Upskilling and Reskilling for the Digital Workplace

Excerpted from The SHRM Blog by Jessica Miller-Merrell

Even before 2020 forced us all into working from our kitchens, home offices, or bedrooms, the world was very much on its way towards removing the necessity for conventional workspaces. Today, younger generations have grown up with lectures and lessons online, while YouTube has also risen to become a better teacher – and imparter of skills – than school ever could.

Readying Yourself For The Digital Workplace

For the digital generation, whose lives almost exclusively exist on the web, the thought of working from home is far less daunting than it perhaps is for older generations. But in 2020, people of all ages are having to familiarize themselves with the digital workplace.

Jobs with a digital or tech-related component are surging, putting those without the requisite skills at an immediate disadvantage. Over the summer months, demand spiked by 36 percent for roles advertised in the digital tech sector, as hospitality, retail, and travel all began to suffer losses.

Utilize Free Tools

Thankfully, for workers of all ages, there has never been a better time to enter the digital workplace. The free, democratic nature of YouTube and e-libraries allow people to learn a raft of new skills relating to this world. Coding, for instance, has hundreds of explainer videos on YouTube.

Digitalization has even infiltrated the recruitment process, with LinkedIn coming to dominate the employment landscape. Every 60 seconds in 2020, LinkedIn users apply for 69,444 jobs through the social media platform. Naturally, with so many people using such sites, competition is fierce. And yet, adding an array of new digital skills to your CV could put you right at the front of the queue.
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