Does your organization know how to upskill team members effectively to achieve company goals and remain competitive?
Upskilling is a term that has gained popularity in recent years as companies aim to recruit and retain expert-level employees.
The competition is fierce and job seekers have many choices when it comes to employment, especially in the current market. As technology advances and workplace culture evolves, companies need to find ways to attract the right talent while staying competitive in their industries. If you don’t know how to upskill your team members, you’ll likely fall behind.
In addition, there are many benefits of upskilling employees and providing ongoing training, like:
- Increased productivity
- Enhanced job satisfaction
- Higher retention rates
- Improved skill agility
If you want to reap these benefits (and others!) from upskilling and training but don’t know how to upskill your workforce, you’re in the right place.
In this article, we’re going to share with you some of the benefits of upskilling your employees. We’ll also provide you with some upskilling ideas to implement in your workplace.
Read on to discover how upskill training from Unboxed can help boost your team's Skill Agility®, giving you a competitive advantage in today's market.
The 5 benefits of upskilling employees
Upskilling is a term that’s synonymous with “Skill Agility”, or the ability to provide your teams with the training they need to stay relevant as your industry changes. When you invest in upskilling and training, you'll see returns for both your individual employees and the overall company.
But before we talk about how to upskill staff effectively, let’s explore the top five benefits of upskilling employees.
1. Enhances your organizational productivity
A more competent, skilled workforce has many benefits. By ensuring your employees have all the tools they need to succeed, you create a more motivated and productive workforce.
Productive employees will get tasks done more quickly, allowing them to work on additional projects without needing extra time. They’ll also feel more accomplished and capable, motivating them to continue reaching new heights personally and for your organization.
2. Boosts staff and leadership morale
Did you know that one of the major benefits of upskilling employees is improved morale?
When your employees have access to advanced training, they’ll feel valued by the company and be happier in their jobs. Increased team and leadership morale lead to enhanced loyalty, employee satisfaction, and retention.
You can also attract top talent when you learn how to upskill your workforce. Many high-level job seekers look for companies that offer growth opportunities. By investing in upskill training, you can become one of those sought-after companies and attract top talent.
3. Strengthens your company reputation
A third reason to upskill your employees is that a skilled workforce improves your company’s reputation.
Every interaction with your organization can leave a lasting impression (good or bad!). The more comfortable your employees are in their roles, the more successfully they can provide services to your customers.
A strong company reputation can lead to:
- More customers
- Higher sales
- Powerful customer loyalty
- Free word-of-mouth marketing
- Better recruiting for new talent
With a strong reputation, potential customers will view your organization as an authority in your industry.
4. Expands your industry authority and expertise
When your employees see the results of their upskill training in the workplace, they will be more likely to keep up with industry trends outside of it.
Potential customers, future employees, the media, and business partners view organizations with a knowledgeable workforce as industry experts and thought leaders. They will look to your organization and its employees for their take on key industry topics.
For companies looking to expand their customer base, a higher level of authority can be a deciding factor in closing a sale.
5. Improves your bottom line.
At the core of all these benefits is a result that’s incredibly fruitful to your company– an improved bottom line. With more productive staff, better morale, a strong company reputation, and higher industry authority, your bottom line will be more likely to improve.
Additional profits can be reinvested in additional upskill training, further setting you apart and distancing you from your competitors.
While your bottom line shouldn't be your only motivation to upskill your employees, company leaders who need an extra "push" to invest in upskilling and training will be happy to know it can lead to increased profits.
5 upskilling ideas to make learning fun
As you now know, the benefits of upskilling employees are virtually limitless.
But, are you still wondering how to upskill your workforce in a way that’s engaging and fun?
Here are five upskilling ideas to help you start building Skill Agility into your workplace today.
1. Throw a virtual team-building, team-skilling day
One way to encourage upskill training is to dedicate a team-building day to training. You could host internal competitions or give prizes for the teams that successfully complete the highest number of modules.
2. Host lunch-n-learns
Want to learn how to upskill staff and keep them happy? Host lunch-n-learns!
Holding lunchtime training sessions can:
- Allow employees to learn in a more informal setting
- Provide collaborative opportunities between employees
- Make your staff feel more comfortable asking questions
Plus, you can offer a free lunch and further show your employees that care for and value them.
3. Celebrate career progression and opportunities
Providing your staff with opportunities to progress within the company is beneficial for them and your business.
Every time an employee makes a move, whether vertically or laterally, make it cause for celebration! If employees feel like they’re growing and learning new skills (and being recognized for it!), they’ll be more motivated to stay at their jobs and continue upskilling efforts in the hopes of future promotions/recognitions.
4. Curate an employee-run upskill blog
Company-curated content such as blogs and podcasts are great ways for your employees to keep learning, so why not learn from each other?
These blogs or podcasts could be a quick way for employees to share about how upskill training helped them become more productive or succeed in their role. As employees hear about the success of others in the company, it could create increased excitement around training.
Allowing staff to share their opinions and ideas on a blog is another great way to boost morale and foster a strong reputation.
5. Use online training tools
Using online tools ensures that your team members have easy access to continuous upskilling and training, as well as critical feedback from managers.
Online training tools benefit both managers and employees by providing a platform for:
- Two-way communication
- Customized, personal training content
- Real-time feedback and analysis
- Self-directed learning and practice
- Social and collaborative learning
By leveraging technology, you can get your full-scale training program up and running, and learn how to upskill staff almost instantly.
These five upskilling ideas are just a starting point, and there may be ones not listed here that work well for your company.
However, it can be tough to know where to start or how to upskill your workforce if you’re new to the idea. Sometimes a little help is all you need.
Are you ready to take your upskilling and training to the next level? Then, it’s time you learn how to upskill team members with Unboxed Training and Technology.
Discover how to upskill team members effectively with Unboxed
Upskilling and training is a vital part of retaining employees and ensuring they’re always prepared for changes in your company and industry. If you’re not upskilling your teams, then you may fall behind competition or lose valuable employees to other organizations.
But the reality is that many managers don’t understand the value of upskill training or know how to upskill staff.
When it comes to upskilling, here are numerous benefits of upskilling employees, including:
- Enhancing your organizational productivity
- Boosting staff and leadership morale
- Strengthening your company reputation
- Expanding your industry authority and expertise
- Improving your bottom line
However, these benefits only come when you make a commitment to invest in upskill training. So, to practically put upskilling into practice, you can try some of these upskilling ideas:
- Throwing a virtual upskilling day
- Hosting lunch-n-learns
- Celebrating career progression
- Curating employee stories
- Using online training tools
If understanding how to upskill team members effectively feels overwhelming, lean on the experts.
At Unboxed Training & Technology, we make upskilling and training employees easy. Our custom or off-the-shelf training solutions can empower your teams with new skills. And our Spoke learning and coaching tool provides organizations with everything they need to deliver training content and promote Skill Agility.
With Skill Agility™, team members and leaders will always have the ability to stay relevant in your industry, even as trends change.
Contact us today to learn more about how to upskill your workforce and stay competitive!
Get a demo to see how Spoke® Learning Technology Platform can turn your organization into a hub for Skill Agility.
