Change is the only constant, and therefore, learning can never end. New learning, whether in the current job or to perform other roles, is, in fact, essential for the survival and growth of businesses. Any organisation worth its salt must invest in learning.
Upskilling refers to the learning imparted to provide an employee with more advanced skills through additional education and training. Upskilling is focused on boosting performance in the current role. It differs from reskilling, which means teaching new skills for a change in job role.
Job roles are constantly evolving. Evolution is often attributed to new technology, discoveries, and inventions, due to which the way of performing tasks keeps changing over time. An employee can improve performance, successfully adapt to changes in their role, and develop in their career through effective upskilling.
Upskilling is essential in any sector. In the hospitality sector, which is people-centric and service-oriented, it assumes greater significance. Given the personalised nature of hospitality services, the performance of a task also varies with the service recipient. Upskilling in hospitality therefore also revolves around improving communication skills and skills to engage with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures, in addition to learning new technology and adapting to change. Events like the recent pandemic, too, necessitate upskilling. The hospitality sector was the most impacted, so the need for and importance of upskilling was greater. The pandemic upskilling was mostly about enabling employees to operate effectively and safely in COVID and post-COVID environments and adapting to an altered workplace. It revolved around infection control measures like sanitising, social distancing, and contact-free or minimal contact servicing. Remote working or working from home meant more upskilling in the areas of technology, computers, and data literacy. Upskilling was also required for the imparting of training requiring the adoption of a blended method, striking a balance between face-to-face training and that imparted remotely. Pandemic-related upskilling overlapped with the realm of re-skilling, as so much had changed.
Upskilling boosts the morale of employees, motivates them and improves performance and guest satisfaction. Associates feel valued. Upskilling also helps in enriching people and in retaining employees. Reduced attrition rates save recruitment costs and promote continuity, allowing companies more time for brainstorming, research & development, strategising future growth and development, community engagement, and giving back to society at large. Certain hospitality upskilling aids employees in their personal and social lives as well, helping them expand their comfort zones, making them more confident, and equipping them to handle different situations.
The importance and need for upskilling are aptly articulated by Henry Ford in his statement: “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.”
A valuable insight for organisations is provided by Richard Branson, who said: “Train people well enough so they can leave; treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
