COVID-19 has created an abrupt and dramatic level of change that we have never experienced. Nearly universal stay-at-home orders shape how we live and how we work. As a result, we are forced to quickly adapt to meet new challenges, shift our thinking, and find new ways of doing things.
Businesses and employees are struggling to adapt to this rapid change. Companies are looking to shore up their businesses and create new revenue streams. This means that many employees are being asked to take on additional tasks, extend their responsibilities, or work on new teams. All of this is taking place on a backdrop of social distancing, which means that much of the workforce is working from home for the first time.
Right now, business continuity may depend on the ability to reskill and upskill a workforce. Closing skills gaps is more than a nice to do. A study found that 64 percent of employers believe there is a skills gap in their company. And in just two years, more than 54 percent of all employees will require significant reskilling and upskilling.
SAP has recognized this critical need and is offering organizations a 30-day free trial to SAP Content Stream by Skillsoft, including a content catalog focused on business essentials, productivity and collaboration, leadership and digital transformation, and technology. With SAP Content Stream, learners can watch, listen, read, and practice – anywhere, anytime, regardless of learning style and preference. Employees get the learning they need to support their organization and advance their careers.
Looking out, one thing we can be certain of is that things will continue to change, rapidly and dramatically. This means that reskilling the workforce will only increase in importance.
Digital transformation is happening, whether companies are ready or not. As millions of workers adjust to new tasks and new roles while working in a new environment, it is critical that businesses adopt programs and technologies that improve overall employee capacity and agility for the coming years.
As the impacts of COVID-19 emerge, companies will be doing more with less. Talent redeployment is one way to make that happen, which means that organizations must identify critical skills, essential roles, and employees who can support. A skills gap analysis is required to appropriately retrain employees to accelerate time-to-productivity.
The current crisis highlights the fact that the keys to long-term success are agility, resilience, and a learning mindset. A strategy that centers on instilling a culture of continuous learning provides employees the necessary tools to meet their specific learning needs and sets up an organization for long-term success.
To see how human experience management (HXM) creates employee-centered experiences, hear from Josh Bersin and global leaders from SAP SuccessFactors in an on-demand virtual event on HXM in times of crisis.
Lara Albert is vice president of Solution Marketing for SAP SuccessFactors.
