By Jon Grannis and Bob Chonka
With AI-driven change now a staple of the workplace, upskilling has moved from optional perk to business essential for employee performance, confidence and retention. Jon Grannis and Bob Chonka from Sollah Interactive share how fear of being obsolete (FOBO) is shaping employee behavior – and why targeted learning can help bridge the generational divide and retain top talent.
Fear rarely shows up in the workplace as panic. Instead, it might be found in hesitation, in silence or in a resignation letter: less fight, more freeze, or even flight.
Right now, one of the most corrosive forms of fear in organizations is the fear of being obsolete, or ‘FOBO’. The quiet question, ‘Am I still useful here?’ is causing sleepless nights for employees in industries the world over. And for good reason: as AI is ever more embedded into the working landscape, many humans feel left behind, concerned that their skill set will soon become obsolete. It’s a situation reminiscent of when automation was introduced into the manufacturing industry all those centuries ago.
And when a person is grappling with career-related anxiety, how productive can they be?
While tech is part of the FOBO equation, some of this anxiety is also generational. Without overgeneralizing, older employees – who’ve built careers on experience and intuition – may start to doubt their value when the conversation shifts to automation and algorithms. At the same time, with millennials and Gen Z soon comprising the vast majority of the workplace, younger employees may be fluent in digital tools but unsure how to navigate workplace politics or lead with confidence.
The solution to today’s FOBO problem lies in a more nurturing culture that leans into the ‘people skills’ that each employee brings to the marketplace. Soft skills training is key to reaffirming an employee’s value in an increasingly digital world – how they communicate, listen, manage, collaborate with others and show respect. When people receive, through training, the tools to communicate openly, to ask questions without judgment, and to learn without shame, the fear recedes. They support and trust each other, do their jobs better and grow the business together. Once you have strong working relationships in an organization, that’s when knowledge transfer, creativity and innovation all increase in tandem.
It’s human nature to want to be part of something bigger than ourselves, which is why emotions are such an important part of workplace learning. We’ve seen this with our ‘E + I = C’ formula, where emotion plus information equals communication. Emotion immediately puts that adult learner into a feeling of ‘okay, this is familiar. I’ve been here, I’ve done this!’ That feeling alone can be a powerful way to overcome FOBO.
If an employee knows there’s upskilling, coaching and mentoring; that there are colleagues who will step up and stay patient as they learn and grow, it creates a wonderful working environment for everyone – which, in turn, helps the company attract and retain its talent. And through soft skills training, teaching someone how to manage a disagreement, give feedback or simply listen – that’s where the real retention gains happen.
There is a huge connection between upskilling opportunities and employee retention rates in today’s competitive job market. When an organization commits to upskilling, people don’t just stay but also contribute more, perhaps even serving as mentors to others. Employees stop seeing the future as a threat and start seeing it as something they can help shape, thanks to their strong bond with the company.
By contrast, the cost of ignoring FOBO in a workforce versus investing in upskilling could be massive. A typical business bottom line revolves around financials, from sales to customers and clients. But the cost of not upskilling your workforce is simple: you’re going to lose people and have miscommunications, which will lead to issues from customer service and production to internal innovation and retention.
Let’s imagine there’s two organizations: one solely focused on its bottom line, the other investing in its talent. In a meeting in the first, it’s clear the team members don’t trust or understand each other, and some might simply complete their job and leave, causing a great disruption to the organization. A meeting in the second company looks completely different: team members communicate, innovate, are open and honest and support each other. They’re excited about the goals and objectives because they feel like they belong, they have value, they’re heard, and they feel included. That’s a tremendous difference.
The organizations that achieve this do so strategically, starting simply by listening to their people. They take the time to understand where individual employees feel stuck, and then they help them meet those gaps with training and development opportunities that fit the real rhythms of work and how each individual learns best. Rather than long training marathons, today micro-learning is far more effective, with the relevant information delivered close to the moment it’s needed and in bite-sized yet continuous steps.
If there’s one point we’d press upon leadership, it’s this: FOBO is not irrational. In many workplaces, the fear is justified – skills do become outdated and roles evolve with the changing times and industry demands.
But when people feel seen and given a path forward, fear gives way to motivation, and close behind it, success. Once upon a time, this concept was known as ‘job satisfaction’, but it’s only the terminology that’s changed. People are still an organization’s greatest resource, and investing in them and their knowledge remains the most effective way to retain talent – in a landscape increasingly short of human resources – and energize a business towards a sustainable future.
Jon Grannis
