Every employee that you onboard, comes with skill. This becomes their defining factor in some ways during their employment period. You might know Rakesh from Sales and Priyanka from technology! Their skillset is important because it means that they are good at that particular thing. The HRs can choose to navigate how to use their skills for the betterment of their organization and make them more efficient individually as well. 

Employee development is crucial for every organization. It signifies the various activities held by an organization for the betterment of its employees. With the ever-changing technologies, it is of utmost importance to enhance the skill set of employees. From time to time changes happen in every field and it is integral for the relevance of the organization to stay in touch with any and every change that occurs. 

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Why engage in skill development?

Investing in employee development is a major requirement to also retain valuable employees. It will not bode well for any organization to lay off its employees just because they are unable to cope up with switching times. Thus it becomes the work of the Human Resource department to make sure their staff is up-to-date in every aspect. The employees themselves will want to work in an environment that helps them grow and thrive, both personally and professionally. Every individual wants to flourish in their chosen field but it may not always be easy for them to look out for opportunities for growth. This is where you, HR, come into play, to help your employees nourish and develop their skill set.

How to choose a skill development program for your company? 

1. Survey/ Tests – To understand what is required for your organization, the first step is to gather data. This could be done through conducting surveys or distributing a questionnaire among the employees. It will give you first-hand information on employee skills and requirements. 
2. Understanding the survey – It is important to get to know the employees’ point of view of things. You can easily get an idea of where your employees are lacking behind and what their weaknesses are. The information given in surveys will help you to navigate freely between the problems your employees may be facing. 
3. Implementation – Through the survey and the understanding of it, you may implement the methods you find reasonable to your company and employees. You can also personalize the skill development program to your department’s needs as well. 

Skill development methods

JOB ENRICHMENT

Increasing the workload by adding more work with the same level of complexity will help the employee to practice their skills thoroughly. It will also make sure that their work is not repeated which might make them lose interest after a while. Introducing new challenges every now and then will make them more goal-oriented and work towards being more productive. 

ON THE JOB TRAINING

This is something through which every employee goes through. It is required when starting a new job but it can also be done to introduce your employees to any new development or technological change. It will ensure that the employees always stay in the loop and know what is going on around them. 

CONDUCTING SEMINARS/ WEBINARS

This technique is used frequently in a large-scale organization. A seminar could be a targeted discussion on any topic. It is a sort of informal way to discuss new and existing ideas among employees. It is generally headed by a professional who guides and motivates the employees to put forward their own ideas and communicate freely. This will make sure the employees are confident and comfortable in putting forward their views and ideas.

MENTORING

Seeking help from a professional and pairing them with a new recruit or someone with lesser knowledge helps in the latter’s understanding of the job profile. It can be a formal as well as informal setting, wherein the professional can share their knowledge to benefit the employee. A mentor will make sure that the employee is held accountable for his/her decisions and keep a track of their efficiency and productivity. Both the mentor and mentee can work together towards a single goal based on their skills and requirement of the organization. 

CROSS-TRAINING

It is essentially increasing the working diaspora of the employees by giving them work outside of their comfort zone. It will enhance their skill set by making them work on different projects and channeling their skills in different directions. Cross-training is valuable in many aspects because recruiters will want to hire people with knowledge in different areas rather than someone with a limited set of knowledge and skills. 

JOB ROTATION

It is something that means rotation of employees within the organization. This will ensure that all the employees are aware of what all is happening in the organization. It will also create a sense of belongingness towards the company and the employees will feel more involved in the functionalities of the same.

LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 

The LMS concept has emerged from e-Learning. It includes a variety of courses, videos, content, and documents to facilitate learning. It is more prominent in the corporate market because of the way it is designed to fit every need of a company. The durability, accessibility and adaptability of LMS make it a more approachable method for companies with a bigger employee base. 

Many companies take help from online learning platforms like Udemy, Coursera and Skillshare which provide video lectures of various topics. With categories like Marketing, IT and Software, Business and Design, it is a very sought-after subscription in the market. You can also ask your employees about their preferred choice of course to upskill, it could be about something that they are passionate about as well, like photography, music, or personal development too. 

Conclusion 

The HR department is liable to provide a wholesome and productive environment for their employees to boost their productivity, efficiency and morale. The workforce of every company needs to be up-to-date and efficient. Every department faces changes rapidly and the company must ensure that the employees are aware of the same. Not providing enough room to explore can be a setback that will ultimately come in the way of employee growth. 

Not only that, but employers should also take into consideration the background of each employee. Many employees have language barriers and it will greatly impact their confidence in working. To make sure such things do not hinder the personal and professional growth of the employees, the HR department should make certain provisions for their employees. Skill development is not only an improvement in skill set but also an improvement in day-to-day life. 

Read: Role of HR in workplace culture