5 Ways To Upskill Staff More Effectively

Hiring people is never an easy task, and it’s something that many employers have made errors over. The main reason for making mistakes is that the employer is looking for perfection; they want to hire someone who knows exactly what they should be doing, can do it exceptionally well, will make friends with everyone else working in the company quickly and easily, and will just get on with things after signing the contract. 

They want, in other words, something that just doesn’t exist. No one is perfect even though resumes are designed to pretend that everyone is and interviews will only ever – usually, at least – show the good side of people; the side they want a prospective employer to see. 

Yet there is a lot to be said for hiring ‘good’ people rather than ‘great’ ones. There is a lot to be said for hiring those that have potential rather than those who have already reached it. It’s less expensive, for one thing, and it allows employers the opportunity to mold their new hire into the shape of the company, rather than trying to bend someone who already has fixed ideas. 

Rather than looking for perfection, then, employers should be looking for people they can upskill effectively to become as close to perfect as possible. Read on to find out how this can be done. 

Hire People Who Want To Know More 

When you are recruiting for your next role, make sure you look out for people who can learn new skills as they go. You’ll want someone who can motivate themselves to learn, and who wants to gain new knowledge to help them advance in their career and become better at what they’re doing. 

These are the curious people.

These are the people who will use their own initiative to get things done and if they don’t know how to do something, they will make it their mission to find out using any method they can from taking an online course, reading a book, asking for advice, or even going back to college to take an evening class. These are the people who will improve your business. 

Dedicate Time To Training 

It can be a challenge to give staff the time they need to be trained, and it can be costly too, but when you think of it as an investment, you’ll see that it’s actually always going to be worthwhile.

If you can find a candidate who is almost exactly what you want, and whom you can see has potential, then some training – ideally regularly to ensure knowledge is being gained – will push them over the edge to become the perfect employee you’ve been looking for. 

Training comes in a variety of forms, and you will need to find the one or ones that suit you. You can do the training yourself, for example, and if you create a course then this becomes easier, even though it will take time at first.

You might even then choose to sell that course online to recoup your costs; it’s a simple thing to do when you find the right platform, and you can start by reading a Kajabi review to find out more.

Alternatively, you can outsource your training to a third party who will either come to you or you go to them. Finally, you could pay for your staff – those with the most potential at least – to study for a new qualification. 

Training is something that not only benefits the employer, but will help the business too. The new knowledge being gained as well as the fact that employees will feel that they matter and are being taken care of when offered training bodes well for the future. 

Offer Incentives For Learning 

It’s fine to invest in training for your staff and to ensure they have enough time to learn what they need to learn, but if there is no incentive for them to take up the training or to pay much attention when it is happening, then what can you do? 

Of course, if you have hired curious people who want to learn and do well as we’ve mentioned above then this shouldn’t be an issue, but even so… how can you persuade your team to work independently and make the most of the opportunities you are giving them? It’s all about incentives that will give them the push they need to do it. 

One way to do this is to set up a reward scheme.

When employees have done a certain amount of training, reached a specific level, or demonstrate any skills that their training will have given them, they can be awarded points, for example. Added up, those points will lead to a prize such as an extra vacation day, a restaurant voucher, a day trip for them and their family, even a cash bonus.

The prize is almost secondary (although it should be worthwhile); it’s the competition that will capture their attention and help them to push themselves to work harder. 

Internal Knowledge Sharing 

Ideally, you will know your staff’s strengths and weaknesses, and this will help you when it comes to this particular idea to upskill your team.

Internal knowledge sharing essentially means that your employees will train one another. When one has a specific skill, ask them to share that knowledge with the others so that everyone is then able to at least understand, if not perform, the task. 

Once everyone has shared their knowledge and skills, your entire workforce will be upskilled and much more well-rounded, giving you the confidence that, no matter who you ask to do what, it will be done to a high-quality standard. 

Encourage Networking 

Networking is essential for all business owners, but it can also be useful for employees, and if there are networking events happening nearby – or online – then you should encourage them to attend.

It’s not that you want them to be headhunted by another firm (if you are taking care of them, this won’t cross their mind); it’s just that at networking events there will often be guest speakers who are experts in their field. 

This can be a great encouragement to your employees who can see where they could get to if they work hard and take on the skills you’re offering them. Not only that, but they could even bring back some new skills, and be happy to present them to the team, boosting everyone’s overall performance.