Managing the Skills Section of the Performance Module

Available for plans: Growth, Performance Module add on

Performance management is a pivotal aspect of any organization's human resource strategy. In an era where skills are the currency of the workforce, effectively managing and updating them is crucial. Our Performance Module offers a comprehensive and sophisticated approach to skill management. As a Performance Admin or HR Manager, you have access to three major tabs within the Skills section, each designed to streamline and optimize the skill management process.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Setting Up Skills: Navigating & Exploring the Settings Tab
  • Features in the Settings Tab
• Skill Matrix
  • Generating the Skill Matrix Report
  • Understanding the Skill Matrix Report
  • Downloading the Report
  • Bulk Skill Assignments
• Skill Update Requests
  • Pending Skills Requests:
  • Skill Updates History 
• Skills Repository
  • Adding Skills Individually
  • Adding Skills in Bulk
  • New feature: Bulk upload of skills was released on 21 Nov 2023
  • Organizing Skills in Categories 

Skill Matrix: Helps in Strategic Workforce Planning

The Skill Matrix is an essential instrument for HR leaders and managers, serving as a strategic planning tool that aligns workforce capabilities with organizational needs. With this feature, you can effortlessly visualize the distribution of skills across the company, identify gaps in competencies, and design targeted development programs. The ability to import skill data in bulk via Excel streamlines the process of maintaining an up-to-date and accurate skills inventory.

Skill Update Requests: Developing a Culture of Continuous Improvement

The Skill Update Requests tab is vital for maintaining a dynamic and evolving skills database. By enabling employees to self-report their skill advancements, this feature promotes a culture of continuous professional development. The dual view of pending requests and historical updates provides transparency and accountability, ensuring that employee records reflect current capabilities and readiness for new challenges.

Skill Repository: Centralizing Talent Intelligence

At the heart of Keka HR's skill management functionality lies the Skill Repository, a centralized database that acts as the single source of truth for all skill-related information. This repository is critical for HR professionals to manage the entire spectrum of skills within the organization effectively. It supports strategic HR initiatives such as succession planning, talent acquisition, and learning and development by providing instant access to a comprehensive landscape of employee skills.

Setting Up Skills: Navigating & Exploring the Settings Tab

As a Performance Admin or HR Manager on Keka HR's platform, setting up and managing skills effectively is a crucial part of your role. The process begins with the Settings tab within the Skills section. Here's how to navigate to this tab and what to expect:

To access the Skills Settings, Navigate to the Performance (1) section, then open the Skills (2) tab and click on Settings (3).

Features in the Settings Tab

Enable/Disable Skills: The first option you encounter is to enable or disable skills. This is a crucial step, as it determines whether the skills functionality will be active within your organization's performance module.

Rating Requirement Option: Upon enabling skills, you'll be prompted to decide if rating is required for the skills. This feature is essential for assessing the proficiency levels of employees in various skills. If you haven't set up rating scales before, this is where you can do it by selecting "click here"

Setting Up Rating Scales: You can choose from a 3-scale rating to a 10-scale rating. This flexibility allows you to customize the rating system to fit the complexity and diversity of skills in your organization.

Naming and Describing Ratings: After selecting the scale, you can name each rating label and provide a description. For instance, you might label a beginner level and provide appropriate description for the level. These labels and descriptions help in clearly defining each proficiency level. Once you have labeled all the ratings and added descriptions, click on the 'Add' button to save your customized rating scales. This action solidifies your rating framework within the system.

Approval Chain for Skill Updates: Below the rating scale options, you will find a setting related to the approval process for skill updates. When this option is checked, it indicates that any skill update made by an employee will require approval. This feature is crucial for maintaining accuracy and oversight in the skill management process.

By setting up the skills feature through the Settings tab, you lay the groundwork for a structured and efficient skill management system within your organization. This setup ensures that skill-related data is not only accurately captured but also reflects the true competencies of your workforce, ultimately aiding in better performance management and development planning.

Skill Matrix

To access the Skill Matrix in Keka, first navigate to the Performance(1) section of your Keka dashboard select the Skills(2) tab. Click on Skill Matrix(3).

Generating the Skill Matrix Report

The primary step in creating a Skill Matrix report is to select the 'Department' and 'Skills' you wish to analyze. This will form the core of your report, enabling you to see the distribution and proficiency levels of skills within chosen departments. For more tailored reports, Keka HR allows you to use additional filters. Although these are optional, applying them can give you a more focused view. These filters can include 'Skill Groups,' 'Skill Ratings.'

• Choose a Department(1) and specific Skills(2) for which you want to review employee competencies.
• Run(3) the report to view the current standings of each employee concerning the selected skills.

Understanding the Skill Matrix Report

The Skill Matrix report provides a detailed breakdown of each employee’s skill ratings, including:

• Employee: Name of the staff member.
• Reporting Manager: The supervisor responsible for the employee.
• Department/Sub Department: The division and sub-division where the employee works.
• Location: The geographical or departmental location of the employee.
• Skill Ratings: Proficiency levels for selected skills, such as HTML, C++ , etc

This report serves as a dashboard reflecting the skill levels across different parameters, helping managers make informed decisions about training needs and project assignments

Downloading the Report

For documentation or further analysis, you have the option to download the report. This can be used for:

• Talent development discussions.
• Identifying skill gaps for recruitment or training.
• Supporting performance reviews and succession planning.

