Many people have been talking about a “new world of work” for a long time. However, the current public health situation and labor market crisis are not what anyone had in mind. The sudden work-from-home mandates, refocusing of priorities, and adjustments to time management are startling for everyone, to say the least.
If your team is struggling to walk the thin line between work and personal life, now is a great time to encourage them to invest in themselves, their progress, and their future. Whether your team is interested in learning new technical skills or focusing more on self-improvements like time management or communication skills, both can be achieved during this time.
Here are some helpful tips and resources to help your team get started.
1. Learn New Skills
We always tell ourselves what new skills we’d learn if we only had the time. Well, now is the time. Take advantage of your extra time to earn credentials for a new skill and foster a new culture of learning.
Digital badges provide verified proof of abilities and skill in a specific field and can help your team stand out professionally. Another great aspect of digital badges is that many can be connected to professional and social networking sites and enhance your professional credibility and work profile.
Here are examples of some leading digital credentialing programs to help your team gain data analytics, marketing, or technical skills:
- Facebook: Digital advertising revenue is taking a big hit during the pandemic, but digital marketing skills will continue to be key professional assets. Facebook Blueprint certifications provide an opportunity to learn more in areas such as marketing science, media planning, and creative strategy.
- Tableau: Data skills were in high demand before the current crisis, and they will remain valuable even after it abates. Tableau is a data analytics and visualization company that offers free access to a number of learning curriculums and results in role-based badges.
- ForgeRock: There are billions of new devices connecting to the Internet every year; this makes digital identity and risk management incredibly important. ForgeRock University offers an online learning program that helps professionals gain the skills required to build and deploy digital identity solutions.
- IBM: IBM’s Skills Gateway allows users to learn about fields spanning from blockchain technology to artificial intelligence (AI) to cloud computing. These skills can foster credibility and trust within employees to handle intricate technical challenges in the midst of the difficult labor market.
2. Refine Your Project Management Skills
For many, remote working is a challenge in itself. Not having everyone in the same location can create difficulties in areas such as project management. Working remotely requires disciplined management skills on a personal level and emphasizes the importance of corralling teams and lots of details to get projects over the finish line successfully.
There are several online management tools at your fingertips that can offer great collaboration opportunities for teams that are working remotely. If your team is looking to learn more on this topic, project management credentials would be useful to look into and incorporate into this digital environment.
3. Set Limits for Work/Life Balance
During this time, it is important for your employees to take time for themselves. Remote working can blur any and all lines between your work life and your personal life if you let it. To prevent this, encourage your team to set aside time during the workday to rejuvenate. Be it meditating, going for a walk, or just reading a book, this will allow them to step away from their computers and take a break.
While working hard and learning new professional skills are great, never forget that your team’s physical and mental health is the #1 priority. Personally, I have seen the benefits of putting the health of my people first; twice a week for 15 minutes, our team meets online for what we call “Credly Mindfulness,” during which we practice stretching, meditation, and breathing exercises. Quick team check-ins like these, which emphasize humanity over work, remind everyone that we’re all in this together, no matter where we are currently located.
These tips and skills are a great starting point for your team as you all acclimate to this new work environment. The opportunities for positive growth and development are endless. Take advantage of this uncertain environment by focusing on yourself and the future that lies ahead. New skills, personal focus, and mindfulness will help us all transition into this “new world of work.”
| Jonathan Finkelstein is the CEO of Credly. A nationally recognized innovator in workforce development and learning, he cofounded HorizonLive (acquired by Blackboard) and LearningTimes and has coauthored numerous articles and reports on digital credentials, employee engagement, and upskilling in the workforce. He also authored the book Learning in Real Time. The son of two New York City public school teachers who inspired lifelong learning, Finkelstein received his AB with honors from Harvard. |
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