Upskilling talent is an important business priority to stay ahead of competition and to be an attractive employer. Many employers spend lots of money on costly courses. But what if there is a quiet competence development going on in your employees’ private lives? We have found over 120 skills that individuals train at home, free of charge. This article will open your mind to an untapped resource of learning and development.

At FamSmart we have gathered insights from all over the globe during our decades as experts in the field of work life balance in general and family/work in particular. Our belief is as strong as it is true: Family smart workplaces are winners – businesswise and when it comes to talent attraction, retention, and development.

Maybe employers shouldn’t have to send their employees on expensive courses all the time. What if they could be better at taking advantage of the competencies developed through family life? Says Tiina Bruno, mother of three and the CEO of Föräldrasmart AB. She has been a missionary for family smart leadership for over a decade and has been conducting hundreds of seminars and parent gatherings for employers, managers, and employees all over the world.
“We should all be better at using these skills from home, at work” Stefan Hollmark, father of three and Regional Executive Officer for Region Gotland, has been an ambassador for the family smart workplace throughout his career. As the former CEO of Telge Nät, he was a strong proponent of the cause.

To plan, make decisions, sort through conflicts – all those things we face in our daily lives at home. I think we should all be better at using these skills from home, at work – and vice versa.

More than 120 transferable skills developing quietly
During the decades the FamSmart community has grown, we have identified over 120 skills developing in an individuals’ personal life. It could be as a parent, caring for an elderly or sick relatives, even as a pet owner. What we want to point out is: there is constant learning and development going on. And: if we realize this, make room for and use tools to reflect about these skills and how they develop in a structured way, then we make it possible for these learnings to transfer into the working environment.
Transferable skills are the skills that can be used in several areas and in every job, no matter the title or the field. Some are hard skills, like coding or other technical skills, and some are soft skills like communication and relationship building.
Let us have a look on a few of these competencies. Think about each of them and reflect on how you have recently faced any of them yourself. Next step: how do you think you will find them useful back at work? Do they connect to the leadership and self leadership you wish to have yourself and among your managers and employees? And your organization, your customers and owners – could they benefit from these competencies (or others developed in the private space)?

How to get the competencies to work
Now that you have been presented to this perspective of looking at development and learning as something constantly happening, let us move on to how these skills transfer to work. 

First of all we need to sensitize the specific skill. Next, we must reflect on how this skill has been developed. Thereafter, think about how the skill can come in handy at work or in our profession and communicate it to the manager and team. After a parental leave, before reboarding: discuss how the recently trained family skills may add value at work as well, and how to make the best use of it in the current or a new role when going back to work (this is exactly what the FamSmart platform offers). Talk about it continuously at coaching and appraisal sessions with the closest manager.

This may sound obvious and therefore easily done. But taking the time routinely to reflect is not always done, either because the employee doesn’t take the time or see the value in it, or because the employer hasn’t stated it is okey or given any time or tools for the reflection process to become successful.  

As an employer or manager – how can you better reap the benefits from your workforce’s tacit knowledge and quiet upskilling? Think about it. And if you want advice or counselling, feel free to reach out to the FamSmart team!

JENNIE JENSEN – Journalist and writer, part of the FamSmart team. Mother of two. Educated HR Professional. Firm Believer in the FamSmart Workplace and a better working life, for everyone.

Have you ever thought about how your private life learnings can boost your performance at work? Becoming a parent and growing into that role can be of great value for your employer – and your career.

At FamSmart we have gathered insights from all over the globe during our decades as experts in the field of work life balance in general and family/work in particular. Our belief is as strong as it is true: Family smart workplaces are winners – businesswise and when it comes to talent attraction, retention, and development.
– We believe that parenthood and family life in general can be one of your most valuable leadership courses – free of charge, says Tiina Bruno, mother of three and the CEO of FöräldraSmart AB. She has been a missionary for family smart leadership for over a decade and has been conducting hundreds of seminars and parent gatherings for employers, managers, and employees all over the world.

A learning journey of a lifetime

That being said, let’s get back to YOU. During your free time and while you are just living your life in private, you constantly develop – even if you don’t always realize it. We have found that when you become a parent, you are being taken away on a learning journey of a lifetime. Let’s dive into the competencies you will heighten the bar in as a parent!

The competencies trained and upskilled

Here follows some of the competencies you develop in your family life. Think about each of them and reflect on how you have recently faced any of them. Next step: how do you think you will find them useful back at work?

• Prioritization and delegation
• Situational leadership
• Organizational skills and effectiveness
• Empathy and compassion
• Goal orientation and problem solving
• Perspective in life
• Thinking outside the box
• Mindfulness
• Communication and conflict resolution
• Setting boundaries – for others and yourself
• Patience
• Social competence
• Self-esteem

Reflect and communicate your development

To make it possible to reap the benefits from your learning and development in your family life, you can start reflecting on each of the competencies stated (and others not mentioned here). Make it a routine to think about them every now and then and, to make it clear, take notes! Write down examples from when you have trained or learned these skills. You could also pen down how you think these competencies are transferable skills for your profession or job. Once you get back to work, raise the issue with your manager in the reboarding talk. If you are already back at work, take the opportunity in your next performance review with your manager. Put down in words how you have grown these skills and how they may reflect in your work! Why not also ask for a raise, since you have now expanded your knowledge and become a better professional?

JENNIE JENSEN – Journalist and writer, part of the FamSmart team. Mother of two. Educated HR Professional. Firm Believer in the FamSmart Workplace and a better working life, for everyone.