Bulk Skill Assignments

In addition to individual skill assessments, Keka allows you to assign or update skills for employees in bulk, which streamlines the process, particularly for large organizations. Here’s how:

• Use the Import Employee Skill Assignment feature.
• Download the Excel template provided by Keka.
• Fill in the necessary skill assignments for each employee.
• Upload the completed template to update your Skill Matrix in bulk.

Download the Excel template. In this template, fill in the Employee Number (mandatory) skill group (mandatory)skill (Mandatory). 

Save your changes and Upload Excel file back into the system. 

After uploading the Excel file, proceed to match the columns in the subsequent section. In the 'Preview Data' step, carefully review to ensure that all information is displayed correctly. Once satisfied with the accuracy, click on Complete to finalize the process.

Skill Update Requests

To access Skill Update Requests, follow these simple steps Navigate to the Performance (1) section in your Keka HR dashboard Click on the Skills (2) tab & select Skill Update Requests (3).

The Skill Update Requests page is divided into two main sections, each designed to give you a comprehensive view of skill updates within your organization:

Pending Skills Requests:

This section lists all skill update requests that are currently awaiting your approval. As an HR manager or team leader, you have the authority to review these requests and decide whether to approve or reject them. You can approve or reject them from the Actions section.

You can filter requests by department and location, allowing you to manage requests more efficiently based on specific team needs or geographic considerations.

Skill Updates History 

Here, you'll find a log of all the skill update requests that have been made in the past. This historical record is vital for tracking skill development trends and making strategic decisions regarding training and development.

Key aspects of the Skill Updates History section include:

• Comprehensive Records: Access a complete history of skill updates, providing insights into how skills have evolved over time within your organization.
• Filtering Capability: Similar to the Pending Skills Requests section, you can filter the history by department and location for a more targeted review.

Skills Repository

The Skills Repository is a centralized area designed for management of your organization's skills. It allows HR professionals or Performance admins to view, add, and organize skills with precision, ensuring that the repository reflects the diverse competencies present across the company.

Adding Skills Individually

To do this click on the Performance(1) tab on the left navigation menu, then click on Skills (2) after which you will see  Repository (3)  please click on it.

In the Skills Repository, you’ll find the Add Skill button.

On the Add a New Skill to the Repository, you can enter the skill name and provide an optional description for the skill. After filling in the details, Save the entry, and the skill will be added to your organization’s skill repository.

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3. Adding Skills in Bulk

4. New feature:  Bulk upload of skills was released on 21 Nov 2023

5. To do this click on the Performance(1) tab on the left navigation menu, then click on Skills (2) after which you will see Skills Repository (3)  please click on it.
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In the Skills Repository page, you’ll find an Import button.

Download the Excel template.  

In this template, fill in the skill name (mandatory) and description (optional). Save your changes and upload the file back into the system.

Save your changes and Upload the excel file back into the system.

Key Points to remember :
Ensure each skill name is unique to avoid duplication errors.
The skill name is required for each entry, while the description is optional.

After uploading the Excel file, proceed to match the columns in the subsequent section. In the 'Preview Data' step, carefully review to ensure that all information is displayed correctly. Once satisfied with the accuracy, click on Complete to finalize the process.

Organizing Skills in Categories 

The Skills Repository offers the capability to organize skills in categories, making it easier to manage and assign them to relevant groups of employees:

To do this click on the Performance(1) tab on the left navigation menu, then click on Skills (2) after which you will see  Repository (3)  please click on it.

To create a category, click on the ‘Add Category’ button and define the category's name and description.

After you have created a skill category, you can easily add skills to this category. Simply click on the "click here" link within the category row to open the skill management window, where you can add skills or manage existing ones for the category.

By utilizing the Skills Repository tab effectively, you can ensure that your organization's skill database is comprehensive and up-to-date. Whether you are adding skills individually or in bulk, these processes are designed to be user-friendly and efficient, catering to the diverse needs of your organization’s skill management strategy.

In conclusion, Keka HR's Performance Module equips HR professionals and Performance Admins with a robust and user-friendly platform for managing the ever-evolving skill sets within their organization. The module's comprehensive tools, such as the Skill Matrix, Skill Update Requests, and the Skills Repository, provide an integrated approach to visualizing, analyzing, and updating employee skills. These features enable strategic workforce planning, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and centralize talent intelligence, thereby supporting key HR initiatives like succession planning, talent acquisition, and learning and development.

By accurately capturing skill-related data and reflecting the true competencies of the workforce, the Performance Module aids in effective performance management and targeted development planning. This, in turn, can significantly contribute to aligning individual growth with organizational goals, ensuring a skilled, competent workforce ready to meet the challenges of the future.