Niki is Insperity's director, service operations. She specializes in employee onboarding, human capital management and HR infrastructure.
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Upskilling is being talked about more than ever. In our recent 2024 Insperity Business Outlook Report, which surveyed small- and medium-sized businesses, nearly three-quarters of respondents said they either had or anticipated implementing an upskilling strategy. Businesses that don’t keep up could fall behind.
Fortunately, there are a variety of options for upskilling, especially with the advent of online learning. However, just because learning is accessible in theory doesn’t mean your employees will use it the way you intended. Read on for the most effective tactics to build a robust upskilling strategy.
Understand Your Why
Upskilling programs are generally aimed at closing learning gaps within your workforce. But do you know what those gaps are and why you need to fill them? Being able to articulate the "why" to all stakeholders—leadership, investors and employees—is a necessity.
So before you develop upskilling programs, you should understand the specific workforce goals you're trying to achieve. Involve your frontline managers, and survey employees to determine the current state of their skills. You can analyze these results to determine the areas where employees are falling behind or what they're interested in learning. Then you'll be able to design programs specifically to meet their needs.
You can also ask your recruiting team for insights into which skills are highest in demand and the hardest to hire, as well as which skills they see becoming more desirable down the road. Remember, an upskilling strategy should meet both your short- and long-term learning goals for your organization. That's why it's vital to think about what’s on the horizon.
Remove Obstacles
Even if your employees are extremely eager about upskilling—and there’s a good chance they are—they won’t take advantage of available opportunities if the obstacles to growth are too challenging. According to a 2023 study from Reputation Leaders and DeVry University, around eight in 10 employers say they offer company-paid upskilling benefits, but only 51% of their staff uses them. Lack of time and family commitments were named as the biggest obstacles to pursuing upskilling.
If you want your workers to wholeheartedly pursue learning, be realistic about the demands they face both inside and outside of work. Organizations that promote a strong work-life balance, offer flexible benefits and create a culture of learning will see more employees access upskilling benefits.
To maximize the productivity of your workforce through learning and development, train frontline managers to support employees in these pursuits. Encourage leaders to give their team members the flexibility and understanding they need to study. On a culture level, consider creating programs like a "study buddy” system that pairs employees so they can support one another through upskilling programs.
Promote Internal Mobility
One of the main purposes of upskilling is to grow employees' skills so they can advance in their careers. If your organization offers upskilling but doesn't give anyone an opportunity for promotion, then you're missing out on a core benefit of learning and development. There are a few ways to ensure your upskilling program leads to career growth for the employees who participate.
First, outline advancement pathways for employees. Then make recommendations about the specific upskilling program they should pursue based on their personal goals. With a clear objective in mind, employees can make smart choices about what will help them get ahead.
Involve your recruitment team in sourcing internal candidates as often as external candidates for open roles. While a current employee won’t always be the right fit for a new role, they're more likely to stick around if they feel like they’ll have a fair shot at promotion later on. According to a Society for Human Resource Management analysis of LinkedIn data, employees who are promoted within three years have a 70% chance of remaining with an organization. Even those who made a lateral move have a 62% chance of staying. On the other hand, less than half of employees who neither received a promotion nor made a lateral move are likely to be with the organization three years after their hire date.
There’s no doubt that upskilling is crucial to the future of the workforce. While most businesses either have or expect to put an upskilling strategy in place, what matters most is tailoring your plan to your business’s unique needs. You may be surprised to see just how much your team rises to the occasion when given the opportunity to learn.
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