Drive world-class mobility
How to prove workforce mobility’s value to secure ongoing investment and support
3 steps to demonstrating and growing the value of mobility in your organization
When leaders in the organization don’t understand the role of workforce mobility or its contribution to business success, this leaves your program vulnerable to budget cuts, staff reductions or other disadvantageous decisions.
Common misperceptions are often to blame. When leaders think mobility is simply about moving employees from point A to point B, they don’t see the value. But when you can show that the work you do drives essential corporate initiatives, they will begin to see its worth.
While elevating mobility’s status is easier said than done, taking specific steps to reframe your program will go a long way to getting the support you need to manage it successfully.
Here are a few tips to help to demonstrate (and grow) the value of workforce mobility at your organization:
Gain alignment on the purpose of your program
Proving the value of your workforce mobility program starts at the top. To be successful, you need to secure buy-in from key stakeholders on the purpose of mobility within the organization.
Start by identifying the decision-makers in your organization who need to align on why you have a mobility program in the first place. Then discuss mobility’s role in the organization. For example, some companies value mobility for:
- Increasing speed to productivity for new hires by getting the right people in the right roles in the right locations quickly and seamlessly
- Enhancing workforce knowledge sharing by moving employees to locations that allow them to gain critical insights they can bring back to the organization
- Attracting top talent by casting a wider net and offering an enticing relocation package
- Retaining high-performing employees by providing rich opportunities for development and a more challenging career path
Once you gain consensus on the value of the program, it will no longer be a mystery. You’ll also ensure you have internal champions who can reinforce why workforce mobility makes sense as an organizational investment.
Define specific, measurable business goals
When you agree on your program’s purpose, it’s a lot easier to focus on activities that deliver against the organization’s objectives.
But even if you don’t currently have consensus, you can still begin proving mobility’s value by defining specific, measurable goals that align with business priorities.
For example, if reducing employee churn is important, commit to retain a certain percentage of employees who go through your workforce mobility program. Or, if increasing productivity is important, agree to improve speed of landing by a specific number of days.
Measuring your progress will allow you to showcase how your program delivers on agreed-upon objectives that move the business forward.
Tout your contributions publicly and often
If key stakeholders aren’t aware of contributions towards defined goals, they won’t realize the value you or your program brings.
To showcase progress towards priority business outcomes, track key metrics and report them consistently to the right leaders in your organization. For example, if your goal is to attract top talent to support organizational staffing requirements, monitor and report the acceptance rate for new hires who would need to move to another location for their job. Make sure you also collect data on the reason why candidates accept or turn down roles. Insights, like an inadequate relocation package, will help you determine what is working or not working in your current strategy.
Once you collect and analyze this data, hold regular meetings to review the results so you can discuss what is helping or hindering progress. Continual, purpose-driven personal time will allow you to frame your program positively and keep the conversation going. It will also put you in a better position to spot opportunities to add even more value.
Get help proving the value of mobility by engaging the right stakeholders
Graebel helps you build and manage the right organizational relationships to achieve your mobility goals. Our proprietary Graebel Mobility PathBuilderⓇ Stakeholder Engagement program enables you to develop a specific action plan to engage the best people at your organization and gain their support.