Digital skills in the workplace - from the employees' and supervisors' perspective

Abstract

For a long time digital skills, due to their relational and relative nature, have been a challenge for researchers trying to create a framework catalogue of these competences. As technology develops and the working environment changes, this task is becoming increasingly difficult and the gradation of digital skills is getting less and less clear. Employers and managers have similar doubts: What does it mean that an employee has digital skills? How can you assess their level? How can you check whether an employee's digital skills will help them fulfil their tasks? Since the pandemic, emphasis has been put on the importance of the digital competences of employees, with many companies adapting the way they operate to the new conditions (remote work, hybrid work). Despite many existing compilations it is difficult to find a unified method of assessing digital skills in modern workplaces. In this article the author presents the results of research on digital skills of employees of a financial company. The DigComp model was applied as the technical basis of the research, which allowed for a diagnosis of digital skills in specific areas (qualitative research). The other part of the research compares employees' claims with their supervisor's description of their digital skills (qualitative research) on the operational level - in a professional environment. The research showed discrepancies in the perception of employees' digital skills related to cybersecurity, the use of digital tools for streamlining work processes, as well as keeping a work-life balance.