Transforming Career Stagnation into Career Mobility + 8 Strategies

Most people, at some point in their careers, have been or will be stuck in what feels like a stagnant career. A job that may be repetitive, unfulfilling, or unaligned with an employee’s overall career objectives, with no options for promotion or lateral movement. Career stagnation is a real thing and it negatively impacts both employees and employers.

In a period deemed “The Great Gloom” by BambooHR, employee satisfaction and engagement continue to dip. In Gallup’s State of the Global Workforce 2025 report, they noted employee engagement has only fallen twice in the last 12 years—in 2020 and 2024, with 2025 numbers projected to continue downwards. Factors such as a rising cost of living, looming layoffs, and the prevalence of career stagnation all contribute to a demoralized workforce that erodes the positive team culture you’ve worked so hard to build.

This all sounds like doom and gloom, but there is one core thing that you in HR and L&D can do to help create a more satisfied, loyal, and growth-minded workforce: address career stagnation and turn it into career mobility. In this article, we’ll go over what career stagnation means, the concept of career mobility, and how HR and L&D teams can help prevent the former and promote the latter.

Employee engagement and retention is a top priority—addressing career stagnation can help

As part of Together’s Enterprise L&D in 2026: Trends and Predictions report, we surveyed your peers in various HR and L&D functions to better understand their priorities for the coming year and beyond.

Respondents were asked to select their top 3 priorities for 2026 and 35% of respondents chose “improving employee retention and engagement”—representing 16% of total responses. For the second year, employee engagement and retention remains in the top 5 list of priorities because it still represents a significant challenge. 

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In last year’s survey and report, over a third of respondents predicted career stagnation would be the top cause of turnover in 2025 and that prediction holds water—especially among Millennials and Gen Z, with 74% saying they’re likely to quit within the next year due to lack of development opportunities. 

Building career mobility into your engagement, retention, and development strategies is one powerful way to improve satisfaction and keep employees from leaving for greener pastures.

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So what does career stagnation mean?

Career stagnation refers to that frustrating feeling of working a job that’s going nowhere fast—meaning no real opportunities for advancement or to develop new skills. This, along with other retention factors such as engagement and compensation, lead to employee turnover.

As the workforce and the work environment itself keeps changing, employees are hungry for roles and activities that help them grow both personally and professionally. However, those opportunities are becoming a little more scarce. A study from Gallup saw opportunities to learn and grow at work decline rapidly between 2020 and 2021 and they have not recovered.

This ongoing trend of career stagnation highlights the needs for organizations to take a good hard look at their development and retention strategies and ensure employees have a reason to stick around.

What does career stagnation mean for companies?

Career stagnation doesn’t just impact employees—it causes a ripple effect across the company. When people feel stuck, they’re more likely to start looking elsewhere, driving up turnover and the recruitment and training costs that come with it. Teams themselves feel the strain too, as momentum slows, collaboration shifts, and valuable knowledge walks out the door. Taking it a step further, it’s damaging to your company’s reputation as an employer, so recruiting the right talent becomes even more challenging.

Enter: a career mobility program

So what exactly is career mobility? Think of it as an employee’s journey—not just climbing the ladder, but also exploring new avenues such as lateral transfers or mastering new skills. Basically, broadening what your people can do and where they can go. Building career mobility is the practice of creating flexible, well-supported career pathways inside your organization that align individual goals with your company’s needs.

Why career mobility and professional development matter so much to employees

Work plays a major role in people’s lives—and for many, it’s tightly tied to their sense of identity. In fact, 39% of employees say their job or career is very important to who they are. When growth stalls, it can affect far more than performance; it can impact how employees see and feel about themselves. That’s why the opportunity to learn, succeed, and move forward is such a powerful motivator.

Most employees pursue professional development because they genuinely want to build new skills, take on fresh challenges, and contribute at a higher level. But it’s also important to recognize the pressures beneath the surface, too. Understanding the pressures on your employees is just as important as knowing their drivers. Rising cost of living and layoff fears mean some employees may feel compelled to advance to simply increase their earning potential or protect their job security. For some, this is part of the reason internal career mobility is so important.

