The pandemic has radically changed both the labor market and the approaches to organizing the activities of workers. In order to function as successfully as possible in the new conditions, analysts of the Training Industry portal advise companies to pay attention to four trends, which, in their opinion, will determine the course of developments in the HR-sphere.

1. More attention will be paid to the content of highly professional specialists

The abrupt shift to telecommuting has caused confusion among workers, who for the most part are not used to communicating with bosses and colleagues exclusively in the virtual sphere. Also, people have a feeling that the employer does not pay attention to them at all and, moreover, does not notice their efforts. As a result, many organizations have experienced declining levels of employee satisfaction. 

So, this year, companies will pay more and more attention to the maintenance of valuable specialists. And here one of the most effective tools is to create opportunities for promotion based on professional skills. The company needs to identify the various skills that employees have, and then develop an organizational structure that would provide not only career growth, but also growth "horizontally" (in terms of increasing professional competence).

2. Learning and Professional Development (L&D) will have an increasing impact on organizational culture

Companies that develop a culture of content-centricity need to help them develop their skills. In many cases, L&D programs are perceived as a valuable "bonus" that both employees and employers benefit from. But it is important to understand that the value of any course is leveled out if people do not receive obvious confirmation of improvement or development of their knowledge and if, having invested time and effort in completing the program, they do not receive benefits for themselves.

Over the coming months, more and more companies will practice the issuance of digital certificates confirming the successful completion of the training program (both within the company and in other organizations). In addition, in this way the organization demonstrates its interest in the career or professional growth of each employee.

3. Bias towards more diversity in the candidate pool

Managers who are involved in recruiting or promotion tend to rely on a set of predefined characteristics that are believed to indicate the competence of the applicant. In 2020, among the criteria that were used to justify personnel decisions, there were almost always the presence of a higher education and work experience in certain positions, which is why many highly qualified candidates did not even fall into the field of view of recruiters.

It is worth moving away from the traditional methods of selecting the resume of individuals who may be of interest to the company, and making a list of the skills necessary to successfully fulfill a particular role, and then assessing the applicant through the prism of this. Practical experience, combined with appropriate guidance, can indicate a level of competence that is equal to or greater than that of university graduates.

4. Development of a "common language" to eliminate discrepancies in the formulation of L & D-initiatives

In the past year, many organizations have invested heavily in training and retraining their employees. But, as it turned out, it was not easy for managers to identify and verify the competencies that their employees have. The reason for this is very simple: there is no clear understanding of what exactly the term “competence” describes. How, then, can you compare the “competencies” of two employees, let alone map them across all functions?

Therefore, organizations must finally develop a common terminology that would make it possible to clearly articulate the essence of all relevant skills without ambiguity. Only then will workers be able to demonstrate that the level of proficiency in a particular skill meets or perhaps even exceeds the expectations of managers. Accordingly, the company must confirm this by issuing digital certificates to people. Next, you need to set goals for employees and give them the opportunity to decide for themselves which way of performing tasks is rational.