Employee Competency Assessment: The Key to Business Success

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Employees are one of the most valuable resources in any organization. Their intellectual abilities, skills, and experience help businesses grow and thrive. However, determining whether an employee meets not only today’s labor market demands but can also support the company’s future needs is a significant challenge. Competency assessment is a tool that allows employers to better understand their employees’ potential and make informed decisions about the company’s future.

Competency: What Makes It So Special?

Competency is the ability to overcome challenging situations. It’s a set of characteristics that enable employees to successfully fulfill their duties—even in scenarios where neither the employee nor their manager can articulate why a specific course of action is necessary. A competent employee can analyze a situation and devise an innovative solution, even where none has existed before.

The world around us is changing rapidly, and knowledge becomes outdated. There’s a growing need to acquire new skills. Employees must adapt their habits and behaviors to meet evolving job requirements. Competencies are reflected in actions—they predict work outcomes and provide insights into an organization’s ability to achieve its goals. Employee competencies are what ensure a company’s competitiveness.

Yet, competencies are a complex concept. While employees are expected to use them at work, managers often struggle to define what they are. An employee won’t trust in something that their manager cannot confidently explain. When greater clarity in competency management is needed, it’s advisable to seek expert assistance.

Why Is It Useful to Assess Competencies?

Competency assessment helps determine whether employees possess the desired competencies at the required level for the organization. Depending on business needs, these assessments can be conducted regularly or at specific times, such as during the hiring process, after a long absence, or when starting new job responsibilities. By evaluating competencies, organizations gain valuable information to use in various HR processes:

• Selecting the most suitable candidates for a specific role or position;
• Evaluating current employees’ ability to achieve set goals;
• Identifying training needs for existing employees;
• Planning employees’ long-term careers;
• Improving employee motivation systems.

Various methods are used for competency assessment, including competency interviews, observations, evaluation tests, and self-assessment questionnaires. Typically, competency assessments align with the development of a competency model tailored to the organization’s needs. This model serves as a guide for defining competency requirements and integrating them into HR management. A well-designed competency model provides employees with clarity about the criteria used in their evaluations and helps managers forecast the company’s future, enabling more effective resource planning and development.

Often, competency assessment is only the first step in the competency management process. Once assessment results reveal the state of employee competencies within the organization, planning for competency improvement and development becomes crucial.

The Ability to Learn: A Competency in Itself

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Competency education surrounds us. It’s implemented in schools, universities, and workplaces. In fact, it’s the most natural way of learning—helping individuals acquire new knowledge and refine their skills. Competency development makes employees more productive today and better equipped to tackle challenges in the future.

However, competency development requires a certain level of responsibility from employees participating in the process. The initiative in modern learning has shifted from the instructor to the learner. Participants are now responsible for their learning outcomes, seeking opportunities for growth, and evaluating the training they receive. The instructor’s role is to support participants, making learning more effective and helping them acquire job-relevant competencies.

If your employees need support navigating the vast array of training options, we’re here to help. Whether it’s learning tools and technologies, preparing for professional certifications, qualification courses, in-person or remote training, instructor-led or e-learning formats—we’ll find the right solution to enhance your workforce’s competencies and drive your company’s overall growth.

At BDA we are experts in competency assessment and management, with over 10 years of experience in the field. Competency assessment is essential and invaluable for every organization. Take care of your employees’ well-being and development by involving industry professionals in evaluating their knowledge and skills!