There’s no shying away from it; going digital is the future of business. We’ve already seen substantial progress with digitisation, whether it’s cloud computing or utilising artificial intelligence being used more regularly across various industries.
Not everybody is on the same page here despite the need for sectors to evolve. Digital skills can be challenging to pick up for those who are inexperienced, disadvantaged, or even disinterested. Still, many workers are meeting the moment, and nobody must get left behind.
Of course, everybody has ideas of how to bridge the digital skills gap in the workplace. However, there’s not a single solution here, but many, and they’re all worth exploring. People will respond differently to different measures, but the more you employ, the more likely it is that you’ll get everybody on the same page soon enough.
It’s time to even the playing field with digital skills in the workplace. Read on for some insights on how to do it in your business with minimal stress and disruption.
Utilise Support Services
The reason we’re focusing on bridging the digital skills gap with ‘minimal stress’ is that these changes can be chaotic to implement if mismanaged or paced improperly. Gradually redefining a workforce without something akin to growing pains can seem like a tall order.
However, when you’re embarking on this effort, it’s vital to remember that you’re not alone. Plenty of services out there are focused on facilitating the digital evolution of businesses in a caring and compassionate way. They do more than help with practical changes, for their assistance can provide reassurances that cater to the well-being of those who might be apprehensive about tech.
To learn more about these types of support services, visit abledocs.com. They offer support with accessible PDF files, providing training and awareness integral to an ethical, inclusive work environment. There’s instruction and support around understanding accessibility guidelines, creating and fine-tuning accessible documents, and some general guidance around empowering your workforce through these initiatives too.
We’re starting with this point because it’s important to remember that not everybody can dive into the digital world head-on. Some business bosses may lack patience and empathy in a highly competitive and cutthroat business environment. It’s important to go down a more compassionate avenue instead, and you can do that by consulting external partners.
Make Things More Fun
We’ve mentioned approaching things more compassionately. It may be worth exploring an emotional response to these challenges in other ways, too, injecting a more lively energy into proceedings.
After all, many people can become jaded about some working environments, and not everybody is highly passionate about what they do – even if they’re pretending otherwise. The thought of extra training and upskilling might be a ‘drag’ for some, especially if staff are only with you to pick up a pay cheque. It’s not an ideal attitude, but there may be things you can do to prevent these responses.
For instance, gamification elements could be incorporated into these processes. Quizzes, friendly competitions, and fun reward systems could create a sense of fun when people are learning digital skills. A sense of achievement and satisfaction may also follow, motivating staff to embrace these new processes.
Cross-functional collaboration can also remind employees that the new digital skills being learned extend far beyond their staff. Different departments can come together, swap tips and tricks, discuss the changes in their roles, and enjoy each other’s company as they learn about one another’s perspectives. Closer working relationships, or even outright friendships, could form due to a wider dialogue being nurtured. Ultimately, there can be many feelings of comfort and reassurance through a shared learning experience.
Reference the Personal Benefits
Digital skills aren’t about gaining an edge over the competition. They’re now an intrinsic part of everyday working life in more professions than ever before.
So, there’s a great deal at stake here. In late 2022, there was an assertion that a lack of digital skills could be costing UK workers more than a collective £5 billion in earnings. It’s not just the business or even the wider economy that can suffer; individual talent can fall behind in the race for better jobs and higher pay too.
If people are struggling to acquire more digital skills, they should receive support. That said, outright complacency should be strongly discouraged, not only for the benefit of the business but so that staff can protect their job security and financial futures.
Of course, not everybody is highly motivated at work. When the stakes get personal, though, attitudes can adjust very quickly. It might seem like these reminders could make learning digital skills more stressful, but as long as your less enthused workers understand how they stand to benefit personally, it should be enough to spur on their progress.
Continually Monitor the Situation
Bridging a digital skills gap won’t happen overnight. Even when you succeed, tech developments will demand that you keep pushing your staff to reach the next level.
Therefore, it’s essential to continuously monitor the key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor how effectively things are evolving. View the KPIs in every area affected by tech skills, whether it’s customer satisfaction, the effectiveness of training programs, or even worker productivity.
How long do projects take to complete? Is there less waste or paper usage? How does new product development look? Which processes have been streamlined and refined? Are error rates being reduced? Can you send a survey to employees that help them detail how their experience has changed during digital skills development phases?
There’s a lot to grapple with here. However, your company should change as digital skills become more commonplace in your firm. Upskilling should always make an impact, and investigating how, when, and why will be eternally relevant.
Conclusion
It’s important to appreciate your staff’s perspective when it comes to learning new digital skills. You can better facilitate their progress by focusing your efforts on their experience rather than heeding overarching business objectives. Utilise support services, make things more fun, emphasise personal benefits, and keep tabs on things. Remember, people-first companies always get the most out of their staff, and this frame of mind can be applied to evening the playing field with digital skills.
