One of the greatest challenges organizations are facing today in the post-pandemic era, is to find the right talent that fits the needs of the organization. Technological advancements can sweep a great tide of Digital Transformation over organizations and can help in rebuilding or developing the organization faster, simultaneously there is a dearth of people that can keep pace with the technological advancements.
“The Great Talent Hunt” today requires organizations to consistently adopt the latest technologies and tools to see visible outcomes. There is a major gap in the youth that pass out of college and the organization that needs to hire fresh talent, the gap is almost 46.5% to be precise. This calls for a need to upskill an organization.
Upskilling refers to the process of upgrading or enhancing a single skill or a skillset to meet the fleeting demands of ever-changing technology. According to a research by the Gartner Neuron in 2021, “About one billion people globally will need upskilling by the end of 2030”. There has now been a paradigm shift in the thought process of hiring and sustaining talent, there is a constant need to acquire and stay updated in order to not lose out from the global rat race. As per Gartner’s 2021-2023 emerging technology roadmap survey, IT executives see talent shortage as the most significant adoption barrier to a majority of emerging technologies. Hence, the thrust of Upskilling is ever demanding and should be made a mandate among Organizations.
Why Should You Upskill Your Organization?
Productivity boost
Upskilling increases productivity as employees know what they’re working on, there’s more exposure to the Transformation techniques, they’ll spend less time figuring out what to do, while they actually accomplish the task on hand. Upskilling can get more work done in a lesser timeframe.
Retention of Employees for longer periods
The need to constantly look out for hiring employees is reduced since the employees are already equipped with Technological advancements. It reduces the time, money and resources spent on hiring employees from time-to-time and the burden of training, orientation and knowledge transfer sessions.
Filling gaps & Handling Change within the Organization is easier
Each time there is a change within the organization, there is a lot of time, money and resources spent on adapting to the changes, with Upskilling, there is minimal effort that has to be put in to get things on track. The change adaptation and gap filling process is more streamlined and seamless with Upskilling.
Creates a Learning Environment
A learning organization culture is a corporate framework in which employees are not only allowed to continue expanding their knowledge, skills, and opportunities to innovate, but encouraged to do so. A learning culture supports people to design their own career paths, allowing them to establish feelings of connectedness and engage in meaningful work. The organization tends to thrive more and has better gains in a Learning centric atmosphere.
How Can You Upskill Your Organization?
Adopt a comfortable working Lifestyle
For any organization, the strength lies in its workforce. In order to enable your workforce to start the process of upskilling, it is essential to not overburden them with tasks and allow some breathing space to do the Upskilling as part of the work routine. It cannot be imposed on a weekend or any personal time off. It is important to let the workforce know that upskilling isn’t a personal commitment, it’s a part of work and the Organization appreciates them taking responsibility for it.
Create a Learning Culture
Building a Learning Culture is extremely essential for an organization to grow and thrive, the employees tend to be more conscious of their approach towards work and what needs to be prioritized. They can create an atmosphere of nurturing and budding which in turn boosts productivity.
Learning professionals can support employees by helping them understand the key role they play in supporting learning, supporting them to prioritize time and resources for learning, advocating for learning support as part of management objectives, and encouraging managers to be role models in learning.
Use Incentives & Motivation techniques
As quoted by Marit Bjorgen, “If the motivation is gone, then I am finished.”, it is necessary to keep the motivation and spirits of the employees high, so that the motivation doesn’t fade out. The best forms of motivation can be through Incentives and rewards.
Use incentives like certifications, gift cards, awards to keep the employees encouraged to pursue Upskilling within the Organization. Offering reimbursements for the courses completed can also be a great way to boost morale.
Assign Mentors & Engage with Independent Consulting Platforms
It is important to know the direction that the organization is traveling to make the complete use of the Upskilling process. The Organization can start a Mentor-Mentee system to guide the employees into the right direction of Upskilling in alignment with the Organizational Goals. The mentors can be first hand coaches and the mentees can display accountability to keep the pace going.
In case the Organization fails to find a mentor within, they can reach out to several consulting platforms that are a treasure trove for short bursts of outcomes-focused engagements with Independent Industry Consultants having expertise in Digital Transformation.
For Organizations to embark upon the Digital Transformation or Upskilling journey, it is crucial to have the right set of people on board, bringing in Independent Consultants with expertise on board is one of the best ways to kickstart the journey. The Consultants can be great at planning, sustaining and implementing the journey. The road to a successful transformation can start here.
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