The pandemic and social distancing have forced workforces across the country to adapt to a new way of doing business, at least temporarily. And while many employees reared in the digital age have easily harnessed the tech necessary to do so, some employees have found the switch to be much more challenging.

The sometimes-considerable skill gap evidenced by this sink or swim situation – paired with the unfortunate side effect of added downtime – provides a prime opportunity for employers to teach their teams new skills. Upskilling your workforce was previously considered to be a primary means of streamlining costs. Given current circumstances, it is a far more critical measure that can ensure your company’s return to prominence once society is back on its feet and the doors to your business open once again.

Take stock of your existing resources:
High performing employees may not only be able, but also eager, to lead a training sessions on improvement areas using Zoom or GoToMeeting. Record these lessons for future use.

Elicit feedback.
It is no secret. Employees feel valued when they believe their opinions and concerns are being heard. While negative feedback is always a possibility when you’re leading a team, it shouldn’t be feared. Instead, find out where your team’s interests lie, and what areas they feel are in need of improvement. And most importantly, what new skills they would like to learn.

Recycle old lessons.
In other words, dust the cobwebs off of your existing training programs, and find new ways to use them to your team’s benefit. Extensive training modules can be chunked and redistributed in a number of ways, including:

• Blogs
• Webinars
• Infographics
• And more

Or consider taking advantage of online conference calls to merge training with employee engagement using trivia, Pictionary-style challenges, and other creative combinations to for a true business game-changer.

Of course, while upskilling your workforce, it will remain crucial to maintain steady administrative support. An outsourced workforce management company can help you continue to streamline critical processes, such as Payroll, employee relations, benefits administration, and much more, while you are focusing on reinforcing your team’s skillset. Maslow Media Group can help you keep your business on track, while you prepare for a renewed and rejuvenated business.