Think Inside the Box: How Internal Gigs Can Drive Career and Company Growth

Pop quiz: What’s one of the most effective ways to increase internal mobility, promote retention, and create a more flexible and agile workforce? If you answered, “internal gigs or projects,” congratulations! You are correct. 

Gigs or projects are short-term assignments that employees take on within their own company, outside of their usual roles. Gigs give employees an opportunity to develop skills and grow in their careers. At some companies, employees step out of their full-time roles for a short period (say, three months) to work on a project. At others, employees may devote 5% to 20% of each workweek to a gig. 

Either way, it’s a win-win. 

Employees learn new skills, expand their networks, and have a chance to try new roles. Managers get an extra set of hands and a fresh perspective. And companies get a boost with internal mobility and retention, as they make it easier for employees to move around. 

Unilever, Expedia, Workday, and Deloitte all offer internal gigs or projects. So does Atlas Copco Group, a global industrial manufacturing company with 55,000 employees headquartered in Sweden.

“We have had a strong focus on internal mobility for years,” says Dorna Eriksson Shafiei, Atlas Copco Group’s vice president of talent and learning, “and project work is a fundamental part of that because it’s not just moving roles, it’s allowing people to move in a more or less frictionless way by taking on smaller or bigger projects.” 

To learn more about why gigs and projects are a great way to help employees develop their careers, read on. 

1. Employees can learn new skills 

According to LinkedIn research, skill sets for jobs have changed by around 25% since 2015, and that number is expected to rise to 65% by 2030, thanks in part to generative AI. So, it’s crucial that employees have plenty of opportunities to increase their skills. 

Paolo Macchioni, an Atlas Copco Group marketing manager in Vicenza, Italy, got that chance when he participated in the company’s International Program for Professional Development. 

In his day job, Paolo works in marketing at an Atlas Copco Group customer center that commercializes compressed air-related products to the Italian industrial and professional markets. But he’s long been passionate about sustainability and has wanted to play on a bigger, more international stage. When his manager suggested that he apply to the program, he jumped at the chance.

IPPD is a three-month program offered by Atlas Copco Group’s compressor technique business area. It includes formal training, ample networking opportunities, and a project. After moving to Antwerp, Belgium, to participate, Paolo immediately started working on a project to help the company reach its 2030 carbon emission goals.

Specifically, he worked on a strategy to encourage more customers to adopt Atlas Copco Group’s energy-efficient technology. He gathered information from colleagues in countries such as the United States, China, and Brazil; analyzed research; and helped develop a plan.

In the process, he honed his green skills, strategy development skills, and ability to work with people from all over the world. “All of this helps me in my daily job now,” he says, “for sure.” 

2. Gigs can boost internal mobility and retention

Paolo hopes to use the project as a springboard to another role in Atlas Copco Group — one at the division level, a step up from his job now in a customer center. Likewise, Marine Dubousset, a talent leader at Atlas Copco Group, hopes her current project will help her move into her next role in the company. 

Marine, who lives in Mechelen, Belgium, joined Atlas Copco Group almost three years ago as an HR manager. After taking a maternity leave and working in talent to support the engineering organization, she tapped into the company’s internal marketplace to land an eight-month project — also in talent, but this time supporting the procurement organization. “I have a personal agenda,” Marine says. After spending her entire career in HR, she wants to move to the business side of Atlas Copco Group. 

“By having dedicated projects and assignments in engineering and procurement,” Marine says, “I hope to develop the business acumen and knowledge I need to land a role in a business department.” 

It makes sense that Paolo and Marine want to find their next roles internally. Workday found the same thing with its gigs program. In 2022, internal mobility for Workday employees who had participated in a gig was nearly 50% higher than for those who did not. And of those who moved internally after a gig, more than one-third were promoted to a higher-level role.

3. Workers can widen their networks and exposure to leadership

One of the things Paolo loved most about his three months in Belgium was the constant exposure to leadership. His program included weekly trainings on everything from purchasing and finance to logistics, sales, and marketing — all taught by company vice presidents. “And then we had the opportunity to have lunch and talk to them,” Paolo says. He found this profoundly helpful in increasing his knowledge of business strategy and leadership, particularly because Atlas Copco is a large, decentralized, global company.

Marine, who is still working on her project, has had a similar experience. Her assignment is to help procurement make it to the next level as a “trusted partner” for the company, a task that regularly brings her into contact with not only her own multinational (remote) team but also company presidents and the business area leadership team. “This project has all eyes on it because it is part of the strategy for next year,” Marine says. “It’s allowed me to get involved with another level of leadership and expand my network in the local organization, which is very important in this decentralized structure.” 

4. Employees gain a deeper understanding of how the company works

In large, global companies, employees often struggle to understand how everything works. They may wonder: What does the marketing department in Antwerp actually do? Or How does the Rock Hill, South Carolina office handle this type of problem? 

When they take on short-term gigs in other departments or functions, they gain a deeper understanding of how the pieces fit together. “It gives you a really different point of view of the company because you get an opportunity to understand it better,” Paolo says. “We work in a really huge group — 55,000 people — with different business areas, different products, different companies, and different countries. With this program, you have the opportunity to really understand the group from your heart.” 

When employees have a sense of how everything works — and are energized by that — they’re also more likely to be engaged. That’s good news for companies. A survey of more than 50,000 employees found that engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave a company. 

Final thoughts: All the opportunity, without the long-term commitment 

Employees may feel like it’s a bit risky to apply for an internal project or gig. They may worry that their manager will frown upon the idea or be concerned about whether their job will really be waiting upon their return. But the upside is pretty big. “It lets you try something in a safe environment,” Marine says. “And because it’s a project, it has a beginning and an end. If the experience doesn’t match your future expectations, you can always join another project or go back to your initial role, with the knowledge you’ve gained.” 

As to whether employees should try a project, Paolo has a pretty simple answer. “Just do it,” he says. “It’s a great growth experience, both professionally and personally.”