Organizations are often known for training programs that look good on paper. But sometimes, they don’t provide a genuine opportunity to develop skills to succeed long-term. When it comes to employee skills training, the focus should be more than just new hire orientation or your everyday training.
If you want your employees to thrive in today’s complex world, your employee training program should focus on topics that help with confidence and accountability. But it should also prevent more complex work issues to come.
There are some overlooked skills training topics that can provide a well-rounded education on how to succeed in life and work for years to come.
Soft skills are often overlooked. However, they can help build interpersonal skills like listening, time management, communication and more.
Sometimes, employers don't appreciate soft skills, but those non-technical skills can help with:
More than ever today, HR professionals should value soft skills just as much as hard skills because they can apply to just about every job. Soft skills can make someone more successful in your organization because they help employees work as a team and towards achieving organizational goals.
Skills like adaptability, emotional intelligence, and communication are becoming much more in demand than technical skills that anyone can learn. Additionally, soft skills are transferable no matter what job you do.
Mindfulness can help employees process misunderstandings and conflict better by taking the time to pause and understand where their colleagues are coming from.
Adaptability means employees are flexible and willing to accept change in a positive manner.
Problem-solving skills can help someone solve problems quickly and, at times, creatively, as employees with this skill can think outside the box.
As an HR professional, developing soft skills in employees is every bit as important as teaching someone how to use the organization's newest computer system.
Workplaces include people of all races, genders, backgrounds, religions and cultures. Often, biases arise from different perspectives. These should be addressed with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training.
Many times, unconscious biases affect interpersonal relationships at work. This stems from social stereotypes that people form without being aware of them. We all have unconscious beliefs about different identities and social groups. These come from our tendency to categorize things into groups.
HR skills training topics like sexual harassment and unconscious bias can help improve workplace cultures and support employees of all backgrounds.
DEI training has many benefits, like making employees more aware of unconscious biases and working together better. Diverse teams are faster at making decisions and are more innovative.
Public sector organizations should value this training to get workers in the habit of thinking inclusively and understanding different perspectives.
Organizations value the benefits of training on mental health and well-being with topics like resilience, better work-life balance and stress management.
Before the pandemic, these organizations overlooked these skills training topics. But the new normal shows that anxiety, stress and depression take a toll on productivity, morale and job satisfaction at work.
Help employees cope with the stresses of work and life. Teach them how to get support when they need it and erase the stigma of these issues as that creates a healthier, happier employee. Many organizations include mental health and well-being education and resources as part of standard employee benefit programs.
New technologies bring more advanced threats. Preventing phishing attacks and data breaches is a common issue organizations deal with, especially since many store secure information. Hackers are getting more savvy at tricking people in different ways. So, cybersecurity awareness is critical for everyone to learn.
Security awareness training helps employees identify and avoid data breaches and phishing attacks that could leak private information and more. This type of training helps IT professionals respond faster and more effectively to cyber threats.
Cybersecurity training also helps citizens feel safer knowing that someone is safeguarding their data. Teaching employees how to protect sensitive information and how to adhere to best practices protects everyone. Plus, it can save organizations much heartache and even money.
HR leaders should focus on building robust training programs that teach employees:
Doing this shapes well-rounded, more productive workers.
Soft skills and DEI training teach employees skills that help them work as a team and progress toward goals together. As many organizations deal with sensitive information, cybersecurity skills training is vital to protect employees, the agency and users alike.
Mental health and well-being are becoming an important element of an employee benefits program. That helps employees be more productive and reduce stress. Well-rounded employees drive business success and help create an inclusive work culture that is healthy for everyone.
If you need help implementing a new training program that helps employees learn the skills they need to thrive, CPS HR can help.
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