What skills do my staff have outside their core area of expertise? And how are these skills utilised in other projects? The participants discussed these issues at the latest TaxTech meeting on 23 June 2021.
Philip Hellmig developed a skills sheet. This is designed to enable his staff to list their skills and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 indicating that they have mastered the skill well.
Kai Schwenker responds: „The problem with this assessment is the contrast between one’s self-perception and how others perceive you. Many staff members underestimate themselves.“
The participants agreed that staff demographics play an additional role in how they assess themselves. One solution would be to have someone – ideally in HR – who measures this objectively.
Bastian Klasvogt has another criticism: „With 100 staff, I need a spreadsheet like this; with 10 staff, I don’t need anything like that.“ In a small business, everyone’s details are clear. Spreadsheets of this sort could mean a lot of administrative work for the company.
However, this is an issue with remote working, as it provides an opportunity to get to know colleagues.
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Staff in new roles
Assessing skills brings about many improvements and greater transparency within the organisation. It is often the case that employees have previously worked in a different sector and therefore bring expertise from a different field with them. Unless they are asked, they often do not mention this.
Here is a real-life example: an app developer had gained a great deal of knowledge about web development through previous jobs. A tool like this can help to assess a candidate’s skills straight after they’ve been hired.
„What’s more, staff who are looking for a challenge can snap up these tasks,“ says Philip Hellmig.
At hsp, staff are given 30 minutes each day to undertake further training.
Benjamin Panke agrees. A budget for staff development is an excellent idea.
Ultimately, it becomes clear that a skills profile of this kind provides an overview and enables staff to know who knows what.
Planning Poker for estimating tasks
The next topic Paul Liese brings up is (Planning) Scrum Poker. It is a tool that enables staff to assign points to tasks and thereby highlight the most complex ideas.
The participants agree: there must be a Product Owner / Scrum Manager who allocates points, establishes structures and updates the lists. To this end, they must explain the processes to the Scrum participants, should this be necessary.
A questionnaire that focuses on operational aspects rather than satisfaction yields impressive results. This was the case at Sebastian Klasvogt’s WIADOK KG. Furthermore, this encourages perspectives other than those of the managing director.
Skills that are suited to the market
Towards the end of the session, the discussion turns to the question of how to identify the skills required within the company. This often depends on the company’s development and on the market.
„But what if the market changes and a post has to be made redundant?“ asks Martin Lostak.
New areas of expertise are being identified. Staff are developing their skills and gaining knowledge in more than just one area.
The TaxTech roundtable concludes with the following words: „When you draw on knowledge from other specialist fields, you can develop within your own area because you view your work from a different perspective.“
The next TaxTech session will take place on 7 July 2021 at 5.00 pm.
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