Working Remotely

05 Oct Working Remotely

According to research by Grant Thornton Cape, “a startling 83% of local businesses noted a shortage of technical skills when it came to recruitment.” Employees who are not highly productive and who lack the will to make continuous improvements impede business growth. All these abilities and competencies have a direct bearing on how successfully a firm may advance. After the epidemic, the workplace culture changed, and businesses now need to update and renew their employees’ abilities. Technology was previously viewed as something to be used in the future, but the pandemic made the future a reality now, and businesses had to quickly react to changes by making technology a key use in businesses. It is suggested that companies should employ workers that are able to function in any situation and environment; simply having a skill is not sufficient. A worker who possesses competence is one who is driven to complete their work, capable of making effective use of the tools at their disposal, and capable of working alone without the aid of their co-workers.

Because of the flexibility of their HR and IT staff, businesses were able to minimize the impact of the pandemic on both employees and employers. They required novel, formerly unthought-of answers because everything needed to be reconsidered, evaluated, and reinvented by businesses. Businesses must come up with new ideas for productivity and performance evaluation for employees while enforcing company culture. Therefore, HR and IT are required to work together to come up with new ways to train and upskill employees, so they can cope with any challenges that may occur in the future, mainly using technology to do this. The pandemic helped businesses transition from decades of office-centric eight to five-hour workdays to a more flexible strategy, letting employees to work from home, and comparing productivity and efficiency to improved results rather than in the number of hours worked. Because of the lack of structure in the workplace, some companies might prefer the routine and structure that working in an office environment provides them.

Some staff may prefer personal interaction with colleagues and find face-to-face supervision with their manager. Organizations may
find that not having staff in close physical proximity leads to difficulty in maintaining staff development and upgrading skills. Working from home can cause a decline in productive levels as tasks are harder to manage and performances are harder to monitor, organizations need to upskill workers on technology and skills required for working at home. However, organizations should also provide staff with training to learn new skills that will help with working without face-to-face guidance.

Between having a skill and being competent, there is a big gap. According to David McClelland of “Need Theory,” a competency measurement is a method used to separate exceptional performers from mediocre performers. The Merriam-Webster
dictionary defines skills as the capacity to apply knowledge freely and successfully in action or performance. Competence is defined as the characteristic of having sufficient knowledge, judgment, skill, or strength for a specific task. The distinction between competence and skills is that competence refers to the information and behaviours that help an employee succeed in a work, whereas skills are specific learned talents that they need to do a given job. For instance, the ability for a worker to use skills while adapting to environmental constraints when working from home is an example competency. Flexible working environments like working from home, require workers to be more competency-based than skills-based. Therefore, organizations should consider paying attention to the attitude and attributes of their employees, whether they are self-sufficient, good at problem solving, or they can overcome limits and challenges that stand in the way of finishing tasks. Organizations are advised to hire people who are flexible and do not need much guidance, people who have the motivation, and are self-disciplined.

According to Degreed.com, talents are frequently developed through time and are linked to experience through longevity and specialization in addition to leadership positions. Businesses allocate people’s skills based on their work functions. M.D. Mumford created the skills-based paradigm, which outlines the capabilities— knowledge and skills—that enable effective leadership. It suggests that while skills can be acquired, some competencies can also be inborn characteristics for instance, creativity and curiosity can be one of the innate qualities that an individual can possess. Since neuroscience maintains that we are fundamentally the people we will be by the time we are in our teens, businesses are advised not to waste time and effort attempting to mould employees into something they are not. Workers could learn soft skills like creative thinking at work, but they are unlikely to be as effective at it, especially when it matters, as employees who have the intrinsic quality of thinking outside the box. Fundamentally, businesses should not only look at the skills a candidate has but at their attitude, attributes, and what intrinsic qualities they have that would benefit the business.

When a worker possesses a certain skill, they have the knowledge and ability to complete tasks successfully and this contributes to the ROI of the company. Adoptive Human Resource practice indicates the need for businesses to be intentional on the competency-based approach, in the human capital life cycle. This approach is necessary to complete tasks efficiently despite obstacles or changes in the environment. Businesses are suggested to hire competent employees that can perform successfully, with enthusiasm, and with an interest in the responsibilities assigned to them in that position. HR should pay attention to whether an employee has a desire and interest for the role they are taking. Desire is a gauge of how interested someone is in learning each skill, specifically, their desire to use, master, and keep the expertise. Ibbaka’s skill graph is based on the level of the KSA, also known as the skills model and competency model. Knowledge Skills Attributes or Attitudes or Abilities is what the acronym KSA stands for. Ability and knowledge both increase with desire. Where there is insufficient motivation to apply, someone with great aptitude or knowledge may let it go to waste. No matter how skilled or experienced a worker is, lack of motivation leads to decreased proficiency. However, a high level of performance and outcomes will be produced when a high level of desire is combined with a high level of knowledge, talent, or both. To sum up, SMEs should consider if their employees can adapt to the various changes that businesses go through, especially in the wake of the pandemic. To contribute to the success of the company and provide employers with a return on their investment, employees should be technologically proficient, have excellent communication skills, and be innovative thinkers.