Canadian HR Reporter

18 www.hrreporter.com F O C U S O N : P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T F E A T U R E S F E A T U R E S RECENT months have completely rewritten the HR handbook, especially when it comes to talent. Mobilizing people into new industries and roles is fast becoming the norm as we come to grips with the events of 2020. Career mobility, in particular, came to the fore as a way to build greater agility and resilience into the workforce. Shifting travel workers into health-care roles and redeploying retail teams to customer care are two great examples of mobility in action. More cases will follow as businesses survive in a drastically different environment and grapple with the economic crunch ahead. Travel and hospitality have been decimated, and many countries are facing rising unemployment figures. Retaining staff in new roles that offer fresh career opportunities can be the silver bullet needed to keep businesses running and prevent layoffs. How career mobility works At its core, career mobility works to direct talent to work on high-demand or high-value projects, gigs and roles, when demand falls in their current business area — based on their skills, experience and career goals. It builds greater agility in a workforce as people become used to shifting between projects and roles as needed. It can also supercharge career growth, as people move laterally as well as vertically through promotions and build new skills and understanding of other business areas. This better prepares them for a sudden, strategic pivot, new product or entrance into a new market. At the height of the crisis, this could McKinsey & Company study found that organizations are 7.4 times more likely to report rapid talent redeployment when taking a skill-based approach. It also must be people-centric. Careers are, after all, very personal things. To reap all the benefits of career mobility, everyone must be involved and engaged with the program. You' ll need to find a balance between what the business needs, what interests each worker and their individual career goals. The pandemic highlighted a critical need for greater responsiveness across all business operations — the workforce included. In just a few months, the business case for investing in career mobility grew stronger as leaders recognized that workforce agility would help them survive and thrive. Indeed, 84 per cent of respondents see agility as "very" or "extremely" important to their organization's future success, according to a 2020 survey by Aon of 2,004 HR leaders and professionals globally. Yet, there are other benefits to put to your leadership team: Futureproofing: Taking a more mobile approach to a workforce also gives it a degree of futureproofing, as it can readily respond to incoming changes or sudden events. If people are cross- GLOBAL HR PROFESSIONALS EMBRACE WORKFORCE AGILITY be seen in action at Toronto-based TD Bank, which redeployed more than 2,000 front-of-house staff into customer support roles when its retail banks were temporarily closed. During this time, the customer support function was under greater pressure with customers phoning to change their loan, credit card and mortgage payments. Likewise, in Ontario, school employees (while schools were closed) were able to voluntarily move into care settings to alleviate staffing shortages. Custodial and maintenance workers were able to transfer their skills to assist hospitals, long-term care homes, shelters and retirement homes. Wider afield, Virgin Atlantic struck a deal with the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) to redeploy grounded cabin crew as health-care assistants. Again, their skills in first aid, remaining calm under pressure and working long hours through the night were all invaluable to the health-care service. Therein lies the crux with career mobility — it all hinges on skills. When you have the right skills data and visibility over all skills in your workforce, mobilizing people to where they're needed most becomes easier. A 2018 In just a few months of the pandemic, the business case for investing in career mobility has grown stronger as leaders recognize that workforce agility will help them survive and thrive, says Chris Milligan of Degreed Making the case for career mobility Career mobility works to direct talent to high-demand or high-value projects, gigs and roles, when demand falls in their current business area. 84% Percentage who say workforce agility is very or extremely important to the success of their organization 39% Percentage who say their current workforce is very or extremely agile 73% Percentage who say talent mobility is very or extremely important to their organization's ability to meet future goals 77% Percentage who say the ability to assess and identify workers with key digital skills is important for an agile workforce 90% Percentage who say communications infrastructure and tools are important factors in building an agile workforce 92% Percentage who say technology infrastructure is an important factor in building and maintaining an agile workforce Source: AON

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