On some aspects of assessing the competencies of employees in foreign economic departments

Abstract

Introduction. The conditions of a market economy present modern enterprises with the challenge of achieving the maximum level of profit while maintaining optimal costs in the context of conducting foreign economic activities. However, to attain this goal, enterprise managers are confronted with rather complex tasks aimed at enhancing organizational efficiency. One of the primary factors in this endeavor is the presence of qualified personnel, the proper formation of their structure and composition, as well as maintaining an appropriate level of professional training. Consequently, it follows that one of the key tasks for senior management in enterprises is the development of plans for the competence growth of employees aligned with the directions of their functional responsibilities. This includes ensuring the assessment of the effectiveness of their implementation and the achievement of set objectives. The purpose of the paper is to identify key issues and develop recommendations for the use of the "one-on-one" method to ensure feedback following the assessment of competencies among employees in the foreign economic department. Results. Competencies are fundamental requirements for a specific profession, while competence is an individual characteristic of an individual's professional skills. Thus, it can be said that competence is based on competencies defined by the company according to a specific position. Despite the high efficiency and significance of conducting staff competence assessments, several problems or obstacles may arise during the process, including issues such as insufficient objectivity of assessors, the lack of clear and understandable evaluation criteria, the absence of standardized methods and techniques for assessing employees, inadequate resource provision for assessments, the absence of a feedback and motivation system for employees, leading to their lack of understanding of the necessity of assessments, and more. Based on the conducted research, it was identified that employees of one of the enterprises in Lviv region named the lack of feedback as a key problem. To address this issue, it is recommended to conduct one-on-one meetings following the assessment of competencies among employees in the foreign economic department. Conclusion. The assessment of staff competencies alone will not yield the expected results if there is no feedback between the management conducting or initiating the assessment and the staff whose competencies are being evaluated. Therefore, the recommended "one-on-one" method is currently the most suitable. It allows for a private discussion with the employee about their strengths and weaknesses, ensures the confidentiality of information, enhances the level of trust between the manager and team member, and fosters cohesion within the team.