How to Strengthen Your Employee Skill Sets

Organizations know that employees need the support of HR to allow them to excel in their career, be happier in the workplace and ultimately provide the most value to the company. One of the most obvious ways this can be done is to strengthen their skill set by ensuring they are offered the resources and advice they need to make them more motivated, productive and effective in their role.

Real-time feedback

Workforce management (WFM) software enables you to give employees real-time feedback on their performance. This can not only motivate professionals and make them more productive but can create more excitement over even menial jobs. This is especially true if you can add gamification into the process, allowing teams to compete against each other as well as individuals. It can mean smaller, boring admin tasks like completing expenses or timesheets on time, become interesting because they're a straightforward way of earning points or improving your standing in the team.

Real-time analytics means everyone is motivated by the same goal so there is absolute clarity throughout the team and across the department. WFM software also removes any unconscious bias or preferential treatment, meaning performance feedback is more reliable and accurate. This gives employees the incentive that if they work hard, they will be recognized for their achievement.

Empower your employees

Empowering employees comes down to three key areas that HR can influence; training, motivating, and removing obstacles to success. How you apply these will vary between individuals and their goals but will give professionals all the tools they need to be productive and successful. It may include allowing them more autonomy in their role or giving them more support through training that offers them the potential to build their skill set.

It's important that HR works hand-in-hand with leadership to truly empower employees, as regular appraisals are needed to ensure that people are actually getting the day-to-day support they need to progress. 

Set clear goals

Employees need to have goals set around their own skill sets to allow them to progress and make the most of their talents. A lot of the time, managers don't tell professionals what it is they want them to achieve but then chastise them when they fall short. Instead, make sure there are clear objectives in place that are realistic and related to their experience and interests.

As well as goals, clear KPIs should be set to track development towards these objectives. Managers can use progression meetings to discuss these goals, whether any problems have arisen and how the organization can better help them achieve them. Having clear goals allows employees to be consistently productive throughout the year.

Give employees the space they need to shine

Work is often stressful where it doesn't need to be. Understaffing can lead to a lot of problems, from projects taking longer than normal because an external person has had to be brought in to get it finished to professionals having to work overtime to make up for lost hours through unplanned absences from their colleagues.

By properly and effectively managing employees, HR can help managers to reduce the risk and damage caused by understaffing. This allows employees to focus on the demands of their role, please customers and be as productive as possible. Not having the pressure of having to work excess hours will also increase morale, making employees happier and more productive in their jobs.