Skills utilisation in Scotland: exploring the views of managers and employees
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore empirically manager and employee views on employees’ skills utilisation in organisations in Scotland.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaires to managers and employees, plus three case studies comprising manager interviews and employee focus groups.
Findings
Highly significant differences are found between manager and employee views on: the match of employee skills to their current jobs; the extent of utilisation of employees’ skills; and opportunities for promotion. The main difference in views is on the match of employee skills to their current jobs, with employees opining more than managers that employees’ skills exceed the requirements of their job. Also, for managers and employees alike, the meaning of skills utilisation is obscure despite the language of skills being widely used in organisations.
Research limitations/implications
The scale of the empirical research is possibly limited. There is potential for manager and employee bias. A case study of a private sector organisation is not included.
Practical implications
It is apparent that there is potential to increase employees’ skills utilisation in organisations in Scotland. Managers are challenged with better utilising the skills within their workforces by using these skills to drive improvements in work processes and practices.
Originality/value
Previous commentary and research on skills utilisation mainly centres on policy and employer standpoints. This paper focuses on manager and employee viewpoints on employees’ skills utilisation.
Keywords
Citation
Grant, K., Maxwell, G. and Ogden, S. (2014), "Skills utilisation in Scotland: exploring the views of managers and employees", Employee Relations, Vol. 36 No. 5, pp. 458-479. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-09-2012-0069
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited