Identifying a Skills Mismatch at Your Company

Is there something wrong at your company that you just can’t put your finger on? Is your office not running smoothly despite your best efforts? If your staff is struggling to meet company goals, or if there are a higher than average amount of mistakes in your workplace, it’s possible that your workers’ skills aren’t matched well with their responsibilities. Here’s how to fix that:

Review your job descriptions.

When you hired your staff, you probably paid very close attention to their resumes and interview answers to make sure that they aligned with the skills and talents you were looking for. But as time goes by, job descriptions can change. If someone leaves the company, someone else may need to step in and adopt their responsibilities, or entirely new tasks may show up without a clear leader to take them on. So what to do? Sit down and make a list of the jobs in your office. Next, list the responsibilities that are required for the job, along with the responsibilities that may have been added along the way.

Review your workers.

Now, employee by employee, take a look at their skills. You can refer to their resume, or make a list yourself. Are there any skills that would be beneficial to your company that aren’t being put to good use? Thinking of your office as a whole, is there anyone who is struggling? Is anyone bored? Does one person have an unfair amount of tasks to complete in a workday while someone else is sitting at their desk twiddling their thumbs? Try shifting around responsibilities by delegating them to different people and see if that helps your workflow.

Keep reviewing.

Once things fall into place, don’t get complacent. Keep an eye on how your office runs, and be prepared to shift tasks as necessary. Also, keep in mind that as your staff gains or loses members, workflow will change. Be proactive and avoid potential problems by making sure you orient your new staff members thoroughly and assign the tasks of outgoing employees to other people in the office if you aren’t able to hire an immediate replacement.

If you take these steps and have the same issues, keep in mind that understaffing could be the root of your office problems. If you’re looking to hire, contact a recruiting specialist at Contemporary Staffing Solutions for expert help!