From upskilling to downsizing: How to make the most of time at home

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The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis that has left many people feeling isolated. Many find themselves staying home from work or school, which can lead to feelings of loneliness and depression.

This article is designed to help you cope with the isolation from being at home during a pandemic. It will provide information on how to stay safe, healthy, and happy while staying in your own home for an extended period.

You can do some simple things to feel less stressed out about being cooped up inside with no one else around. For example, this is a valuable opportunity to spend quality time with family members.

You can also use these lockdown periods to take care of chores or home maintenance that might have been put on the backburner.

But these lockdown periods are also a golden opportunity for you to improve your skills, advance your career or prepare yourself for a brand new vocation.

Do you want to upskill? Lockdown periods are a great way to do this. They allow you to take time out of your work schedule for training, study like online TAFE courses in Melbourne or both.

You can choose how much time you need and when it starts and ends. It's an excellent option if you're looking for ways to develop new skills that will help advance your career in the future.

Lockdown periods are a great way to upskill quickly without taking time off work or studying full-time. You'll learn new skills while still maintaining your current commitments - perfect if you're looking for a career change but don't want the stress of starting from scratch.

They are also a golden opportunity to develop the skills required for a new job or career if your position was unfortunately made redundant during this challenging COVID-19 pandemic.

There are numerous courses available online that enable you to upskill quickly during lockdown periods, with the flexibility to continue to work and juggle family commitments.

There have been wrongful perceptions that there is no opportunity for people looking for new jobs or careers during the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, the unemployment rate fell below 5 per cent in July for the first time in a decade.

It means that employers are struggling to find skilled workers across most industries in Australia. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 27 per cent of businesses are reporting difficulty finding qualified staff to fill vacant roles.

In addition, almost 20 per cent of companies do not have enough staff to cover current operations, and nearly a quarter of businesses expect to increase staff numbers in the next three months.

Figures of businesses collapsing are not all doom and gloom, either. Around 67,800 Australian companies fail every year, but 93,500 new companies replace them. This natural churn means there is always an employment opportunity.

By using your time in lockdown to develop your skills, you can fill one of these many job vacancies and enjoy higher salaries and benefits.

Unfortunately, not every business is going to survive the pandemic. Downsizing during lockdown periods can help your company stave off extinction, but there are some tips you should follow before wielding the axe on your workforce.

First, consider whether downsizing will deliver benefits. By reducing your headcount, you will be putting more burden on your existing employees. Selecting the workers that will be let go needs to factor in their roles and experience as well.

Business indicators predict a positive future, so it might be worth considering temporary layoffs or reduced hours. However, most employees would be happy to take a short layoff rather than lose their job completely.

This could also be a valuable time for companies to upskill employees to future proof the business. Instead of laying off workers in a downsize, consider investing in their future and the future of your company by enrolling them in online courses.