How to upskill your team: Useful tips

Professional competences are not permanent. Over time, both our personality traits and associated soft competences, as well as the level of acquired skills, i.e. hard competences, may change. Continuous improvement of employee competencies should be important for the team leader, because development will be beneficial for the entire company. Check out the top 10 ways to develop employee skills.

Competence is a combination of practical skills and knowledge as well as personality traits that influence the way an employee performs tasks. They include hard competences and soft competences. Many specializations require constant commitment to professional development, as available technologies. The employer who depends on the employee's competences should enable him to develop professionally as part of his work.

Raising team's hard competences - investment in knowledge and skills

Hard competences are knowledge in the necessary field for a given position and acquired skills - e.g. knowledge of foreign languages ​​or specialized computer programs. They are often referred to as basic, because without them it is impossible to participate in recruitment for a specific position. Here are the most effective ways to improve your team's hard competences:

1. Trainings

Think about what field of knowledge would be most useful for your company. Most often, employers decide to train:

• language,

• from operating computer programs,

• sales,

• negotiation.

It is also worth talking to employees and asking in what field they do not feel too confident, which will allow them to choose training adequate to the real needs of the team.

2. Webinars - effective exchange of information

Webinars allow you to organize a meeting at the workplace for a large audience. They can not only complement training, but also an opportunity to exchange information with experts. It is also a good solution when you want to keep employees informed about what is happening in the company. Webinars allow you to effectively introduce your team to current events and familiarize them with the company's priorities.

3. Trade magazines and office library

Purchase of industry magazines and books presenting content from a specific field often constitutes a large expense for an employee, so it's worth creating an office library. Many publishers, magazines and magazines offer attractive subscriptions for companies. It is worth reaching for such sources to find inspiration and specific solutions.

4. Active participation in industry fairs.

Direct meetings with other industry representatives are a good idea to learn about new innovative solutions. Attendance at thematic events, observation, as well as establishing new business relationships is an additional method of development. Thanks to them, an employee can gain valuable knowledge about the industry in which he works, as well as related fields.

Improving team soft skills - an investment in efficiency and creativity. It is also important to support the development of employees' soft skills. They include, among others:

• communication skills,

• creativity,

• ability to cooperate,

• managing yourself over time.

They are as important as hard skills - they ensure effective team work. Check how to ensure the development of these competences among employees:

6. Interpersonal workshops

Their basic goal is to shape skills such as assertiveness, coping with stress and skilful performance of public speaking. In effective team work, it is important for employees to be able to cooperate, communicate effectively and resolve conflicts.

7. Coaching - personal and professional development

It is a method for individual employee improvement. It involves the simultaneous development of professional and social competences. Coaching is based on setting goals that are used to achieve personal and professional success, which often results in greater efficiency in everyday work.

8. Define the company's goals to support individual employee development

When employees know at what stage of their career path they are at the moment and what they can achieve when they follow it, it is easier for them to set specific goals. A well-defined career path will make the job more satisfying and will benefit both the company and the employee. It is therefore helpful to present your employer with your professional goals. The employer should outline a specific scope of tasks for a given position and indicate the goals the company is pursuing and which will help the employee achieve. Goals are the part of performance review, it's better to automate your performance review process. It helps you don’t waste your time for boring work.

9. Integration trips - a way to make a good team

As the company grows, it also employs more and more people. It is sometimes difficult for new employees to find their structure. Integration trips facilitate networking and mutual communication. They also give the team the opportunity to get to know each other on other grounds, thanks to which the cooperation of different cells can be much more effective. Knowing who has tasks also shortens the time to solve potential problems.

10. Friendly common area in the workplace

A good atmosphere at the workplace is a very important aspect - it is a huge asset for new employees of the company. A well-arranged kitchen with access to a spring water dispenser from Eden Springs, a coffee machine, as well as tables for sharing meals makes it easier to establish relationships. In modern companies, there are also more and more rooms for common relaxation, where employees can devote their break to temporary rest or games that involve a group of people.

To raise your team's competences, it's important to remember that every change is a process that requires time and commitment. In the case of raising employee qualifications, the decision-maker and team leader must have the right attitude so that the team realizes that its development will affect the functioning of the entire company.