Gainwell, a leader in cloud technology in the healthcare field, has a skills-driven, agile organization that requires flexibility. It needs to move people from project to project fairly quickly as it gets new contracts with states or private companies. It wants to improve both recruiting and retention, so better internal mobility and a skills-driven culture is a must. As a result, it needs to know the capabilities of everyone in its workforce.
A Quick Rollout
In early 2022, Gainwell began addressing these talent challenges. The company had 1,250 open roles. “We really need to be able to staff positions quicky as we flex up and down,” says Julie Moore, Principal, Talent & Development. “If we’re working on a project for a state or client and that comes to an end, we need to be ready for the next one. Plus, we have a lot of priority roles, and with the right skills always in short supply, we can’t always fill them from the outside.”
It turned to SkyHive.
Implementing the SkyHive Human Capital Operating System(R) meant learning the skills of the entire Gainwell workforce, and examining the skills needed in each role. From there, Gainwell can see the skills each employee needs to learn to bridge the gap between what they know and what they need to know to progress in their careers.
The launch was in March 2022. Internally, Gainwell called the innovative skills inventory system “G>Force.”
The Skills Profile module was the first feature released, with Gainwell launching a short training to explain to employees what it was: a profile allowing everyone to upload, track, and maintain their skills.
Gainwell’s goal was to have 80 percent of employees complete a skills profile listing at least 10 skills. It marketed G>Force using the company newsletter and intranet. By the end of June, it had hit that 80 percent mark. On average, the 10,600 employees who had completed a profile averaged 22 skills per profile.
Building a profile was the beginning. Gainwell encouraged employees to get the most out of G>Force (as described in this new case study), and In July the company launched the training, career pathing, and mentoring modules. This means employees indicate their desired career path. From there, employees can find mentors, courses, projects, and new internal jobs all based on the skills they want and need to add.
“Our goal is to help us upskill our workforce and solve internal talent issues by creating more opportunities for internal mobility,” Moore says.
Gainwell first held a training session to encourage company leaders to build out their career paths. Then it held and recorded a similar session for the rest of the employee population.
“Rolling out the career-pathing module really helped drive more participation with G>Force,” Moore says. “Employees could see how the tool would benefit them in developing their career. We had a boost in participation after that rollout.”
Mentors, Courses, and Career Paths
By the end of 2022, 83 percent of Gainwell had a skills profile.
When employees complete training, projects, or earn a certification, they update their profiles with the new skills or added proficiency. Moore’s team is encouraging employees to review it quarterly or semi-annually at a minimum.
Now, with G>Force, the 11,000-employee company:
- Has a skills inventory to identify internal employees to fill open positions and promote from within
- Is improving recruiting and retention by providing a culture of growth and opportunity
- Uses employees’ expertise on critical projects; it now knows who has skills in areas such as AWS or Agile
Moore is closely monitoring usage of G>Force. She’d like to eventually see an average of 30 or skills per profile. But she’s pleased with what she’s noticing so far, including dozens of mentoring relationships, and 645 courses completed as part of employees working toward their career paths.
Employees are happy, too. In a recent survey, G>Force scored a strong Net Promoter Score of 39. Said one employee: “The Skill Profile Development is an amazing tool. Whenever I get a chance I go into it, add skills I've developed, and seek more.” Another survey respondent said, “Gainwell University helped improve my skills development and other free online courses thru G>force. It’s a wonderful tool that every employee should use to their advantage.”
To read more about Gainwell’s skills-intelligence initiative, check out this new case study.
