Internal Mobility at Volkswagen Digital Solutions
Internal Mobility allows our people to develop new career paths and opportunities within Volkswagen Digital Solutions (VWDS). You might be wondering why ‘internal mobility’ is growing and getting so popular around companies and organizations. People nowadays look for companies that invest in their people and promote talent retention.
At VWDS there’s a strong emphasis on internal mobility to ensure that our employees’ journey is defined by agility. From marketing to business development, from designer to product manager, at VWDS, careers and paths can be adapted and redefined, all with the goal of ensuring that employees find their professional fulfillment.
This entire process is facilitated by the HR team, which provides close support and assistance in development, training, and integration into new areas.
One of the primary reasons for talent retention is personal fulfillment. In order to enhance employee satisfaction levels and promote team longevity, VWDS, has initiated the “Internal Mobility” program. This program enables employees to embark on a challenging career path and embrace new opportunities within the company, without the need to switch employers.
This VWDS initiative is also aligned with the nature of its business. The process of digitalization not only demands a strong creative and agile component but also witnesses a transformation of roles and services, necessitating new skill sets. Hence, the VWDS HR team is dedicated to Upskilling and Reskilling initiatives to enable employees to explore new opportunities within the company. This involves assessing motivation levels, providing subsequent training, and integrating them into new teams, especially when an employee feels their current journey might be reaching its conclusion.
The primary objective of this program is to support talent retention and counter the saturation trend impacting the technology market. However, it extends beyond that: “The recruitment process is demanding for a company, and the departure of an employee truly affects the teams. We must not forget that a company’s culture is built upon corporate purpose, but above all, on relationships. Therefore, it’s crucial to increase both vertical – for consolidation – and horizontal/transversal career learning and progression, actively searching internally for the right role for the right person,” explains Patrícia Rijo, Human Resources Business Partner at VWDS.
Patrícia Rijo also highlights that “generally, individuals leaving Volkswagen Digital Solutions are not dissatisfied with the company or its culture. We’ve even had cases of people who left the company and returned after a few months, because they missed the environment. However, for those considering departure due to a quest for a different role, internal exploration should always be the primary option. This need can be addressed internally if we allow people to express it. Thus, we created the Internal Mobility program, enabling employees to change colors instead of changing allegiances.”
Four testimonials from VWDS employees who participated in the “Internal Mobility” program, outlining their motivations for changing roles and their journey within the company:
Ana Gaspar has transitioned between two areas within VWDS, in 2020 and 2022, from brand ambassador to leading the Marketing team, and is now in an administrative position in Business Development. She shares:
” I think I’m very lucky to be in a company that allows a challenge driven person like me to grow and have these new opportunities to improve professionally”
Alexandra Oliveira joined VWDS in 2018 and had worked as a Product Designer for 15 years. She felt the need for more professional challenges and an internal mobility opportunity emerged, leading her to become a Product Manager. “I’m a very curios person, I had already a lot of knowledge about the business itself. As I was very interested in internal mobility, there was an opportunity as Program Manager and I decided to risk it.”
André Ibraim switched areas within just four months: “This change started because I’m passionate for UX and I realized that I could invest more in that area here in VWDS, and that the company would provide me all the support needed. So, when they gave me this opportunity, I just jumped right in.”
Rita Castro moved from one Tech Unit to another and then returned to the initial one: “I think the biggest motivation to grow and to become a better professional it has to come from within, so I’ve always looked for new opportunities and new skills, new technologies that I could learn and that I could use to do my job in the best possible way.”