The Multiple Pathways Initiative Internal Mobility Working Group focused on identifying best practices and supporting companies in the implementation of skills-based promotion practices.

Many organizations think they are implementing skills-based practices but haven’t built the shared language, culture, structures and technology systems needed to support it. Amid the current war for talent and the rapidly shifting future of work, skills-based mobility practices can make companies more competitive and nimble.

Skills-based internal mobility refers to the strategic development and use of skills to advance employees within an organization both laterally and vertically. The Business Roundtable Multiple Pathways Initiative , comprised of VP and C-suite HR leaders, came together to articulate the value of taking a skills-based approach to talent management. Some benefits of skills-based mobility include:

Companies

• Increased retention and reduced hiring, onboarding and training costs.
• Increased innovation and business agility due to retention of company knowledge.
• Increased employee engagement and satisfaction.
• Greater alignment between corporate strategy and talent management.

Employees

• Increased opportunities for advancement, especially for those who face barriers to formal credentials.
• The ability to see and access clearer career paths.
• Validation of skills acquired through informal methods, including lived experiences.
• Company Success Stories

Companies are implementing new recruitment and assessment strategies to better recognize and evaluate skills of all job seekers, identifying upward career paths for employees who acquire new skills along their career journey, and developing training programs to help employees gain different skills needed to advance. Explore how companies are engaging in this work: