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Online help to develop people skills

Stressed and depressed staff can be supported in a way that benefits the entire organisation says Kevin Young, general manager EMEA, SkillSoft

You can't blame anyone in the public sector for feeling down, especially if you are a manager having to implement cuts across a team.

As much as you would like to, it's difficult to be sympathetic to those who complain. Perhaps you've had to fight your corner to maintain the little that remains. And is anyone showing any gratitude? Of course not.

Although, on balance staff may be fortunate to be in work, reductions in spending and a block on recruitment, may also give them reasons to grumble.

But ironically, because of the mood of the times, managers may be less inclined to listen to them.

However, a recent report by MIND estimated that the country loses 70m working days a year due to stress and depression.

Kevin Young

There will always be cases that need professional help. But even relatively low to medium levels of stress can seriously affect productivity with high levels of absenteeism compounding the work and worries for remaining staff.

So how can you address this problem in a way that benefits rather than threatens an organisation?

Even before the cuts, an independent survey commissioned by SkillSoft showed that one third of workers were doing jobs they were not properly trained to do and 80% of UK managers said they were being asked to undertake tasks without receiving appropriate training.

When asked to identify who in their organisation was in most need of ongoing training and development, 76% named their line manager.

Behind these statistics lies a story of staff being promoted beyond their capability and with no support, or employees being asked to double up on jobs even though they may be ill-equipped to do so.

Perhaps it's a case of lack of confidence rather than competence? Many feel it's the "people skills" they lack – how do they delegate, or deliver constructive criticism, for example? But, these are often the very courses that are seen as superfluous.

E-learning is ideal for teaching 'soft skills'

Yet providing this support needn't be costly. E-learning is ideal for teaching these "soft skills" because courses can be completed in privacy and in bite-sized chunks – and without having to take a whole day out of the office. A publishing company currently using e-learning told us that because so many courses were being completed, each one was costing them little more than a round of coffees.

There's no reason why the public sector shouldn't take advantage of these methods too – in fact certain parts of the NHS, such as Greater Glasgow and Clyde already have e-learning firmly embedded in their culture.

Also, e-learning is no longer a passive option – interactive courses, live learning events and social networking tools for collaboration are now being included.

Being able to share relevant knowledge with peers helps employees get involved and feel in control of their learning and ultimately their own careers.

So, there is an alternative to making otherwise talented staff run before they can walk and then watching them become stressed and unhappy as they cease to cope.

Wherever there are different personalities, ambition and intelligence, some stress is unavoidable – but giving employees the knowledge and learning they need to do their job can go a long way to alleviate it.

Kevin Young is general manager EMEA, SkillSoft

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