9 Ways to Boost Employee Skills at Your Company

Key takeaways

Upskilling helps employees grow and enables employers to build a more capable, resilient workforce.

• Nearly half of American workers say they would change jobs for development opportunities [1]

• Companies that invest in development see higher retention and avoid the significant costs associated with replacing employees.

• You can strengthen your workforce by investing in structured learning options, including e‑learning, mentoring, microlearning, and stretch assignments.

Learn more about building employee skills at your company and how you can benefit. If you’re ready to start providing employees with learning opportunities to help them gain in-demand skills for success and empower their development, Coursera for Business can provide valuable training materials in a wide range of areas, including Guided Projects and Professional Certificates.

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The importance of upskilling

Learning new skills matters to American workers. According to recent Gallup findings, nearly half of American workers say they would change jobs if a new employer provided skills development. Employees appreciate more chances to grow, with 42 percent stating that the most valuable form of career development is the training their current employer provides [1].

Upskilling benefits employees and employers. It can raise morale, boost employability, and offer employees a greater sense of value. For companies, it can result in higher productivity, increased worker retention rates, and savings on new employee recruitment.

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What are the workplace skills every employee needs?

Workplace skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving are among those that can benefit every employee. These skills are foundational and transferable, helping you succeed across a wide range of job settings. Other essential workplace skills that employers look for in prospective employees can include: 

• Professionalism: Demonstrating responsibility, reliability, and appropriate workplace behavior, while maintaining motivation and acting on initiative.

• Time management: Prioritizing tasks, organizing workload, and meeting deadlines.

• Critical thinking: Evaluating information, thoughtfully approaching tasks, and making sound decisions.

• Adaptability: Adjusting to change, learning new skills, and remaining flexible in shifting environments.

• Leadership capabilities: The ability to guide others while helping teams stay focused on shared objectives.

• Interpersonal skills: Building rapport, displaying respect, and maintaining positive interactions with others by exhibiting a level of emotional intelligence, like empathy.

Employee skill development: Ways to boost employee skills

As shown, investing in workers provides many benefits to companies. To boost employee skills at your company, consider incorporating a few or all of these strategies:

1. Create a sufficient learning and development budget.

Although training costs money, you'll save on hiring new employees by investing in the ones you have. To determine your budget, consider which employees need training, what type of training they need, and what you can afford.

When designing your budget, use a spreadsheet to keep track of all training costs. And make sure to factor in the cost to your company to have employees in training instead of working.

2. Provide options for e-learning.

E-learning has become more popular than ever due to distancing policies established at the onset of the pandemic. To save money on employee skills training, consider purchasing memberships to e-learning platforms for the whole company.

Read more: 5 E-Learning Trends That Benefit the Workplace

3. Keep up to date on digital literacy.

Remember that e-learning demands digital literacy. In addition to personal computers, you may require your employees to use smartphones, tablets, and specific computer applications and software. Conduct technology training for your employees as needed to avoid skills gaps and maintain productivity.

4. Make use of job shadowing and mentoring.

Job shadowing often proves successful when training a new employee or introducing new skills to existing staff. Instead of telling an employee how to perform a skill, demonstrate the skill and then have the employee practice it.

Mentoring can be helpful for long-term career development. Consider matching entry-level employees with seasoned professionals to provide important information, career advice, and moral support.

5. Involve employees in peer-to-peer learning.

While peer-to-peer learning can involve job shadowing, it can also take on a more significant role at your company. Companies should encourage employees at the same job level or department to get together and share information.

Peer-to-peer learning can enhance all types of job skills, improving communication skills at your company. Avenues for peer-to-peer learning include:

• Team projects

• Work committees

• Company book clubs or study groups

• Professional workshops, conferences, and networking events

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6. Add lunch-and-learn sessions to your employee training regimen.

Lunch-and-learn sessions allow employees with extensive knowledge of a subject to share it with colleagues in a relaxed and comfortable setting. It can also enable all employees who work through lunch to leave an hour earlier at the end of the day.

Good places to hold lunch-and-learn sessions include your employee break room, a company conference room, a restaurant meeting room, or a nearby park. Common themes for lunch-and-learn sessions include:

• Career development

• Personal development

• Communication

• Conflict management

• Problem-solving

• Diversity

• Leadership

• Health and wellness

For an alternative to live lunch-and-learn sessions, consider showing pertinent videos or playing work-related podcasts.

7. Boost employee skills with microlearning.

Microlearning involves budget-friendly training designed for quick delivery and consumption, usually within five minutes. Microlearning materials often cover a single subject and can offer better retention than many other learning materials.

Typically delivered digitally, microlearning can include:

• Infographics

• Games

• Modules

• Quizzes

• Videos

8. Provide employees with opportunities for stretch assignments.

A stretch assignment challenges employees to learn and grow (or stretch their skill level) to complete it. Employees benefit from stretch assignments by gaining more knowledge, work skills, responsibilities, and resiliency. Employers benefit from stretch assignments by building employee trust and developing employees to take on coworkers’ roles when they advance in the company or move on elsewhere.

Examples of stretch assignments can include:

• Mentoring a new employee or team member

• Supervising an intern or volunteer

• Heading up a new project

• Making a presentation

• Leading a staff meeting

• Organizing a company event

9. Offer employees training enrollment and tuition incentives.

Employees appreciate companies that cover training costs, so consider offering payment incentives for work-related courses, certifications, and other types of training. Some employers even offer tuition incentives to help employees earn a degree. These incentives help ensure a more knowledgeable and skilled workforce and provide various other benefits to employers.

A number of these potential benefits can include:

• More job candidates are attracted to open positions

• Higher employee retention

• Greater employee engagement

• Federal tax breaks

Upskill your workforce with our free resources

With Coursera for Business, your employees will gain access to content from 350+ leading universities and industry partners, where they can build real-world experience with innovative skills, tools, and technologies while earning globally recognized credentials. Our customizable, scalable learning solutions balance workplace and technical skills training in diverse formats, from video clips to Guided Projects and Professional Certificates.

• Read the Global Skills Report to explore insights drawn from 170M+ Coursera learners and key economic indices.

• Subscribe to The Learning Curve for insights on trending industry topics and ideas on shaping your employees' skills.

• Watch a demo video to explore the benefits of upskilling with Coursera. 

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