that a robust internal mobility program gives them access to
proven talent too.
This double whammy occurred as some regions around the world began preparing for a return to
the office while others were fighting surges in COVID-19 infections, points out Amy Lavoie,
LinkedIn head of people science strategic development.
The implications are clear: Very few people want to return to pre-pandemic work life.
“Part of the issue here is that the communications around organizations’ return-to-office plans
can carry a dangerous subtext,” Amy says. “It may look to employees that, while their leaders
had prioritized their well-being and safety in the pandemic’s first stretch, they’re now focusing
on business and advancing their own agenda at all costs, leaving employees’ concerns in the
wake.”
“Employees are looking to their organizations to value their needs as full human beings,” she
says, “and trust them to make decisions about how, when, and where they work. Until that
happens, we will continue to see this deadlock between employees and organizations on
happiness and burnout.”
Here’s a useful learning path on LinkedIn Learning designed to help employees cultivate
balance and well-being as offices reopen.
Yet employees are saying their organizations aren’t delivering in those two areas. Of the factors
measured, work-life balance and excellent compensation and benefits were among the lowest
scoring on employee surveys over the past year.
The report is chock-full of statistics showing employees largely feel productive and successful
when they can be flexible about how, when, and where they work, and one set of insights
particularly stands out:
Employees who are satisfied with their organization’s flexibility on work schedules or location
are:
And yet:
So where are leaders getting stuck when it comes to adopting a flexible approach to work?
“Inherently, a flexible approach to work requires a culture of trust,” says Ia Ko, a LinkedIn
people science principal consultant. “Yes, leaders can provide broad policies to guide flexible
work, but ultimately they need to empower their managers to structure projects in a way that
helps employees do their best work and be their best selves.”
Here’s an essential LinkedIn Learning course on how HR pros can lead their organizations in
providing flexible work options.
Final thoughts
In the midst of the Great Reshuffle, leaders have an opportunity to create a new approach to
business that embraces what employees need to be their best selves at work and do their best
work. With our latest data insights, we know that the needs of today’s employees include growth
opportunities, well-being support, and flexibility.