Before COVID-19, we heard a lot of talk about digital transformation, but we weren’t necessarily seeing a huge commitment from organizations to create a digital-first workplace.
Then, it all changed. The future of work became remote due to the pandemic. And remote working is definitely here to stay. A recent Gartner CFO survey revealed that 74% of CFOs plan to “shift at least 5 percent of previously on-site employees to permanently remote positions post-COVID-19, and nearly a quarter of respondents said they would move at least 20% to a permanently remote position.”
Recently, the World Economic Forum issued an alert. Lack of employee skills was keeping many CEO’s up at night. The only way to bridge this skills gap — and specifically for remote workers — is through upskilling and reskilling training initiatives.
Research shows that 375 million workers worldwide (that’s 14% of the global workforce) will have to switch occupations or learn new skills by 2023 due to artificial intelligence and automation. According to “The Future of Jobs Report,” 54% of employees will need significant upskilling and reskilling in 2020.
What is upskilling?
Upskilling is when workers expand their knowledge, improve their skills, and deepen their current skill set. Upskilling allows remote employees to take on new responsibilities or move into higher-level positions in the same career track.
What is reskilling?
Reskilling provides employees with a job pivot by training them in a completely different set of skills in order to excel in a new position. Positions may have become obsolete due to technology changes.
Here are 7 steps you can implement to upskill and reskill your remote workforce:
Create a culture of learning
As the saying goes, it’s more cost-effective to keep a dedicated employee than to hire a new employee. And it costs much less to upskill or reskill an existing employee. You can improve their skill sets so they can thrive in their current position, or you can give them the skills to move into a new position. Fostering a culture of ongoing learning in the workplace shows that an employer cares about its employees and the value they add to the organization. Employees who learn new skills feel more valued, more productive, and more engaged and loyal to the company.
Use engaging and fun methods
Corporate learning is no longer boring or traditional. Upskilling and reskilling programs can take advantage of new technologies, such as gamification and virtual reality. On top of that, a no-code, custom branded enterprise mobile app can empower your remote workers to learn and train on their own time via their mobile phones.
Boost morale and engagement
Upskilling and reskilling instills a sense of pride and enhances teambuilding and bonding with remote employees. Employees feel like they are valuable to the organization and that they’ve been “promoted” within the company. For many employees, their work motivation and productivity is directly proportional to how they are feeling about their professional growth. When you enable employees to select their own learning curve, you also boost employee satisfaction.
Act like a small company
Upskilling and reskilling programs at smaller organizations (fewer than 1,000 employees) are often more successful than larger ones. That’s because smaller companies are more agile and can move more quickly. It’s easier for small businesses to try something new. And it’s easier for small organizations to have a better viewpoint on how to develop upskilling and reskilling areas based on current learning and training deficiencies.
Build a larger skill set
Upskilling and reskilling is an investment in your remote workers. You are giving them a new set of skills to allow them to grow and flourish as employees. These learning and training initiatives enable employees to transition into a new position, or to take on additional tasks that help them be more productive and do their job more effectively.
Protect learning budgets
Now is not the time to cut your training budgets for remote workers. Use your training budget to make skill building a key strategy for thriving in the next normal. Focus on your learning ecosystem: making it both mobile-focused on learning and more accessible to your employees via an enterprise mobile app.
Consider a no-code enterprise mobile app
Many organizations worry that employees lack the skills they are going to need in the future. Technology, such as AI, automation, and data analytics will eventually change employees’ skill sets. You can foster a culture of learning by using innovative technologies like a no-code enterprise mobile app to train and engage employees. Companies can increase employee retention rates, increase productivity, drive engagement, and add the skills workers need to thrive in their jobs.
READ MORE: Defeat Talent Turnover With Better In-House Knowledge Management
At CatalystXL, we want to help you quickly and easily share information and foster collaboration across your entire organization. We can deliver a no code, custom branded enterprise mobile app that unlocks answers and provides insights via our Cardware™ platform — sharing categorized content in a powerful flashcard format. Our mobile app fosters a community of collaboration, engagement, and connectedness for your employees – both in and out of the office.
Book a demo today.