Employee Movement & Retention

Transfer Rate

Also known as: Internal Mobility Rate Lateral Move Rate
Sub Metrics: Intra-Department Transfer Rate Inter-Department Transfer Rate Competitive Transfer Rate

Definition

Transfer Rate measures the percentage of employees who move to a different role within the organization without a change in job level over a specific time period. Unlike promotion rate (which tracks upward mobility), transfer rate focuses on lateral movement—employees changing positions at the same level. This metric reveals internal talent fluidity, cross-functional development, and the effectiveness of internal mobility programs. Transfers can be further segmented into within-department moves, cross-department moves, competitive requisition fills (where employees applied and interviewed), and administrative transfers (reorganizations or business-driven reassignments).

In Deckata: Transfer Rate is automatically calculated from your HR systems and updated in real-time—no spreadsheets or manual work required.

How to Calculate

Transfer Rate

Formula
(Number of Transfers in Time Period / Average Headcount in Time Period) × 100
Example
Transfers (lateral moves): 30
Average Headcount: 500
Calculation: (30 / 500) × 100 = 6.0%
Result: 6.0%
This counts lateral moves only—same job level, different role. Promotions (upward moves) are excluded. Take note of the transfer reason in your HRIS, and decide whether you want to include administrative transfers (e.g. reorgs) in the numerator, depending on your specific use case.

Skip the manual calculations

Deckata automatically pulls data from all your HR systems, calculates Transfer Rate in real-time, and updates your executive decks instantly.

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How to Visualize

01

Segmented Bar Chart

Show the breakdown of transfers by type: within-department vs cross-department, or competitive vs administrative.

Best for: Understanding the nature of internal mobility, identifying if transfers are employee-driven or organization-driven
Stack the segments to show composition. If administrative transfers dominate (>60%), it may indicate excessive reorganization or insufficient employee-driven mobility opportunities. Use different colors for each segment with a clear legend.
02

Transfer Rate Trend by Segment

Line chart tracking transfer rates over time, with separate lines for within-department, cross-department, competitive, and administrative transfers.

Best for: Monitoring mobility program effectiveness, identifying seasonal patterns (e.g., post-annual review spikes)
Sudden spikes in administrative transfers often correlate with reorganizations. Steady increases in competitive transfers suggest growing internal marketplace adoption. Add benchmark lines for industry standards.
03

Heat Map Matrix

Two-dimensional heat map showing transfer rates by source department (rows) and destination department (columns).

Best for: Detailed transfer pattern analysis, identifying department-to-department pathways
Diagonal cells represent within-department transfers. Off-diagonal cells show cross-department moves. Darker colors indicate higher transfer rates. Reveals common career paths (e.g., Sales → Marketing) and departments with low mobility.
04

Comparative Bar Chart: Transfers vs Promotions

Side-by-side bars comparing transfer rate and promotion rate for each department or job family.

Best for: Understanding the balance between lateral development and upward mobility
Ideally, both should be present—transfers for skill broadening, promotions for advancement. Departments with high promotions but low transfers may have siloed talent. High transfers with low promotions might indicate limited advancement opportunities.

Stop manually calculating Transfer Rate

Deckata automatically calculates Transfer Rate, creates presentation-ready visualizations, and updates your executive decks in real-time—freeing you to focus on strategic insights instead of spreadsheet work.

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