9 Benefits of an Automated Competency Management System in a Hybrid Environment

Businesses are facing a new normal when it comes to the work environment. For many employers, coming back to work means adopting a hybrid work model that streamlines working processes by blending office-based, and remote employees.  This model gives employees the autonomy they need to work productively. Depending on the company policy, employees may work from the office or telecommute every day, during a set number of days per week, or choose if they want to come into the office.  

Organizations in all of today’s industries face enormous challenges. Retaining top talent is harder than ever, while for the first time ever, there is a five-generation workforce, with different strengths and weaknesses. Efficient talent strategies rely on automation and a keen insight into employee capabilities. It is critical that learning and development is capable of yielding a flexible, and highly capable workforce. 

Hiring, retaining, and building sufficient skills are crucial to productivity in the hybrid workplace.  Competency Management is needed in order to align the mission-critical competencies of employees with organizational goals. This article will examine the environment of a hybrid workplace, the importance of competency management, and the benefits of an automated competency management system in a hybrid workplace. 

Establishing a Successful Hybrid Work Model

The primary challenge of a hybrid work model is establishing a strong company culture and working relationships, while collaborating effectively. A vital consideration in establishing a hybrid work arrangement is that the employees must be able to do their work as well or better than they do when working in the office. 

There are so many benefits to this work model including greater productivity, a better work-life balance, and improved recruiting techniques through an expanded candidate pool. Improved employee morale, performance and retention are possible in a successful hybrid workplace. Here are some key considerations to address in order to maintain a successful hybrid experience for the organization:

1. Establish clear policies and expectations that emphasizes flexibility. The policy should provide guidance for meeting company expectations anywhere. 
2. Management practices that switch from processes to objectives. Be sure to address what employees do, rather than how or where employees work. As long as employees are meeting organizational goals, they can dictate the workflows that allow them to work most efficiently. 
3. Focus on regulatory compliance is critical when employees are working remotely. 

Restructuring an organization’s work environment to a hybrid model takes time and consideration, but when done well, it offers flexibility and creates a positive and productive work environment. It helps employees gain the trust of their employers by allowing them to show that they’re just as productive, if not more so, working remotely as they are when in the office.

The Value of Competency Management

Competency Management is an essential component in the management of organizations in any industry. It is a set of practices that identify and optimize the skills and competencies required to deliver on an organization’s business strategy. It provides the foundation for workforce planning, acquiring talent, and developing employees skills in order to optimize their strengths. 

An automated competency management system provides an efficient approach to competency management across an enterprise. It integrates competencies among all talent processes and creates real-time and predictive data regarding the capability of any workforce. Leadership is able to readily identify strengths and skills gaps and implement targeted skills development learning solutions. 

The Benefits of Competency Management in a Hybrid Workforce

Aligning employees with policies, processes, and performance requirements is critical in a hybrid work environment. There are 9 ways that an automated competency management system can support a hybrid work environment. 

1. Establish Best Practices:  Track and manage the skills, knowledge and abilities of employees to determine the most effective work styles and habits for each individual. Capturing best practice competencies leads to broader workforce success. Management can determine who is thriving while working remotely, as well as who needs more support. 
2. Refresh and Renew the Competency Model:  The workplace has significantly changed in the last few years – where we work, how we work, and how we interact with colleagues. Organizations must adjust and refresh their competency model to reflect the soft skills and hard skills employees need in order to be successful in this new and improved workplace. 
3. Monitor productivity: The use of more shared technology and collaborative platforms in a hybrid workplace allows managers to view employee activity and get a clear overall understanding of the workflow of employees. They know when milestones are hit and can witness productivity. Equipped with this information, managers are able to effectively address underperforming employees and reward high performers. 
4. Assess Skills and Competencies Required: A hybrid workplace requires different skills and competencies than a traditional office setting. Additionally, employees learn differently. Ongoing skills assessments help determine proper learning paths for employees, while tracking progress. These assessments will help organizations hone in on skills and competencies needed to succeed in the hybrid work environment. 
5. Serve Customers Better: Use customer feedback to identify and promote the skills and competencies that are most impactful. In order to thrive, employees need to know how to serve their customers well. 
6. Up to Date Job Descriptions for Recruiting: It is critical to hire people based on the skills and practices that are needed in the hybrid work environment. Competency Management allows for job descriptions that specify levels of proficiency for skills such as communication, collaboration, and problem solving in a remote setting. Job descriptions reflect the skills and competencies that employees must have in order to thrive. 
7. Greater Breadth and Depth of Talent: It is critical to tap into a greater depth of talent when blending remote and in office work. A hybrid workforce allows for a more global workforce so it is important to have a wider talent pool to draw from.  
8. Effective Professional Development: In a hybrid working model, remote and office workers must all have the same opportunities for career advancement. Hard and soft skill training sessions, as well as mentorship programs, can be done virtually. 
9. Data-driven Decisions Across the Organization: Management can use a competency management system to track, manage, and assess employee performance. Automate and organize how you collect feedback from your employees, no matter your team’s size, or their location. Get real-time feedback on training with follow-up surveys so you can hone your content and make important business decisions.

An automated competency management system is able to highlight what is working for individuals, teams, and the entire organization. A focus on performance allows organizations to conduct skills assessments, monitor employee development plans, and build an informed succession planning program. Employees and managers can be promoted with confidence. A competency-based system essentially supports all things related to knowledge, skills and on-the-job behaviors. 

Using a software program that offers a variety of features to ensure that employees possess and are making strides towards the desired competencies in a hybrid work environment is invaluable. A comprehensive competency management platform can help you meet your company’s performance goals, train you in technical and soft skills, and put in measures for continued education.

CABEM Technology’s Competency Manager can help organizations manage and grow the skills, knowledge, and behaviors required for each employee to perform successfully in a job role. In addition to the traditional training methods of test-taking and watching videos, our product allows you to track and measure mentoring efforts, any off-site workshop attendance, and even manager sign-off of competency. When a leader sees an employee demonstrate a learned or soft skill, through practice scenarios or in daily work, the manager or supervisor can verify and approve the skill.

Our system also accounts for any outside credentials or certifications, whether earned with the current employer or in the past. This can help paint a more complete picture of an employee’s competency to their role and other requirements. For those employees who lack the soft skills necessary for more senior roles in your business, you can create a mentorship program. Use soft skills training features to assign a senior employee to a junior worker. The partnership not only helps employees develop these necessary skills, but also allows senior team members to strengthen their leadership, communication abilities, and other soft skills.

As hybrid work environments continue to grow in popularity, a system that allows you to track, renew, and monitor the necessary credentials of your team is needed.  CABEM’s Competency Manager helps bridge this gap, to compile and create competencies in a logical way that institutionalized enterprise employee knowledge. If you are ready to add the benefits of competency management to your business, Click here to learn about our product or contact us.