This guide offers advice on assessing skills, including carrying out skills gap audits, planning skills development and deploying and redeploying staff to ensure that employees are working to the best of their ability and delivering productively to meet business outcomes.
When a person’s skills are well matched to their role, it shines through in greater job satisfaction and productivity. But when there is a skills mismatch – either because someone lacks some of the key skills needed to perform their job effectively, or because they could cope with more demanding duties – it’s bad news for the individual and the employer. Skills mismatches often manifest in trust issues, lower job satisfaction, lower productivity, lower confidence and higher stress.
This is a particular problem in the UK where CIPD research shows 45% of UK employees feel their skills are under-utilised in their current roles, resulting in disengagement and suboptimal business outcomes. So, it's no surprise that the CIPD's Learning at work report shows that addressing skills gaps is a top priority for learning and development professionals.
This guide and tools will help HR practitioners ensure that their organisation can gain a competitive edge by developing and deploying skills more effectively.
 |
This content is exclusive to CIPD members Log in below to gain access to essential resources and practical advice |
Affiliate membership offers instant access to CIPD resources without the need for assessments or study, or explore your options to become a professional member of the CIPD to demonstrate your commitment to the world of work.
Already a member? Login here.
Make sure your people team has the skills it needs to unlock your organisation’s potential.
Explore other CIPD resources on essential skills and skills development.
Use these tools to build L&D's influence and impact, by strategically aligning skills and capability planning with wider organisational performance and outcomes.
30 يونيو, 2026
As the world of work continues to change at pace, organisations are having to respond to shifting business priorities, talent shortages and rapid changes in the skills they need. Is now the time to rethink traditional job-based structures and take a more skills-based approach to work?
Practical information for embedding climate action and environmental sustainability across an organisation
Practical guidance to educate your workforce and open up the culture to talk about suicide
Practical guidance to help managers respond to suicide risk and promote good mental health
Practical guidance to help employers create a carer-friendly workplace
