Feel the churn: Exercising talent management practices to support a climate for career mobility

Abstract

The rise of employee mobility over the past few decades has significant implications for both organizational performance and individual careers. The traditional organizational response aims to combat turnover with increased retention efforts, but we offer an alternative strategy. In this article, we suggest that organizations also support employee mobility by proactively implementing practices that prepare workers for the next step in their career, whether that be internal or external from the company. When strategically combined, these practices can support a climate for career mobility. Drawing on extant management literature and industry publications, we demonstrate how organizations can create and support a climate for career mobility via workforce planning, job design, recruiting, onboarding, offboarding, and total rewards. Taken together, a strategic bundle of practices allows employers to support the careers of mobile workers as well as advance the goals and performance of the organization.