How to push a conversation for a transfer between two companies within a parent company?

Question

I currently work for Company D. I work on a small infrastructure team (5 people for all of North America), and we service a few other companies (Company B, Company I, and Company O) within a parent company Company A. Each of our 15+ sites also have local IT staff.

I recently did a migration/move project with Company C. I got along very well with Company C, and they showed interest in hiring me. My current employer, Company D, is not a tech company but I work in their IT Infrastructure department. Company C, on the other hand, is solely a tech company and it services as many of Company A's (parent company's) companies as it can; absorbing more Companies' B-Z IT departments as time goes on. That is to say, my little Infrastructure department will likely be absorbed or let go in the coming year or soon there after. And local IT has already been having it happen; many are now Company C employees, rather than their Company B-Z IT staff.

Because Company C, as far as I can surmise, is taking over all IT work for Company A's companies, I'd like to get in as soon as I can. I know they want me, it would be a more productive job, increase in salary, and be a good progression in my career.

How can I go about pushing the conversation to make it happen? I've talked to my potential new boss at Company C and coincidentally work in the same office space, very close so we are in constant contact. He's already sent an email to his boss and the people needed to get the conversation started. But it's already been two weeks. All I've heard is: So and so was on vacation, this, that, and the other. My current employer will not want to lose me, and I'm fearful this may hold things up.

So, a few questions:

What would be an appropriate and polite way to follow up?

Would it ever be appropriate to go around my potential new boss and contact someone else within the company, who holds a higher position, with whom I also have a good relationship with from the recent project we worked on together?

When do I tell my current employer? Would bringing that up prematurely help or hurt me?

Answer 1

If you're looking to stay within the same parent company, the first thing I would do is consult with the employee handbook or with human resources. If your company is large enough and has been that way for a while, it's likely that other people have wanted to move around the company and there may be guidance, procedures, or policies in place already. You can see if anything exists, and if it does, follow it. If it doesn't, your current manager and human resources (and perhaps continuing to follow up with the new manager, as long as you don't come across as too pushy or demanding) would be the right people to get involved to help you chart a way forward and see if it's possible.

If you're worried about your manager having a problem, I don't think a reasonable manager would. Although he may be losing a good employee, you are staying in the same company. That means you may be available as a resource to help answer questions or support someone who is hired to do the work that you used to do. Often times, if you leave a company, you won't have access to the company's resources and are effectively lost. I would think that most companies would rather move someone into a more suitable position internally than lose them to an outside company, especially considering the investment they have made.

Answer 2

I completely agree with Thomas regarding checking the employee handbook first. As a second step I would talk to HR. If the companies operate autonomously then a "transfer" may be impossible as you would be moving from one autonomous legal entity to another. If this is the case you may need to go through the regular giving notice/new hire process. In this case going to your highest personal contact in your prospective department in Company C isn't a bad idea. Bringing it up prematurely may be a negative for you, just less than if you were leaving the organization entirely.