Gen Z: The growth-minded workforce

Growing up in a world where every piece of information is just a click or tap away, younger workers have a hunger for knowledge and know what skills they need to succeed—and they’re not interested in a stagnant career. They want to stay and grow with one company long term but will leave if they start feeling stagnant at work. 43% of US college seniors and recent graduates want a long-term career with an employer that offers growth opportunities, hence why internal career mobility is so important. If your company doesn’t offer or doesn’t clearly communicate growth and development opportunities, retention among younger employees may suffer for it.

8 ways HR and L&D can facilitate career mobility

So, how can you in HR or L&D promote internal career mobility among your employees? It may seem like a big lift—especially if you work for a large company—but it is absolutely doable with the right strategies in place. Here are eight practical ways to combat career stagnation and enable career mobility:

1. Implement structured career development plans: Create clear and transparent pathways for advancement so employees understand what progression looks like in your organization. A structured internal mobility program can help with this.
2. Offer job rotation or shadowing programs: Give your employees the chance to explore different roles, build new skills, and broaden their understanding of how the organization works.
3. Create a mentoring program: Creating a workplace mentoring program connects employees across levels, supports career exploration, and accelerates skill development through real, relationship-driven learning.
4. Support flexible career paths: Recognize that all career journeys aren’t one-size-fits-all. Encourage employee-led development and make internal transfers easier so people can move in directions that fit their goals.
5. Provide targeted training programs: Invest in training that addresses specific skill gaps—whether that’s digital fluency, leadership capability, or ethical and practical AI use.
6. Offer educational assistance programs: Support employees in pursuing further education, certifications, or specialized courses. It boosts growth while strengthening your organization’s overall talent base.
7. Encourage cross-functional project work: Involve employees in cross-departmental initiatives or special projects that expose them to new skills, teams, and business areas.
8. Leverage internal talent marketplaces: Use internal platforms or talent-matching tools to connect employees with open roles, stretch assignments, or short-term gigs across the company.

Remember, career mobility doesn’t need to be linear

We mentioned earlier that mobility within a company isn’t just “climbing the corporate ladder” straight up—as in one role leading to the next, with success measured by upward movement. One really great thing about today’s workplace is how dynamic it is, and that traditional ladder doesn’t always reflect how people grow.

When you’re planning your career mobility program, think of your company’s career paths more like a career lattice. Instead of only moving up, employees can move sideways, diagonally, or into entirely new areas as their skills and interests evolve. Lateral transfers, stretch assignments, project-based work, and cross-functional roles all fit into this approach.

Career mobility program benefits both employees and employers

Promoting career mobility truly is a win-win for everyone involved. Employees gain the chance to grow, stretch, and see a meaningful future for themselves within the organization. That sense of momentum boosts engagement, increases satisfaction, and helps employees feel valued and supported. When people can picture a long-term path with your company, they’re far less likely to look elsewhere. 

For employers, investing in career mobility pays off just as much. It strengthens retention, builds a more agile and capable workforce, and creates a culture where people are energized, motivated, and deeply committed to the organization’s goals. It also helps you make better use of the intelligent and talented people you already have—unlocking skills and potential that may otherwise go untapped.

Benefits for employees:

• Greater clarity and confidence in their career path
• More opportunities to build new skills and competencies
• Increased engagement and job satisfaction
• Stronger sense of belonging and purpose
• Higher long-term earning potential

Benefits for employers:

• Improved retention and reduced turnover costs
• Higher productivity and stronger performance
• Better workforce agility and internal talent mobility
• Deeper institutional knowledge
• Stronger leadership pipelines
• Better employer brand and competitive hiring advantage

Prevent career stagnation with Together

Career mobility and meaningful development will continue to be essential pillars of your talent attraction, retention, and learning and development strategy from now on. The point is to be intentional with investment in employee growth to help employees—both new and company veterans—feel like they can envision their future at your company and feel excited to build it. 

Technology plays a big role in making that happen. With Together’s suite of mentorship software, peer learning tools, and engagement features, you can design a scalable career mobility program that aligns with your company’s goals while meeting employees where they are in their learning journey. Our tools lighten the administrative load for HR and L&D teams, making it easier to create a culture of continuous growth to prevent career stagnation and strengthen your organization from the inside out.

Get started with Together today! Book a demo with one of our experts.