The current climate has left many businesses feeling a little lost. With some having to let go of valuable staff members to stay afloat, whilst others are seeing less productivity due to motivational blocks, there’s no doubt that the current climate has created some skills gaps.

However, as with any business change, the onus has been on business leaders to change direction and figure out ways to fill those skills gaps.

Deciphering whether you have a skills gap or an unmotivated team

In some cases there is a major skills gap, a lowered budget and a sense of dread amongst business leaders whereby they realise that they physically do not have the people for the job.

However, there is also another kind of skills gap that is emerging during this time, and that is where you do have the talent, but they’re just not working for whatever reason. This may be due to a lack of motivation and overwhelm, or it may be a management issue, however we always recommend that you assess whether you actually do have the skills there, but they’re just not being utilised.

That being said, for most businesses during this time, that genuinely isn’t the case and their issue is much more likely the former – they do not have the skills that their work requires. In these instances it’s time to look at how to close that skills gap – and close it fast.

Here’s how the most innovative and successful business leaders have been doing that in the current climate.

Upskilling the team they already have

One of the most logical ways that businesses have approached closing the skills gap is to train their team. This makes sense – if you have the people without the skills, all you need to do is give them the skills and then you will have a skilled team. Right?

Yes – this is true and as a long term strategy it can work really well. However in the current climate there is one major issue with this method – it doesn’t allow your business to close the skills gaps quickly.

Upskilling your team is a costly and long term affair, that is always recommended as part of a learning and development plan. However, some of the most successful teams are opting for other methods that allow them to get things done quicker and more cost-effectively.

Surveying the current team

If the upskilling method sounds like it might take too long for your liking, you can always survey your team and see what skills you actually have right now. Many managers and business leaders assume they have a skills gap without actually reaching out to see if people have the skills they need.

Remember, many employees won’t necessarily come forward with their skills unless prompted and a survey will mean that they have the opportunity to declare their skills. These kinds of skills tests will also allow people to nominate other employees that they notice have the relevant skills.

All in all, these surveys and skills assessments have been allowing business leaders to look at the talent they have in their teams and better use it to reach business goals.

Outsourcing the team

The final option that most business leaders are looking at during this time is outsourcing the team. Why are they choosing to outsource? Well, there are three main reasons:

It’s quick

Outsourcing your work is the quickest way to close a skills gap instantly. Unlike other methods, when you outsource your team, you get an extension of the current team who are able to hit the ground running and get stuck into any task. No other method of closing down the skills gap works as quickly and as effectively.

It’s cost-effective

The prospect of outsourcing your team is a lot more cost-effective than other methods like making new in-house hires or upskilling the entire team. Working with an outsourced team means that you get the rounded package of talent for a short burst. This works out cheaper and is less commitment than hiring or upskilling employees who might not have the relevant skills or might quit out on you.

You get to work with the best talent

At BorderlessMind, we work with the best talent from across the world, including expert developers, designers and marketing experts. In many cases, you couldn’t gain access to this level of talent if you just looked to your immediate pool in close proximity. This is why so many business leaders are opting to look overseas for the best talent to bring into their organisation on a short term basis.

For more information on the great ways that BorderlessMind can help you with outsourcing work, get in touch for a free trial.