In Demand Employee Skills
Prudential’s Pulse of the American Worker Survey reveals that 46% of American workers are either actively looking for a new job or considering a new job search. The highest numbers coming from millennials, who are the largest segment of the American workforce. For 26% of the survey respondents, a lack of opportunities at their former job was the impetus to leave.
Technology and Data Analysis Skills
The survey shows that 73% believe a gap exists between the skills they have, and the skills needed for future jobs, 80% believe that technology skills will be increasingly important for those jobs and 75% feel that knowing how to analyze data will be critical. When asked what one skill they are looking to build, 46% said it would be technology or data related.
While the vast majority of employees know that growing their skills is needed to be prepared for career opportunities, 58% are struggling to learn new skills in a remote environment.
“The future of work is already here. Talent can be a company’s biggest differentiator, so it is important that employers move with urgency to address the growing skills challenge and provide workers with opportunities to develop their skills,” says Prudential Vice Chair Rob Falzon.
Burnout
While lack of opportunities was a significant factor in employees quitting, burnout was at the top of the list. Emily Nagoski PhD and Amelia Nagoski DMA, co-authors of “Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle,” share three main components of burnout:
- Emotional exhaustion, a weariness from caring too much for too long.
- A sense of futility, feeling that nothing you do makes any difference.
- A growing lack of empathy and compassion.
This presents a need for building employee skills around what burnout is and strategies for managing it. And managers need training on spotting burnout symptoms and reducing burnout among their teams.
Change
Harvard Business Review reports that 70% of all change initiatives fail. “To improve the odds of success, and to reduce the human carnage, it is imperative that executives understand the nature and process of corporate change much better.”
A Gartner study estimates that people’s capacity to handle change is now 50% of what it was before the pandemic. “Employees’ ability to absorb change has plummeted precisely at the time when more organizations need change to reset”, says Jessica Knight, Vice President, Gartner. This makes the case for investing in training that can help build trust and team cohesion, two key factors in helping employees better manager change.
Change affects the entire organization and if the company supports their managers and employees with the necessary skills, they can build a more adaptive and resilient workforce.
Providing your employees with the skills they need to meet the demands of your business will ensure your continued success and help you be prepared for whatever changes are around the corner.
At True North Skills, we can help you create definitive professional development plans to better leverage employee talent and reach your end goals. Call us at 425.835.2124 or schedule an exploratory call to discuss your needs and better lead your teams to success.
Sources: Harvard Business Review, BBC Worklife, Prudential Pulse of the American Worker Survey
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