Schneider Electric and Internal Mobility | LinkedIn Talent Blog

Well before the coronavirus pandemic, the notion of an “internal talent market” was a growing practice within many organizations.  However, as with other practices, COVID-19 has placed a spotlight on internal mobility as organizations seek to redeploy their workforces, quickly and efficiently, to where they’re needed most. This article highlights Schneider Electric, who launched its internal mobility platform, Open Talent Market, as a part of its retention strategy near 2018. Schneider’s AI-driven platform gives employees access to job postings, mentors, training, and part-time projects, creating what the company calls “an internal gig economy.” The initial and primary focus was on helping employees move to new jobs within the company, but has expanded to short-term projects — both of which allow the company to optimize its talent. The article provides six tactics Schneider used to create a state-of-the-art program for internal mobility and workforce optimization, ranging from a) revising policies that impede internal mobility — or do away with them altogether, b) building a platform that matches employees with opportunities, c) going beyond an internal job board and create your own ‘gig economy’, d) matching aspiring employees with mentors and training, to name a few.  An organization’s ability to create and leverage its internal talent marketplace can provide a source of differentiation, reduce turnover, increase employee engagement, and accelerate the upskilling and reskilling of employees.