{"id":9216,"date":"2019-06-27T15:59:40","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T19:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainstation.io\/?p=9216"},"modified":"2019-08-06T14:01:09","modified_gmt":"2019-08-06T18:01:09","slug":"future-proof-your-workforce-by-tapping-its-adaptability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/future-proof-your-workforce-by-tapping-its-adaptability","title":{"rendered":"Future Proof Your Workforce by Tapping Into Its Adaptability"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to a <\/span>recent study<\/span> by the Harvard Business School, managers and employees \u201c<\/span>perceived the future in significantly different ways,\u201d with employees being much more optimistic about the future than managers may realize.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, \u201cworkers seem to recognize more clearly than leaders do that their organizations are contending with multiple forces of disruption, each of which will affect how companies work differently.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While this should clearly serve as a warning to managers and executives, it is also good news of a sort. <\/span>In the words of the study, \u201cyour workforce is more adaptable than you think.\u201d And with a full 74 percent of organizations implementing digital transformation initiatives (and <\/span>research showing<\/span><\/a> that it\u2019s cheaper to reskill current employees than to hire new ones), an engaged, adaptable workforce is essential.<\/span><\/p>\n

So how do you tap into this willingness to change? Let\u2019s take a closer look at some ideas behind future-proofing your workforce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Put a Focus on Reskilling\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

You wouldn\u2019t sell a product without having a supply chain in place. So why not apply the same thinking about your workforce? That\u2019s one of the suggestions put forth by the report, which states that \u201cwhile companies are keen to prepare for the future of work, they remain mired in their historical approach to hiring, training, and talent management.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Employers typically rely on a combination of networking and job postings to secure new talent, but that\u2019s a problem when the talent you\u2019re looking for might not exist in the labor pool. Creating a pipeline for new talent by training and promoting from within is one solution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, as part of its Workforce 2020 solution, AT&T collected information about the skills of its 250,000 employees. AT&T compared that information to the skills the company determined it would need to stay competitive in the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next, AT&T developed a learning program with the goal of training existing employees to meet the future demands of the company. As a result, AT&T is hiring \u201cfar fewer\u201d outside contractors because existing staff are able to do the work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The company also <\/span>says<\/span><\/a> it expects employees involved in the training program to be four times more likely to make a positive career move, and two times more likely to be hired into a \u201cmission-critical\u201d role at AT&T.<\/span><\/p>\n

To put this kind of reskilling program into place, organizations need to start at the top, identifying and closing skills and knowledge gaps among managers. <\/span>Est\u00e9e Lauder, for example, sent management teams to BrainStation for digital skills training, which resulted in a robust, <\/span>digital-first marketing approach<\/span><\/a> that paid immediate dividends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Engage Employees in the Process\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

When employers were asked what was holding employees back from learning new skills, \u201cmanagers chose answers that blamed employees, rather than themselves,\u201d according to the report. In fact, fear of change was the number one reason managers said is holding employees back from learning new skills.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And while respondents to this survey claimed to be eager to learn and embrace the future (which was backed up in our Digital Skills Survey), <\/span>studies have nevertheless shown<\/span><\/a> that a majority of people do fear change when digital transformation initiatives are introduced, with 39 percent anxious when new tech is introduced.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To get around these fears (or at least the perception of fear), organizations can get employees engaged in the process by explaining the why and the how, not just the what.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ING Netherlands used this strategy when they overhauled their workforce to \u201cturn itself into an agile institution almost overnight.\u201d Instead of hiring new staff and laying off existing employees, the bank communicated with staff about upcoming changes.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, employees who didn\u2019t think they would fit into the new culture were happy to leave (ING provided support to find other jobs), and employees who stayed were eager to learn new skills and transition the company into its next phase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the transition wasn\u2019t easy, CEO Vincent van den Boogert said,\u00a0 \u201cwhen you talk about the why, what, and how at the same time, people are going to challenge the why to prevent the how. But in this case, everyone had already been inspired by the why and what.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

By engaging employees in the good, the bad, and uncomfortable parts of the process, ING created a win-win situation out of a typically negative experience for employees and employers alike.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interested in learning more about the digital landscape? Check out <\/span><\/i>BrainStation\u2019s 2019 Digital Skills Survey<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to studies, employees are much more optimistic about the future than managers may realize.\u00a0How do you tap into that enthusiasm?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":9219,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[533,644],"tags":[430,967,966],"yoast_head":"\nFuture Proof Your Workforce by Tapping Into Its Adaptability | BrainStation\u00ae Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"According to studies, employees are much more optimistic about the future than managers may realize.\u00a0How do you tap into that enthusiasm?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/future-proof-your-workforce-by-tapping-its-adaptability\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" 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