AI is undoubtedly the most influencing technology in today’s business world. But still, a vast confusion prevails on whether AI is a boon or a curse to the human workforce. This article will discuss the benefits of AI-powered Outskilling Programme.
The emergence of AI in the business world and employee layoffs are taking place simultaneously, which still adds to the flame of creating discomfort among employees (especially those target groups whose work can be automated easily). On the other hand, companies that terminate a mass number of the workforce get targeted and face reputational issues. So, what will be the solution for this? Do companies need to follow the layoff trend when every time a recession hits its peak, and the employees, on the other hand, need to be always in the danger zone, frightened about their job loss?
No, there is a solution, and it is termed outskilling. Let us look at how the outskilling approach will create a win-win situation for employees and employers.
What exactly is Outskilling?Outskilling is a process in which organizations help their about-to-exit employees to acquire new skills that would make them fit and updated in the current job market. It is a kind of contribution from the firms’ side for those employees who have given good service all these years.
Why do companies adopt outskilling programmes?The reputation and the brand image that a company holds are valuable in the business world, despite the profit it earns. History keeps repeating every time with the damage to companies’ reputations whenever they undergo a mass lay-off. Let us look at one of the renowned organizations to understand this scenario better. In 2008, Nokia announced a mass lay-off in its Bochum plant in Germany, which led to a disaster. The employees who got terminated went to protest, and it led to the interference of the government. The government further investigated whether Nokia would create alternative job opportunities for the locals, and the company was not ready for that. Hence this situation forced Nokia to pay 200 billion euros as an exit fee to the employees’ trust, and added up to that, they lost their reputation there.
How can employees attain benefits?
Skill identification
Most of the workforce, irrespective of the industry, are still unaware of their exact skillset and are just following their routine life in their workplace. Enrolling in an outskilling programme would help them to know who they are professionally and develop their skill sets accordingly. AI-powered outskilling further dwells in-depth to find the area of interest and trains an employee.
Shows Destination
AI-powered outskilling programme helps an employee to know his career destination it does not just train an employee on a specific skill set it shows him the maximum achievable goal in his career. An employee gets clarity for the first time in his career when there is clarity in the destination. This trend is evolving in industries in AI-powered outskilling programmes.Creates Roadmap
AI-powered outskilling programme not just helps an employee to identify their career destination but also creates a personalized roadmap to achieve it. Most of the employees who attend this programme will be at a low level hence, it is necessary to provide them with complete knowledge in the simplest way. There also might be some old folks who need proper guidance to update, and providing them with the right roadmap would be highly useful.Extends Professional Life
Any employee would not accept an incomplete career where anyone would like to work until their old age. In today’s digitized world, updating our skills is vital to surviving, where growth is secondary, and hence, AI-powered outskilling programmes enhance employees’ careers by providing them with the knowledge at the right time. Let us again look at the example of Nokia and the way it bounced back with an outskilling strategy to handle any lay-off issues in future.In 2011, Nokia rejuvenated its employee handling techniques by introducing a fresh “Bridge” programme that helped its employees in several cadres to upgrade their skills and create opportunities to shine inside or outside the firm. The result is a huge hit, where Nokia found a historic cost reduction of 90% per employee, and their overall employee satisfaction went up to 85%.