With job losses and redundancies looming large, firms have taken to the idea of reskilling their workforce with gusto
As work from home and remote operations become the new normal, corporations have started focusing on reskilling their workforce to prepare for life afterwards. Not that reskilling is a shiny new idea; it’s just that with the spectre of job losses and redundancies looming large, firms have taken to the concept with great gusto.
One thing is clear: As and when normalcy in corporate functioning returns, cross functional expertise and better competencies will determine not just survival for the employees but also their roles, should they survive retrenchment rounds. The government withdrawing its earlier permission for non-essential e-commerce deliveries to resume and Oyo announcing pay cut and furloughs — both developments from the last few days — only hint at the uncertainty prevailing longer.
The employees themselves realise this. LinkedIn’s latest “Workforce Confidence Index” survey (April 20) revealed 64 per cent professionals will increase their focus on learning.
You might also be interested to read: Govt Invites Internship Applications For Covid-19 Pandemic Management
With talent, either by choice or sensing the future, showing that kind of eagerness, companies are trying to instituitonalise the reskilling facilities. Take the case of FMCG major ITC, which has over 4,000 employees actively engaged in some or the other web-based learning programme to “gainfully utilise the ‘work-from-home’ period”. “Multiple stage gates tests are conducted to assess application in work areas. There are dedicated discussion forums with senior management where the participation and success rate of these programmes are evaluated. The specific skills which the programmes impart and their application in respective work areas are monitored carefully across each business. A central dashboard publishes regular bulletins on the coverage and application level of these courses,” is how Amitav Mukherji, head, corporate human resources, ITC, summarises the broad contours and result orientation of the programme.
Source: Business Standard
