When people think about career growth, they often imagine climbing a corporate ladder—one rung at a time, moving from individual contributor to supervisor, then manager, then beyond. But for frontline workers, this traditional mindset doesn’t always fit. Jon Cox, Vice President of Talent at NFI Industries, recently sat down with WorkStep to discuss how NFI is shifting its approach to career mobility, ensuring that employees have more pathways to growth and development.

The problem with the traditional career ladder

For frontline workers in supply chain and logistics, opportunities for vertical advancement can be limited. As Jon pointed out, “If you’re only thinking about your upward trajectory in terms of your direct supervisor’s role, you could be one of 30 or 40 employees competing for just one position.” That limited scope can make career growth feel out of reach, leading to frustration and increased turnover.

Instead of forcing employees into a rigid climb, NFI is embracing horizontal mobility—a strategy that encourages employees to move laterally across departments, locations, or roles to gain new skills and experiences.

Using data to understand what employees really want

NFI didn’t make this shift blindly. They used WorkStep’s employee engagement data to get a clear picture of what their workforce needed.

“We’ve partnered with WorkStep to really take a look at the data and what it tells us,” Jon shared. “One of the consistent themes that we’ve been seeing—regardless of location or division—is that career growth has been identified as a need or a big opportunity for our employees. Employees are asking for career growth. And when we looked at what our leaders were saying, they found it challenging to answer that question for their employees.”

This gap between what employees wanted and what managers felt they could offer pushed NFI to take action. With WorkStep’s real-time feedback, they were able to move beyond assumptions and focus on solutions that truly resonated with their workforce.

What is horizontal mobility, and why does it matter?

Horizontal mobility is all about expanding the definition of career growth. Rather than waiting for a single promotion opportunity, employees can move across different roles within an organization, broadening their skill sets and increasing their chances for upward mobility in the long run.

“You may take an opportunity in a different department, learn a new set of skills, and then move up from there,” Jon explained. “It’s about moving over to move up.”

This approach benefits both employees and employers. Workers gain valuable experience that makes them more adaptable, and businesses build a more skilled and versatile workforce, improving retention and operational efficiency.

Challenges in frontline career growth

Beyond limited promotion slots, Jon highlighted another major challenge: companies often promote their best workers without preparing them for leadership.

“It’s a common mistake to take the best forklift driver and make them a supervisor without the right training,” he said. “The skills that make someone great on the floor don’t always translate to leading a team.”

To address this, NFI is investing in early-stage leadership development, ensuring employees receive the right training before moving into management positions. This prevents employees from feeling overwhelmed and sets them up for success.

How NFI is making internal mobility work

NFI didn’t just decide to support horizontal mobility—they built an entire program to make it actionable. Jon outlined a three-pronged approach that ensures managers embrace mobility rather than resist it:

1. Internal marketing & mindset shift
   Many leaders view internal mobility as a loss rather than a win—they don’t want to lose their best people to another department. NFI tackled this head-on by having their CEO publicly champion the initiative, reinforcing that moving talent within the company is a positive, not a setback.
2. Empowering employees with information
   Frontline workers often aren’t aware of the opportunities available beyond their current role. NFI now proactively communicates job openings across locations and departments, making it easier for employees to explore new career paths.
3. Helping leaders find talent in new places
   Rather than only looking at direct experience, NFI is helping leaders identify transferable skills in employees who might be ready for a move. They’re building talent pools based on competencies, not just job titles.

Success stories: Leading by example

One of NFI’s biggest success stories involved a senior vice president moving into a division president role—despite never having worked in that specific part of the business. Seeing high-level leaders embrace mobility sent a powerful message that career growth at NFI doesn’t have to follow a straight line.

Another example came from NFI’s brokerage division, where an employee transitioned from an office-based role to an operational field leadership position. “That kind of movement was unheard of before,” Jon said, “but it showed our employees that big career shifts within NFI are possible.”

Advice for companies looking to implement internal mobility

For organizations looking to launch a similar program, Jon had two key pieces of advice:

1. Find a champion – A successful internal mobility program needs strong advocates at the leadership level. Employees don’t just want to hear about growth from HR—they need to hear it from their managers.
2. Start small and build – Instead of trying to overhaul career mobility all at once, NFI started with a focused group of roles and provided high-touch guidance. Once they saw success, they expanded the program.

Final takeaway: Career growth as empowerment

At its core, Jon sees career mobility as an opportunity to empower leaders. Instead of saying, “I don’t have an opportunity for you,” managers should be equipped to say, “Let’s find an opportunity for you.”

For frontline workers, that shift in mindset changes everything—from how they see their potential to how engaged they feel in their roles. And for companies like NFI, embracing mobility isn’t just about retention, it’s about building a stronger, more capable workforce for the future.