FUTURE OF WORK TRENDS: Change your focus to skills instead of roles

There is one thing we can all agree on - the world of work is changing, and the rules of the game have changed.

Whether it’s due to the disruptions caused by a global pandemic or the changing technological landscape, we are now working in a different environment and employers need to study these changes to better understand how they might impact their business.

Companies must adapt and focus on how work gets done, when, by whom, and what technologies are being utilised.

Although the way we work may have changed, many organizations still look at talent management and skill development in the same way. With the growing challenges in attracting and retaining skilled people, organizations need rethink their people development approach.

A recent survey conducted by the thought leaders at Gartner painted an exciting picture of which HR trends will have the most impact in 2022. They identified five trends that companies should include in their employee management strategies over 2023 – sooner, if they want to accelerate growth to meet next year’s challenges.

The survey highlights that organizations should put more focus on personalization and offering employees opportunities that fit their unique needs, skills, and goals. This is how organizations will create competitive advantage and prepare for the future.

The survey of more than 550 HR leaders also reports that nearly 60% say that building critical skills and competencies will be their number one priority in the near future.

Other top HR priorities for 2022 are: organizational design and change management (48%), current and future leadership bench (45%), the future of work (42%) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) (35%).

“The shift to hybrid work, rapidly increasing turnover and heightened war for talent, and rising pressure to make progress on DEI are driving these priorities,” said Mark Whittle, vice president of advisory in the Gartner HR practice.

HR leaders will need to focus on the following initiatives to drive business outcomes next year:

1. Structuring talent management around skills, not roles
2. Organizational design and change management
3. Current and future leadership bench
4. Future of work
5. Diversity, equity, and inclusion

In this blog, we want to talk about one of the most interesting findings - shifting focus from roles to skills.

Shifting focus from roles to skills

Of 339 HR leaders responding to the survey, 47% reported not knowing what skill gaps their current employees have, and 40% said they can't develop skill development solutions fast enough to meet evolving needs. Gartner data reveals that new skills are replacing old ones; nearly one in three skills that were needed for a job in 2018 are not needed in 2022, and the average number of skills per job is increasing steadily.

So, how can you identify the skills gaps in your organisation and prepare your company for a digital future?

Firstly, take a closer look at employee performance to identify skill gaps. The wrong approach or looking at the wrong data can have consequences when it comes to your company’s training, development, and even operational processes.

For training professionals, analyzing skills gaps is one of the most effective methods for determining training needs. A skills gap analysis won’t only show what skills need to be trained or developed in the short-term, but it can also shape how you improve your longer term learning and development strategy.

The shift to digital services and the need to develop and deploy them quicker than ever isn’t a brand-new concept. There are several fundamental options you can use to meet the demands of consumers who want to utilise technological solutions. You can either pay the requisite competitive salaries to attract a workforce with the skills and knowledge, you can automate work (eliminating a trained workforce altogether) or you can invest in and train your existing employees.

Close the skills gap with ITSM Zone

By investing in skills development of for your people, your company supports the workplace changes needed to sustain market, product, and process innovation.

Having remote teams can mean that sharing information and mentoring newer team members can be more difficult. Ensuring a team is well trained can mitigate some of the associated issues. When everyone has the same starting point, the same understanding of language and terminology and a robust understanding of best practice and what “good” looks like, then they can work together for the common goal.

Digital transformation is ultimately led by IT transformation; organizations will continue to change and the way that technology and IT teams support organizations will change. We have seen another change within the service management industry quite recently, with the introduction of ITIL 4. This evolution of ITIL considers the necessity for businesses to adapt, change and deliver better services, all faster than ever before.

Providing training will be of benefit to your organization, and it will allow employees to feel as though they are a valued part of a team, working together to see success for everyone.

Start your team training project today

At ITSM Zone, our aim is to make your team training project as easy and as cost-effective as possible. we offer a range of high quality, on-demand eLearning courses that can be accessed at times and locations to suit, on any internet-enabled device.

We fully support everyone involved in your training project, with dedicated account managers, a 24/7 helpdesk and qualified, experienced tutors all on hand to help. Our courses are designed so that students can review the materials as many times as they need, fully understanding concepts before moving on.

Our unique Training+ Mentor scheme takes learning to the next level for the student. This session with an industry expert is the perfect opportunity to discuss how to apply learning in the work environment.

We provide tailored solutions for larger groups; using a portal, we give you the tools to have full control of the training. The portal gives you the ability to assign training to students whenever you want, and the progress reports help you ensure that your students are on track. Your account manager will discuss all the portal options with you, to ensure that you are provided with everything needed for successful training projects.

The bottom line

According to Gartner’s survey, sticking with a roles-based HR strategy won't suffice in 2022. Moving forward, you can expect more disruption as organizations reposition their value propositions to attract and retain skilled workers. Those employees can transcend traditional roles to provide value across the entire portfolio in a flexible way.

About the author

Ivana is a passionate marketing professional with a flair for design and online/offline platforms.

As a marketing executive her role is to oversee many aspects of a campaign throughout the entire lifespan of a product, service or idea. Her goal is to make sure that our customers are kept up to date with new products and the latest industry news.