The Importance of Upskilling and Reskilling

The world is changing at a rapid pace. Regardless of whether the change is brought on by technology or societal shifts, learning has become necessary to stay competitive in the job market. According to the World Economic Forum, over half of all workers in India, will require upskilling and reskilling to meet the talent demands of the future.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a virtual conclave on World Youth Skills Day organized by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The Prime Minister presented “a new mantra for the youth to skill, reskill and upskill” in order to remain relevant in the rapidly changing business environment and market conditions.

What exactly are Upskilling and Reskilling?

Upskilling is the process of teaching current employees’ new skills that will help them in thriving in their job and help them in becoming more efficient.

Reskilling focuses on teaching employees new and upcoming skills to do a different or more advanced job.

Benefits of Upskilling Employees

Improves retention-  Upskilling ensures employees' skillsets won’t become obsolete and shows the people you care about their careers and their futures. The best candidates will consistently move towards companies that offer upskilling and reskilling benefits. Talent is looking for employers who offer career development through on-the-job coaching to evolve their career in ways such as applying the skills needed to be a business analyst to transition into the role of an enterprise architect. Learning opportunities can, therefore, become a significant employer branding advantage.

Boosts morale- Employees who have training and development opportunities are happier in their roles and have a brighter outlook on their future with the company. Reskilling your workforce helps them see the path to career advancement in front of them, and gets them excited about what could be next. Knowing they’re working toward something that will better their lives creates a deeper sense of purpose.

Increases customer satisfaction- Upskilling keeps your workforce up to date on industry trends, allowing them to offer the best recommendations and insights to clients and prospects. Clients are willing to pay more to work with a more knowledgeable, proactive team. And when clients are happy with the work you do, they become stronger brand advocates for you.

Attracts new talent - Of course, when business is successful, chances are you will need new talent to add to your experienced, upskilled workforce. When employees feel a sense of purpose with their company and clients are happy with their work, they become stronger brand advocates. That means they’re more likely to recommend your organization to their network of friends, past colleagues and family members. Suddenly you have a wide pool of diverse talent to choose from when it comes time to expand your team. business models change and technology gains more prominence, employees equipped with the most necessary skillsets – both hard skills and soft – can steer organizational success in the right direction.

While the COVID-19 pandemic is a complicating factor, it’s important to think of upskilling as a key factor in the long-term stability and growth of an organization so that it can pivot in the face of challenges large and small. COVID-19 accelerated trends already in place and highlighted what companies already knew: the organizations you’ll be hearing about as success stories in two or three years are the ones who actively committed to retraining their workforce for business challenges ahead. Because of the pandemic, companies just have to evolve at a faster pace. And to do that, both they and their employees need to be smarter.

 

Skills Needed By HR

SKILLS EVERY HR SHOULD HAVE

What skills are needed to make a successful Human Resources Manager? Some believe it’s their expertise in the different aspects of Human Resources and advanced problem-solving skills, while others think it’s the high level of comfort HR Managers display in communicating with employees.

The truth is there are several different qualities and characteristics that make Managers successful. These are the five most essential skills that are shared amongst all good HR Managers:

Communication

When it comes to communication, one mistake many HR Managers can make is to speak more than listen. This is a particularly easy trap to fall into as you gain more experience in the position: an employee comes to you with a problem you’ve encountered many times before, so you’re tempted to try and solve the problem as quickly as possible and move on. What many in HR forget is that, often, people don’t want you to solve their problem so much as listen to them while they work it out. Dismissing them without listening disempowers people from finding their own solutions and may actually make the situation worse.

Listen and do no interrupt employees when they come in to see you, and be sure to communicate with them that they have your full and undivided attention.

Approachability

As an HR Manager, one way to guarantee you won’t be able to do your job well is to create an unwelcoming environment within your office. If employees are scared to speak with you about their problems, then there’s absolutely no way for you to resolve situations that otherwise require your expertise.

Successful HR Managers typically maintain an open door policy and create an inviting, comfortable atmosphere that encourages employees to feel safe and openly share their concerns.

Motivation

One of the primary roles of HR Managers is to help guide employees toward achieving their career goals, both internally and beyond. Every employee has different goals and objectives to achieve, and successful HR Managers are fully committed to motivating them. They know and understand what motivates different employees and strive to become a source of encouragement for them.

Organization

Proper HR management requires an orderly approach. The ability to organize files, manage your own and others’ time well, and maintain a high level of personal efficiency are necessary skills for successful HR Managers. You’re required to deal with other people’s lives and careers, so when a Manager requests help with something that’s time-sensitive and includes several different moving parts, a good HR Manager is able to handle it all efficiently.

Discretion and Ethics

HR Managers are privy to a lot of private information surrounding their employee’s personal and professional lives. They serve as the conscience of the company and are responsible for ensuring that employees are following all of the proper policies and regulations. HR Managers are responsible for finding the balance between maintaining a sense of authority while keeping their employees confident that they can be trusted with confidential information.

HR Managers must be able to keep secrets and handle sensitive information appropriately, only divulging it to authorized people while keeping the employee’s best interest in mind.

Although there are many other traits that can contribute to the success of an HR Manager, the five listed above serve as the foundational elements shared by all successful HR Managers.

Wrapping up

Well, there you have it, a concise overview of the most sought-after HR skills. Of course, if you think I missed one, please do share them with us in the comments below