Talent development initiatives are growing increasingly important, especially as hiring concerns shift from quiet quitting to conscious quitting and beyond. Hiring the perfect candidate is costly — in fact, hiring anyone will likely cost an organization around $5,000 on average. In this landscape, many enterprises don’t have the financial stability to take a chance on hiring a candidate who may not perform. These concerns and the changing business environment have shifted focus toward upskilling existing employees to help them align with their organization’s overall growth strategy.
By taking the time to properly upskill employees, HR leaders can ensure their workforce has the necessary skills and knowledge to stay competitive and adapt to new technologies and industry trends. However, upskilling is not a one-time event but rather a continuous process that requires a well-defined strategy and approach. Let’s explore four pillars that are essential for successfully upskilling employees.
Assessing Skill Gaps
The first step in any upskilling initiative should be to assess the existing skillset of employees and identify any gaps that need to be filled. For example, younger employees may find it difficult to take initiative when it comes to leadership tasks. HR leaders can accomplish this using various methods, including surveys, interviews and performance evaluations. By understanding existing employees’ skill levels, leaders can determine which areas need the most attention and where to allocate resources.
Once skill gaps have been identified, HR leaders should create customized training programs to address those gaps. This can be done through a variety of methods such as workshops, online courses and mentoring programs. Leaders can make the upskilling process more effective and efficient by tailoring trainings to the specific needs of each employee.
Creating a Culture of Learning
A successful upskilling initiative fosters a work environment where active learning and creativity are encouraged. To create such an environment, leaders must encourage employees to take ownership of their own learning and development and foster an environment where continuous learning is valued and supported.
One way to create a culture of learning is to provide employees with access to a wide range of learning resources, such as online courses, workshops and mentorship programs. Additionally, organizations can encourage employees to share their knowledge and expertise with each other through collaborative projects and team-based learning.
Another important aspect of creating a culture of learning is reinforcement. Leaders should recognize and reward employees who take initiative and invest in their own development. This can be done through various methods, such as bonuses, promotions and public recognition.
Providing Ongoing Support
As mentioned earlier, upskilling is not a “one and done” feat. Leaders must provide ongoing support to ensure the success of their training program. Doing so involves providing employees with the resources and tools needed to continue their learning and development beyond the outset of upskilling.
To ensure their program will stand the test of time, leaders should create a knowledge-sharing platform where employees can access resources and communicate with each other openly about their progress. An appropriate channel for this communication might be an intranet portal, social network or learning management system.
Mentoring and coaching programs are another strong way to provide ongoing support that helps employees apply skills they’ve learned in real-world situations. Popular mentoring programs include one-on-one or group coaching sessions. The efficacy of each approach will be determined by an organization’s specific work culture. As such, leaders should consider asking employees about their preferences where it comes to coaching.
Measuring and Evaluating Progress
A solid upskilling initiative will track employee progress over time and evaluate the impact of the training program on their performance and productivity. Metrics are an important part of any initiative as they will reveal the effectiveness of different approaches.
A simple but effective way to measure progress is to use pre- and post-training assessments to gauge employees’ attitudes toward the training program. Leaders can also track the completion rates of various training modules and courses to determine the level of engagement and participation of employees. Modules that go habitually unfinished may need revisions, while training programs that see regular completion are likely actively benefiting employees.
Of course, there is another crucial metric for leaders to track: the impact of the training program on the organization’s bottom line. This can be done by analyzing metrics such as employee retention, productivity and customer satisfaction, all of which track back to key objectives like revenue.
Investing in the development of existing employees will benefit not only individual workers but also the organization by increasing productivity, improving employee engagement and providing the ongoing support that employees at all levels need to become the best — and most efficient — version of themselves.
Brian Anders joined WorkSmart Systems in 2019 as its director of Human Resources. He has extensive experience in key aspects of HR, and primary areas of acumen include employee relations, organizational training and development, project and talent management, team business, payroll and recruitment. Anders is a graduate of Indiana University and is SHRM-CP Certified with National SHRM and Indiana State SHRM Chapter membership.
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