The COVID-19 pandemic is lasting longer than much of the world thought possible, and it has had an undeniable effect on the world of business. Though remote work had already been an emerging trend in many different industries, the pandemic has made sure that it is here to stay — along with accelerating many companies’ existing plans for digitalization. While these changes are positive in orienting us towards the future, they also come with sharper learning curves, higher demand for new digital and technological skills, and other changes that are difficult to predict.
“Though rapid rates of change in business may seem intimidating, HR professionals and managers can take the lead by making regular digital upskilling the norm.”
Encompassing all of these risks is that without the right preparation, some companies will fall behind; on a more granular level, individual employees might as well. Though rapid rates of change in business may seem intimidating, HR professionals and managers can take the lead by making regular digital upskilling the norm. Because remote work has opened the door to hiring talent from all over the world and making multilingual and multicultural teams more commonplace, language learning through services like Babbel for Business are a great place to start.
Why digital fluency is so important for upskilling
According to research from Accenture, digital fluency is a skillset which can predict and explain 54% of employees’ agility and ability to thrive between different industries. In the post-COVID world, reskilling and digital upskilling will be crucial to keeping up with industry-level changes — but an additional challenge is that the way we learn is shifting from face-to-face to online learning. Though this can be a challenging meta-skill to learn in itself, Babbel for Business is a perfect onramp.
Babbel for Business offers programs in several different intensities, all three of them include an e-learning platform with support for 14 different languages. While Babbel Professional emphasizes individual learning and is all in-app, Babbel Intensive offers blended learning. Every tier comes with an intuitive interface and support for mobile, tablet, and desktop. Because Babbel’s products are easy to use, they can teach digital proficiency in addition to being an effective and remotely accessible language learning tool.
“Because Babbel’s products are easy to use, they can teach digital proficiency in addition to being an effective and remotely accessible language learning tool.”
Turning skill gaps into opportunities through language learning and upskilling
Though the prospect of identifying skill gaps and filling them with digital upskilling can seem daunting, it helps to look at them in terms of potential upside. According to research from the World Economic Forum, those who stand to benefit the most from digital upskilling are not necessarily the established titans of yesterday — instead, economies where skill gaps are greatest, such as China and India, could see the largest future gains in terms of GDP. Though their analysis looks at data nationally and internationally, the same logic holds true for companies within different industries.
Because we now live in an age of almost constant disruption and increasing connectivity between nations and cultures, smaller companies that value individual talent and are forward-thinking have an edge. When looking at how to not just survive but thrive in post-pandemic times, competitive companies should embrace digital upskilling as a mainstay of company policy to transform their teams internally first rather than seeking new talent from the outside. To do that most effectively by leveraging an international talent pool, language learning will be essential.
Preparing for a bright future with Babbel for Business
Though no one can tell what the future holds exactly, the pandemic has given us time to reflect — and has revealed which patterns and trends are truly here to stay. With the inevitable push towards digitalization in full swing, digital upskilling is becoming more and more essential, and language learning skills aren’t far behind. By using Babbel for Business, companies can tick both boxes and position themselves for a prosperous tomorrow no matter which way the wind ends up blowing.
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