Nowa strona 1 » How to Support Career Progression Transparency in a Location-Agnostic Way

Enabling Equal Growth Opportunities Across Diverse Teams and Locations

Introduction: The Changing Landscape of Career Progression in Hybrid Workplaces

As businesses increasingly embrace hybrid, remote-first, and global workforce models, the concept of career progression is evolving rapidly. Traditional career paths, often based on physical proximity to senior leaders and office locations, are being replaced by more dynamic, location-agnostic approaches that focus on talent potential, skills, and contributions rather than physical presence.

However, while this shift offers exciting opportunities for global mobility and talent development, it also presents new challenges. One of the key obstacles is ensuring that employees, regardless of their location, have clear visibility into potential career paths and equal access to development opportunities.

In a distributed work environment, the challenge is ensuring that career progression is transparent, fair, and accessible to all employees—whether they are working from the office, at home, or in a satellite office halfway across the world. For HR leaders, this requires a strategic, transparent approach to role mobility and internal opportunity marketplaces that allow employees to see, and take advantage of, growth opportunities wherever they are based.

In this guide, we will explore two critical aspects of supporting career progression transparency in a location-agnostic world:

Mapping role mobility across physical locations and business units to ensure that employees have equal access to opportunities regardless of where they are based.
Implementing tools for transparent internal opportunity marketplaces that make career progression visible, equitable, and accessible.

I. Mapping Role Mobility Across Physical Locations and Business Units

1. Understanding the Importance of Role Mobility in a Hybrid Workforce

In a traditional office-based environment, employees often saw career progression as a series of steps, typically within one location or department. However, as businesses embrace hybrid and remote work, role mobility becomes increasingly complex. Employees are no longer restricted by physical proximity to headquarters or specific office locations. Instead, they have the freedom to move between roles, teams, and business units across different locations and geographies.

Career progression in this context needs to be mapped across the entire organization, ensuring employees can transition into new roles or business units without the constraints of location. This requires a holistic, integrated view of career development, which connects different departments and locations.

2. Creating a Clear Role Mobility Framework

HR leaders should work to create a framework that outlines how employees can transition between roles or departments, irrespective of their physical location. The framework should cover:

Clear criteria for role eligibility: Defining the skills, experience, and qualifications required for lateral or vertical movement within the organization.
Mapping mobility options: Identify the roles that employees can move into based on their skills, interests, and performance, regardless of office locations. This should include opportunities for promotions, cross-functional moves, or transitions into new business units.
Business unit and location visibility: Make it clear which roles are available in each business unit, and how remote employees can apply or be considered for them.

Example: A global e-commerce company implemented a role mobility framework that allowed employees working remotely in Europe to apply for positions in business units based in North America or Asia. This allowed them to track potential opportunities and move within the company based on their skills rather than their location.

3. Aligning Career Mobility with Organizational Needs

Ensuring that employees can move between business units or locations needs to be aligned with organizational goals and strategic needs. By mapping mobility against business priorities, HR leaders can help employees align their career growth with the company’s long-term vision.

Cross-functional collaboration: Encourage employees to take on roles or projects in different business units, contributing to business agility and knowledge sharing across locations.
Project-based mobility: Align employees with temporary cross-departmental projects or global initiatives to allow them to gain exposure to different areas of the business. This builds their skillset and creates natural career progression opportunities.

Example: A multinational tech firm initiated a global project-based mobility program where employees could participate in high-priority initiatives across different regions. This allowed remote employees to collaborate with colleagues from different time zones and gain exposure to new business functions.

II. Tools for Transparent Internal Opportunity Marketplaces

1. The Role of Technology in Career Progression Transparency

To support location-agnostic career progression, HR leaders need to leverage technology to facilitate transparent, efficient, and accessible internal opportunity marketplaces. These platforms allow employees to access information about available roles, apply for positions, and track their career growth—all within one cohesive system.

Modern tools like internal job boards, career path platforms, and talent marketplaces enable organizations to create a digital ecosystem where employees can explore career progression options within the company. These tools should be designed with transparency and inclusivity in mind, ensuring that all employees have access to the same information and opportunities.

