Organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of aligning their workforce skills with their strategic goals. For our recent roundtable on “Becoming a skills-first organisation,” our expert panel explored what it means to be a skills-based organisation, the benefits it brings, and how companies can effectively implement this approach. The panel consisted of WilsonHCG’s COO Kim Pope, Managing Director Janine Chidlow, Managing Director Ramona Soares, Nina Santana, Global Head of Skills-based Organisation at Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore, and Disha Kaushal, Regional Director at Mercer’s Singapore office.
What we heard: The expression “What got us here will not get us there” was used repeatedly to explain why moving to a skills-based organisation is necessary.
What we understood: Skills needs are changing at an accelerated pace – and that goes for technology, AI, and more. This will only continue to decrease based on generative AI and technology organisations.
What is required: Top-down advocation and governance are key factors to ensure buy-in and proper change management. This includes executives but also hiring managers to articulate benefits so they’ll support the change. Developing a business case for skills-based hiring has tangible monetary turns, while helping diversity and further mission goals within the organisation, can build a compelling foundation to start.
What we heard: Capitalising on skills that employees don’t necessarily use in their day-to-day with internal GIG projects helped WilsonHCG unlock potential in its people to grow and expand, which also helped improved engagement and retention scores.
What we understood: Gig work helps solve for immediate skills gaps in organisations – all while empowering organisations to equally assess candidates based on what they can do versus what they’ve done in the past. This social mobility creates more equitable opportunities across the board.
What is required: Depending on the type of role, consider removing roadblocks such as requiring college degrees so you’ll have a larger talent pool to choose from. This creates a level playing field throughout the hiring process and can help you retain employees and other typically overlooked demographics.
What we heard: Mapping out skills in one place as a single source of truth is one of the most effective ways to start a skills-based journey.
What we understood: A skills taxonomy is agile and ever evolving, so focusing on the “how” from a technology perspective is critical to help maintain momentum for this long-term implementation and organisational shift.
What is required: Whether it’s Workday or another platform, be sure you have a plan for tracking skills on an ongoing basis and validating them, as it’s pivotal for skills-based success to track and update regularly.
What we heard: Prioritizing mass upskilling across your workforce based on which skills are needed the most both now and in the future is a strategic move that benefits both organisation and employee. Plus, reskilling employees for sunrise roles based on who had skills adjacent to high-demand roles helps make the transition easier.
What we understood: In Asia, talent acquisition is getting harder each year, especially if you’re buying talent. Additionally, with skills overlaps, it’s getting more difficult to ascertain whether one person can do everything needed for an ever-evolving role. Changing to empower employees to grow – including having aging populations transfer skills to younger generations, since Asia has one of the longest life expectancies – will help ease the transition.
What is required: Big shifts in roles such as bank tellers (which are phasing out) mean tapping into employees’ adjacent skills so they continue developing and generating business. The Singapore government has developed skills progression maps based on sector, training plans, and is subsidising costs to help upskill workers. This can be delayed, but not forever.
What we heard: Not all roles have the same needs. Rather than maintaining rigid roles, a skills taxonomy helps with developing role archetypes and functions where there’s room to make changes as needed. This is true as well for flex roles, that aren’t directly tied to a function, but rather, are deployable across the organisation based on need.
What we understood: While roles should be malleable, for fixed roles and ones needed for regulation, core skills must be in place. Degree requirements are being more relaxed so a success profile can be developed on what’s actively needed for each role to perform during ongoing evolution.
What is required: A talent marketplace can give you a bird-eye view of your people and the skills everyone possesses. It’s instrumental for identifying skills gaps and providing a baseline on where you are now and where you need to be. It helps you make informed decisions on hiring contractors or while you both upskill and reskill.
What we heard: Although generative AI technology will be critical, the importance of adaptability, flexibility, critical thinking, sustainability, and cultural awareness cannot be underestimated.
What we understood: Because of increased prevalence in multigenerational workforces, digital literacy, in addition to other soft or previously “passive” skills, are non-negotiables that everyone will need to continue improving. This affects every role in every organisation.
What is required: While developing your skills journey, ensuring L&D is plugged into your plan will help you work in parallel to upskill and reskill employees for maximum governance and success.
What we heard: Transformation discussions are always challenging, but every organisation is different in terms of their current technology, processes, and people.
What we understood: Starting small, whether it’s talent acquisition, training, or building a skills taxonomy, are all valid ways to begin.
What is required: More than anything else, having a clear plan and roadmap on how everything will come together over the next few years is vital.