Are you spending more time working with your employees on correcting current issues than moving forward with them? Believe it or not, these occurrences are more common than you’d think. Many times, these scenarios can be caused by understaffing, but more often than not, they’re caused by a skills mismatch. It sounds daunting, but it’s actually quite easy to fix. If you think a skills mismatch may be what is plaguing your organization, check out the following examples to learn how to correct them.

• Skills skew. Due to the state of the economy, many companies have had to lay off workers. Laid off workers lead to many employees taking on duties that neither align well with their skills, nor take advantage of their greatest strengths. Now is the time to re-evaluate both the skills of the employees struggling in these roles, as well as the spectrum of talent available within the entire organization. If switching responsibilities around is not feasible, consider bringing in temporary employees to buy you time to determine if you need to make another full-time hire.
• Misunderstood roles. You’ve hired a batch of promising new employees, but a month into the game, they seem just as confused as day one. No worries. There are two potential reasons for this confusion: either the new employees were not given an accurate orientation in regards to others’ roles in the department or conversely, other workers do not understand how the new hires are expected to contribute. The best way to handle this scenario is calling a group meeting to discuss each member’s role and how they can work together as a team.
• New rules and methods. You may be blessed with a highly experienced and capable workforce; however, industry changes may create the need for new knowledge and skills. The most proactive solution is to support your employees’ professional development. Consider offering reimbursement for continuing education or giving employees time off to attend seminars and workshops. Another great option is cross-training employees in rotational programs. This can prove extremely effective when encouraging employees to expand their skills and act as fill ins when key employees are absent from the office.

Overcoming skills mismatches requires time and careful attention as well as some trial and error. It is important to recognize this as an ongoing process, but by being aware of where mismatches commonly occur and having a plan of attack, you’ll be able to efficiently and effectively correct them. If you are looking are for more information on hiring the right employees for the job, do not hesitate to contact Staffers today!