It's a completely obvious thing to say, but COVID-19 has impacted businesses really hard.

Some businesses are just looking to stay afloat for the time being until the pandemic is brought under control. They may keep their staff furloughed, operate with reduced numbers, or unfortunately make a sizable part of their team made redundant. Others will be adapting the way they work in order to comply with government guidelines so they can continue to trade as normal.

However, there are thousands of businesses that have continued as normal and instead, looked at their employee's skill sets and how they can be developed further to help bring more money in. For example, retraining staff to fill new business needs influenced by COVID-19 or sending them on management training courses to help them gain the skills required to be a future leader.

So, what are the biggest benefits of upskilling your team? Let's take a look at just that.

Higher Levels of Productivity

It really shouldn't come as a surprise that upskilling results in higher levels of productivity. The more skilled your team is, the less time they're going to spend researching how to execute specific tasks and asking questions. As a business owner, the key point with this is that you can cut costs and save time when searching for someone to complete a certain task.

Allowing your employees to upskill is also a way of upping their efficiency levels and yielding better performance. With extra time on your employee's hands, you'll find that they're far more creative and innovative when it comes to brainstorming new ideas and potential marketing strategies.

It Creates a Better Workplace Culture 

Employers that actively support professional development foster a much better workplace culture. In such a working environment, employees will be looking to upskill on their own accord.

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This, in turn, encourages ongoing learning and development as opposed to annual training sessions and prevents staff from becoming overloaded with information they're far less likely to retain.

This workplace culture of learning will help your company be more prepared for the ever-changing nature of doing business.

Improved Employee Retention

You can probably agree that working for a company that cares little about personal growth is not really a place people are going to want to work. Employees want to feel that their personal development and ongoing training is seen as a priority by you as their employer.

Upskilling will help their skills from becoming redundant whilst proving that you care for their future development both professionally and personally.

Workplace Morale Will Increase

Improved employee retention will result in better workplace morale. Not only will this provide a more comfortable working environment, but it also means that employees will feel happier whilst at work. Upskilling your team will pave the way for personal and professional advancement, which in turn will provide a sense of purpose amongst them.

Happier Customers

The most important aspect of your company is your customers. But, to satisfy your customers, you must put the happiness of your employees first. As we previously mentioned, development opportunities will help your team feel more engaged and motivated with their roles which means they will provide far better customer service.

Upskilling also helps to keep your employees up to date with relevant business trends that provide value to the customer experience. With a more knowledgeable team, you'll find that they will have a better understanding of how they can provide a better service to your customers.

Wrapping It Up

The culture of upskilling was gaining a lot of traction way before the current pandemic took hold. But, as we look towards a world without COVID-19, you must focus on providing professional development and learning opportunities, or you risk falling behind your competitors. In fact, there's no better time than now because of the additional hours that work from home arrangements have provided. Providing these opportunities will help your team excel now and in the future.

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Mashum

Mashum Mollah is an entrepreneur, founder and CEO at Viacon, a digital marketing agency that drive visibility, engagement, and proven results. He blogs at MashumMollah.com.

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