2. Building an Internal Opportunity Marketplace

An internal opportunity marketplace is a powerful tool for allowing employees to easily discover new roles, projects, or development opportunities across the organization. Such a platform can offer the following features:

Real-time updates on available roles: Employees can see available positions across departments, geographies, and teams, ensuring they never miss an opportunity for growth.
Skills-based matching: By implementing AI and machine learning algorithms, internal marketplaces can recommend roles and projects based on employees’ current skills, experiences, and career aspirations.
Career pathing tools: Employees can visualize their potential career paths, including the skills they need to develop and the roles they need to gain experience in to progress within the company.

Example: A leading healthcare provider created an internal job marketplace platform, where employees could view roles based on their current job, location, and skillset. The platform also highlighted developmental steps, such as certifications or training, that employees could take to become eligible for roles in different business units or geographies.

3. Tools for Skills and Experience Tracking

Career progression transparency requires that employees and managers alike have access to data-driven insights on skills and experience. Tools such as skills management platforms or learning management systems (LMS) allow employees to track their own development while giving managers visibility into potential talent pools for internal mobility.

Skills assessments: Use tools like Degreed, Pluma, or Cornerstone to assess employees’ skills and provide recommendations for future growth. These tools can be integrated with the internal opportunity marketplace to match employees with roles that suit their current capabilities and career aspirations.
Learning and development integration: Ensure that employees have access to relevant learning opportunities to fill skills gaps as they pursue new roles or career paths. Integrating these tools with the opportunity marketplace allows for seamless tracking of both current competencies and future potential.

Example: An international consulting firm implemented a skills and experience tracker that allowed employees to self-assess their capabilities and match them to internal job postings. This provided a transparent view of the qualifications required for different roles, empowering employees to take ownership of their career growth.

4. Promoting Visibility for All Employees

While digital tools can create transparency, it’s also important that career progression opportunities are visible to all employees, regardless of their location or seniority. Transparency in career progression ensures that employees feel motivated and empowered to apply for roles and pursue their career aspirations.

Leadership communication: Senior leaders should actively communicate about internal opportunities in town halls, newsletters, and internal social media. This not only increases awareness but also reinforces the company’s commitment to internal mobility.
Inclusive job postings: Ensure that job postings are equally visible to remote employees as they are to those based in physical offices. For example, video job descriptions and employee testimonial series can be used to highlight open positions, helping employees better understand the role and its requirements.

Example: A leading software company began publishing employee success stories through video blogs, where employees shared their personal experiences of transitioning to new roles within the company. These stories were shared on internal communication platforms to encourage others to explore career mobility options.

III. Ensuring Equitable Career Development for Remote Workers

To ensure fairness in career progression, HR leaders must take proactive steps to eliminate any biases—such as proximity bias—that might favor employees working in physical offices over remote or hybrid employees. Transparency and equity should be embedded in every stage of career development, from recruitment to promotion.

1. Standardized Career Pathing for All Employees

Regardless of location, ensure that career paths and progression opportunities are standardized across the organization. This ensures that remote employees have the same potential for growth and development as their in-office counterparts.

Transparent performance and promotion criteria: Clearly define the criteria for promotions, lateral moves, and role transitions. Make sure that these criteria are visible to all employees, and ensure they are applied consistently across all locations.

2. Building Cross-Cultural and Global Networks for Career Development

Encourage employees to build connections and expand their career networks across global teams. By providing opportunities for employees to work in cross-functional or international teams, they gain exposure to different perspectives and business areas, which enriches their career progression.

Conclusion: Fostering Transparent, Location-Agnostic Career Progression

In a world where work is increasingly remote-first, the importance of career progression transparency cannot be overstated. By leveraging digital tools, skills assessments, and internal opportunity marketplaces, HR leaders can ensure that all employees—whether based in the office or working remotely—have equal access to growth opportunities.

By removing location-based barriers to career mobility, organizations can not only enhance employee satisfaction and retention but also create a more inclusive, dynamic workforce that can thrive in the evolving world of hybrid and distributed work.

Key takeaway: A transparent, location-agnostic approach to career progression is not just a strategy for retention—it's a strategic investment in building an agile, future-ready workforce.