Employers ratcheting up their internal career development programmes must not sideline diversity and inclusion, advises Raheela Anwar. They must pay attention to diversity and inclusion issues within internal mobility, by implementing some key strategies and measures to ensure a fair playing field for all; especially when it comes to career path opportunities and skills development.
Recently, I’ve noticed a strong shift in the recruiting preferences of organisations from a tendency to recruit from external talent pools towards hiring internally where possible and also a greater promotion of lateral moves. This change in strategy is partly motivated by data that suggests that some two-thirds of young people are currently looking for or considering another job.
Whilst a greater investment in internal mobility processes and well-designed reskilling/upskilling initiatives is welcome, there is a risk that diversity and inclusion get overlooked. In the past, for example, internal mobility has often been associated with power networks and being ‘tapped on the shoulder’; excluding anyone that doesn’t have access to those networks. Smart organisations know better, though. They pay attention to diversity and inclusion issues within internal mobility by implementing some key strategies and measures that ensure a fair playing field for all; especially when it comes to career path opportunities and skills development.
EQUITABLE ACCESS & PROCESSES
For a start, all jobs must be posted internally before going to external hiring (excluding executive leadership team roles). This avoids a narrative developing where potential candidates aren’t aware a role is available and don’t apply. Full visibility of open roles is the foundation of a more equitable process.
Of course, an open process doesn’t guarantee that employees who should apply; or will apply. Proactive encouragement is required. Take a simple issue like role description. The way that minimum criteria are used can exclude applicants unnecessarily. An internal candidate may already have acquired the knowledge and skills they need to be productive and successful in the new role. Careful thought around job description and requirements for internal hires can avoid deterring suitable candidates.
Simply ensuring equitable access to a competitive hiring process is not sufficient, either. Organisations that care about diversity, recognise that it can be difficult to get on to the stepping stone projects or internal training programmes that provide visibility and access to leaders. They take care to ensure that highly competitive training programmes and projects have diverse representation; preparing people for that next internal move, whether lateral or upwards.
In general, more diverse and inclusive internal mobility involves having more accessible communication channels to leaders. There’s a risk, for example, that leaders fail to engage in informal interviewing because of time pressures. This has to change. It’s exactly this kind of interaction that forms an invaluable part of preparing to apply for a role; and learning how to tell your story in the most compelling way. This means strongly encouraging leaders to accept informal networking requests from individuals internally; so that those individuals can learn more about the business.
DIVERSE CANDIDATE SLATE
Other essential conversations include post-appointment feedback sessions with unsuccessful applicants on why they didn’t move forward; as well as talent conversations as part of the reward and recognition process. Better communication will boost employee engagement, which is increasingly used as metric to assess leadership teams. So it’s a win-win for both internal applicants and leadership.
Given the intense pressures of day-to-day business it is easy to see why busy leaders might default to the usual networks and power structures when sourcing talent internally. This makes it all the more important that leaders making talent decisions are incentivised to both encourage the development of, and consider, a diverse slate of candidates. Organisations committed to equitable internal mobility opportunities can find ways of tying leader compensation and recognition directly to diversity goals; and internal candidate development.
It’s difficult to improve processes in organisations if you can’t keep track of them. That’s certainly true of diversity and inclusion. Organisations that intend to adopt a proactive approach to identifying and interviewing a diverse slate of high potential candidates must keep a record of their internal talent roster. This is likely to be some form of electronic record of employees, both old and new hires, in terms of background and experience. Work in the community, volunteering, languages spoken, interests outside of work, can all be relevant.
While it’s true that all these of measures are good practice for internal mobility; they are also areas most likely to marginalise minority groups if action is not taken. Implementing these initiatives will go a long way to creating a more diverse and inclusive internal mobility process that delivers improved organisational performance.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Raheela Anwar is President and Chief Executive Officer at Group 360 Consulting. She brings more than 25 years of experience in executive outplacement and financial services to Group 360, with expertise in M&A, executive compensation, corporate delayering, and building and leading diverse teams. She is a leader in guiding professionals and organisations through career transition, connecting them with networks and resources to help them find their next opportunity.
Prior to launching Group 360 Consulting, Anwar served in executive roles for BPI group and a national boutique executive outplacement firm. Before that, she worked in the financial services industry as an independent consultant advising multi-asset class firms. She served as a Managing Director at The Ziegler Companies; and held several executive roles at The Northern Trust Corporation.
Anwar holds a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Chicago, a Bachelor of Arts in molecular biology and French literature from Northwestern University; and an investment certificate from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.
According to a recent report, female and ethnic minority business leaders are often sidelined into functions, which are less likely to lead to C-suite roles. Click here to read more.
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