6 June 2025
Running a business means juggling a thousand different tasks and wearing many hats. Time is a finite resource for any business owner: especially when you’re overseeing operations, working on sales and marketing, and also planning for your company’s future – it’s more than a full-time job.
Devoting time to training or upskilling your team (and yourself) can fall to the wayside when there’s just so much to do. However, professional development is something business owners should still pay attention to.
According to the 2025 Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum, skill gaps are the biggest barrier to business transformation. 63% of employers identify skill gaps as a major challenge through 2030.
In this blog, we explore three common, but hypothetical scenarios where a person needs to upskill, and how HR can help.
Ariel is an administrative assistant at a mid-sized manufacturing company. She has worked in the business for nearly four years and demonstrates strong organisational and communication skills.
Recently, she’s expressed interest in transitioning to a Human Resources role. The company relies on an outsourced HR firm for ad-hoc work and doesn’t have an internal HR resource. From working with an HR professional from the outsourced company, Ariel has noticed gaps in recruitment and employee relations that she believes she can help address.
Although she doesn’t have formal HR training and only has a basic understanding of HR processes and compliance, Ariel is eager to upskill. Her goal is to go through targeted training or a ‘crash course’ covering essential HR functions like recruitment, onboarding, employee record management, and labour law as it applies to their business.
With this training, which an HR professional can provide to her, Ariel aims to take on responsibilities that are currently handled externally. As someone familiar with the company culture and people, she’s well-positioned to tailor HR efforts to the organisation’s unique needs.
Do you have a team member like Ariel in your business? They might appreciate our free fact sheets that explain different HR documentation, concepts, and legislation updates so they can brush up on their knowledge.
Eric is a Senior Engineer at an engineering firm based in Melbourne. While he’s excellent at technical leadership, he’s found some aspects of managing his team difficult. Effectively managing employee performance, providing constructive feedback, and responding to complex HR issues – like disciplinary actions – have been challenging for him.
This is where HR training can come in.
Effective performance management has an impact on team productivity and morale, and that skill can be taught. A good HR training and education program tailored to Eric’s needs and the company’s industry can also educate him on employment law basics to ensure his decisions align with legal standards and the company’s policies.
Could your managers use a refresher on how to support their team’s growth? Explore how our customised HR Training and Education programs can help managers lead their teams effectively and reduce HR-related risks for companies here.
Oscar owns a retail business that has expanded from 5 to 20 team members in only a couple of years. As the business scales, Oscar has come to the realisation that their HR needs are growing beyond what they had when the business was first set up. With no HR department in place either, he and his second in charge agree that their lack of HR expertise is becoming a bottleneck in managing recruitment, compliance, employee engagement, and retention.
With an eye towards supporting more growth in the coming months, Oscar knows he needs some HR education and knowledge, just like this retailer did that we supported. While he’s looking at hiring an internal HR resource, he’s also keen to get an understanding of employment law and legislation himself.
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Investing in professional development is a must now. Whether it’s to close skill gaps, empower team members in being more effective in their roles, there’s plenty of ways that a dedicated HR partner can help.
Ultimately, making time for professional development is not just about managing day-to-day tasks but about future-proofing your business and unlocking its full potential.
