What are Skills Audits and should you consider conducting them in your Business?

Some employees may have skills that would be useful in your workplace but are not using them every day as their role does not demand it. A skills audit is a way to discover these skills and make sure that employees are reaching their full potential and adding value to your business.

These skills audits can be carried out through assessment methods such as a questionnaire or an individual interview. Employees must be made aware of the purpose of these interviews so they can be open and honest about their skills and areas for improvement. You could also ask a line manager to conduct a skills audit if you think that your employee may not give an accurate description of their skills.

The results of the skills audit will inform you of any skills that your employee may have that you could utilise. If this means that you will be giving your employee new responsibilities, ensure that you sit them down to communicate this with them.

These audits can also be used to discover where employees could use more training to improve certain skills, or address any skill gaps that may have been highlighted by the audit. A skills audit will help you to feel confident that any training you provide is relevant and necessary.