RESKILL, UPSKILL & CROSS-SKILL: WHAT SHOULD ORGANIZATIONS AIM FOR？

Reading time: 5 min

As new challenges arise in today’s world, organizations have a big fight on their hands: training their workers to be effective. A well-trained workforce is an organization’s biggest asset in a world that changes fast, sometimes even overnight. Workers who are equipped with the right skills will be better empowered to tackle challenges, and are more likely to feel confident and fulfilled at work, which could increase their loyalty to the organization.

It’s time we discarded the notion that the only way to progress your career is by following a linear path that traces the same route everyone before you has taken. This limits workers and organizations, making it hard to adapt when the world around us changes abruptly. Instead, organizations should be thinking about ways to instill their workers with skills in a variety of ways.

But when it comes to choosing skills, what should organizations be looking at? We’ve got a few options; let’s break them down briefly.

Reskilling:  This involves teaching employees brand-new skills that don’t have much to do with their existing job, but which could lead to career growth and increased flexibility.

Upskilling:  This involves helping employees develop their existing skills, enhancing the quality of their work projects, and making it easier for them to handle challenges.

Cross-skilling:  Here, you train workers on multiple different jobs, allowing them to help each other across roles. This can increase collaboration efforts and enhance teamwork within the organization.

So, which of these should you opt for? Do you want workers who are more flexible and capable of growing into new roles, or workers who are really specialized in their unique area? Do you want team members who can fill in for and help each other out? What’s the best way to future-proof your organization?

The argument for a combination

A lot of people would say a combination of these is most likely to be effective because it results in the greatest diversity and best flexibility. When employees learn new skills, they increase their ability to shape their careers and grow into high-level positions. When they learn how to do each others’ jobs, they can work more effectively as a team and are more likely to have a good appreciation of each other. When they reskill, they can approach situations with more nuance and care, potentially averting problems or successfully capitalizing on opportunities.

A combination may indeed be the best possible outcome in a lot of situations, but it might not be feasible for all organizations. Don’t leap at it straight away! Training staff takes time, energy, and money, so it’s important to bring a practical approach to this and think about what staff are really likely to benefit from.

The answer will be different for every organization, but being aware of these three different types of training and thinking critically about which would be most beneficial in your particular circumstances matters immensely!

The practicality of these skill development strategies

None of these kinds of capability-building programs will be perfect for each situation. For example, it doesn’t make sense to cross-train every worker in every situation, and doing so would probably be very expensive, cumbersome, and impractical. Make sure you’ve considered how often the workers are likely to use their cross-training, what it will cost, and what benefits you’ll reap. Sometimes, the calculation simply won’t make sense.

If you run an organization with several categories of field workers and several groups of researchers, it might make sense to cross-train among field workers and among research workers, but not across the two groups. However, you might choose to reskill some of your field workers so they can aid researchers with some of their basic tasks when there’s an influx of work, or fill in if an employee is off sick.

In another organization, you might find that it absolutely makes sense to spend a couple of days teaching your receptionist how to handle HR tasks or your doctors how to answer the phones. Each time, you’ll need to weigh up the time/cost of training, the importance of the skills to your organization’s operation, and the likelihood of the training being used.

The same kind of calculation can be done for reskilling and upskilling: examine how much employees are likely to use the skills and weigh this up against the development cost. Mix and match skill-building initiatives in ways that make sense for your organization and the situations you find yourselves in.

The employee interest

There’s also a strong argument for paying attention to employee interest when you’re weighing up the pros and cons of these different training strategies! Remember, employee morale is a huge factor.

Employees who feel the organization is investing in them, teaching them useful skills, and expanding their career options are far more likely to both learn effectively and use their skills well. Employees who are disinterested in the skill development and feel that it’s being forced on them aren’t likely to engage, will probably learn minimal amounts, and may end up resenting the organization in general.

The future

We’re not saying you should have a crystal ball, but it makes sense to think in terms of the future when you’re comparing reskilling, upskilling, and cross-skilling. What challenges is your organization likely to be presented with? How could you make sure you’re ready to meet these as effectively as possible?

Smart organizations know to invest in their workforces, making sure they’re equipped with the tools they need to meet difficulties. Doing this enhances morale as well as improving their abilities, so it’s absolutely key. Research in 2023 demonstrated that as many as 92% of workers  consider training a fundamental element when choosing employers, and 86% would remain with their employer for longer if they were offered learning and development opportunities. That’s not insignificant by any means, and when you bear in mind that replacing staff costs money and causes disruption, it’s clear that putting money into strategic workforce planning has some major advantages!

Time to get hands-on!

In today’s fast-changing, tech-driven world, trainers and HR professionals must design dynamic training plans that blend reskilling, upskilling, and cross-skilling to help employees stay agile and future-ready. A well-designed training plan that integrates these strategies will empower employees, boost engagement, and ensure long-term success for organizations.