Research Finds Upskilling Investments Correlate to Business Performance

Kevin Oakes

New research by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) and the Aspen Institute’s UpSkill America found that while 89% of organizations currently offer development opportunities to frontline workers, and 98% of these indicate plans to maintain or grow these programs, the vast majority of respondents (73%) indicate that they either don’t know how many frontline workers take advantage of development opportunities or that their organizations don’t track that metric. Fifty-nine percent (59%) also do not measure and reward managers for developing these workers. These findings are significant when compared to the study’s most important finding: when frontline workers take advantage of development opportunities, it has a high correlation to the market performance of the organization.

The study, Developing America’s Frontline Workers, included input from leaders at 365 U.S. employers and was conducted in support of the Upskill Initiative announced by President Barack Obama in his January 2015 State of the Union address and later launched at the White House Upskill Summit. The objective is to support businesses in their efforts to educate, train, and develop low-wage and entry-level workers.

“Though nine of 10 respondents reported their organizations offer development opportunities to frontline workers, there must be greater emphasis on accountability and communication to maximize business impact,” said Kevin Oakes, CEO of i4cp, a leading human capital research firm that helps organizations build and sustain high performance. “Due to factors such as weak follow-through and poor communications, an alarming 60% of respondents do not perceive that their organizations place a high priority on developing this worker segment. When frontline workers take advantage of development opportunities, it has a positive impact on the market performance of the organization. The opportunity for positive bottom-line impact through frontline worker development is significant as it impacts those who often work most closely with an organization’s customers.”

“This study provides a barometer of sorts on the reality of how employers are faring with their upskilling efforts and strategies,” said Jaime Fall, Director of UpSkill America at The Aspen Institute, an educational and policy organization. “The study points out the differences in impact between a company that makes significant upskilling investments and hopes for a good outcome, versus a company that has a really strong upskilling culture and is dedicated to seeing a return on its development investment in the form of higher employee retention, stronger customer satisfaction, and better overall market performance.”