Labour shortages in Canada are currently limiting companies’ sales and growth. Most employers are struggling to recruit and retain skilled workers. In an era where the only constant is change and labour is scarce, companies need to act, and act quickly. What if ongoing training was part of the solution?
Training Rather than Hiring
Human resources experts agree that internal staff mobility through skills management is an alternative that every company should consider. In today’s economy, employers need to be aware of their employees’ skills, identify the gaps between those skills and the skills their organization needs to succeed, and take the necessary actions to fill in these gaps. Training existing employees – who already know the business and have a proven track record – seems to be an appropriate strategy to fill vacant positions, without looking for new hires. This could certainly help address part of the widespread problem of labour shortages and employee turnover in Canada.
Myriam Jessier, a CPMT-certified SEO & Analytics trainer, confirms that this is an increasingly common practice in companies:
“My clients have asked me to help them develop their internal skills. Relying on existing employees rather than external consultants can be very profitable in web marketing. This need aligned perfectly with our goal as a Montreal web agency, which is to provide our clients with a solid foundation and put them in charge of their own success, all the while focussing on the next stage of their growth.“
According to a study conducted by Officevibe, 53% of employees say they have not significantly improved their skills in the past year. Considering that most employees are looking for an opportunity to excel daily and feel that they are making a difference in their jobs, this statistic is alarming. Employees want to grow alongside their company; they are looking for fulfillment. In that sense, ongoing staff training allows employers to increase employee engagement and motivation by providing personal and professional development opportunities: both parties benefit from this strategy.
Reorganize Tasks
According to Marie-France Godin, Human Resources Consultant at Go RH, “allowing your employees to use different skills from those commonly used in their position will keep them engaged.” In other words, empowering employees will help them feel important and needed. This is an essential factor for happiness and motivation at work. There is no need to repeat that motivated teams are successful teams. As an employer, you should encourage internal mobility and ongoing training programs.
With this in mind, we can consider skills development and task reorganization – and, of course, an adequate training plan – as a partial solution to staff shortage. For example, if you are short of a supervisor and some administrative tasks that would normally be assigned to them could be performed by your employees, why not offer them to do it? In this way, you will strengthen their motivation and, at the same time, expand their field of competence.
Helping Tools
In light of the above, it is undeniable that ongoing training holds many advantages for companies, both in countering labour shortage issues and increasing employee productivity. This is especially true when the training process is automated. To this end, solutions exist to facilitate internal recruitment and skills management, such as those offered by an LMS and Folks.
With the help of a LMS (Learning Management System), companies can create learning paths to move an employee from one position to another and also have the ability to track employees’ progress in real-time. More specifically, LMS allows companies to create training content stored in their customized platform. Employees get access to this platform and can progress at their own pace.
As for HRIS (Human Resources Information Systems), they can simplify training management, particularly its financial aspect.
Folks HR Helps You Prevent Mistakes Related to Training Management
Using a Canadian HRIS like Folks HR helps prevent mistakes related to training management by allowing the employer to :
1- Keep track of every training course given to employees;
2- Keep information on training costs, as well as on the dates the courses took place, on the dates they were renewed, on the trainers, etc;
3- Calculate the salary costs of training;
4- Add benefits if needed;
5- Calculate the total amount invested in training;
6- Visualize your goals in terms of training hours directly on your dashboard;
7- Receive notifications concerning certificate renewal dates (30, 60 and 90 days prior).
While in-house talent management and ongoing training programs are undoubtedly leading to a brighter future for Canadian companies, employers need to look at the situation from different angles if they are to address the issues related to labour shortages. Furthermore, couldn’t international recruitment and training of immigrant workers help alleviate staff shortage problems in Canada?
