77% of people say they're held back because their skills are underutilized.gettyThere is broad agreement today that it’s tough to find great talent. At the same time, large majorities of people say their skills are untapped, underused and unrealized. This creates challenges for both people and organizations in everything from mental health and engagement to productivity and retention.But it’s possible to ensure that skills are utilized and people are fully engaged and fulfilled.Untapped Skills Matter, A LotThe stats are sobering with broad numbers of people affected. Resume Now‘s survey provides important data that demonstrates the breadth and impact of underutilization.Fully 59% of people say their skills are underutilized including 31% of these who say their skills are rarely or never fully leveraged. And 13% of people feel underchallenged and disengaged all the time. In addition, 77% of people say their careers have stalled because of a lack of of opportunity to use their skills. Wow. Some of the worst messages we can send to people is that we don’t value them, we don’t need their contributions or that they don’t matter. And when we fail to use people’s skills, we’re sending that message loud and clear. MORE FOR YOUSo it’s no wonder that retention suffers. In fact 72% of people say if they continue to feel their skills are underutilized, they will be likely to look for a new job. Interestingly, 67% say they would leave within a year, but 46% would leave in six months and 17% would give their employer only three months to pull them in and leverage their talents. We all have an instinct to matter and people want to contribute with a sense of purpose. Inviting people to the table, including them and valuing their contributions and their skills are critical.How To Overcome Untapped SkillsHere’s how to leverage people’s capabilities and ensure they feel respected and appreciated for what they bring.Align Skills with JobsOne of the first actions you can is to align people’s skills with what they are expected to do in their jobs. Only 29% of people say their skills are aligned with their day-to-day work and only 24% say that what they do best is what they get to do in their role. In addition, 62% say their strengths aren’t central to their work and only 38% are encouraged to use their strengths in meaningful ways.Determine what people are good at and what they love to do. Do this not only by asking them, but by observing their work and providing them with feedback to guide and coach them. Then, as much as possible, provide roles that are aligned with these strengths and skills. It’s usually not possible to align perfectly but provide as much overlap as you can.In addition, consider what you can provide in their current role and what you might be able to offer in adjacent roles or project work. Also consider how you might provide learning and growth opportunities, so they can prepare for what they’ll do next, and also see a path forward to their next role which will expand the use of their skills.Provide Challenging WorkAnother key to engagement and performance is to provide people with challenging work. We crave challenges and are motivated by stretching our skills and doing things that are new. But only 13% find their work extremely challenging and 29% say they are bored because their work lacks challenge. In addition, 28% of people often feel they could be contributing much more than they do currently.The best alternative is to find the Goldilocks amount of challenge. Give people work that fits their skills today and then blend that with work that requires them to apply their skills in new ways, with new thinking or novel approaches. When people are bored, their motivation will decline, but so will their creativity. On the other hand, when you can provide work that keeps people solving problems, using their brains and stretching their skills, you’ll enhance engagement and inspiration for their work. Provide RecognitionPeople want to be appreciated for a job well done. And while this seems obvious, employers aren’t putting it into practice, with 36% of people who say their organization shows little or no recognition of their skills. Pay close attention to the work people are doing and reinforce the ways they are performing well. Say thank you and express gratitude. Also provide the opportunity for people to influence. An important but lessor known way to recognize people is to allow them to shape projects or initiatives, yet only 9% of people say they have this opportunity.And provide both individual and team recognition. Recognize people one-on-one and in front of others. Also be mindful of how people prefer to be appreciated, whether it’s quietly or with more fanfare.Notice and Take ActionOf course, the only way to align work, provide challenges and give recognition is to notice people in the first place. Incredibly, 80% of people say their leaders don’t notice underutilization or they notice and don’t take action. And 11% of people say that leadership doesn’t care.Positive Impact for People and OrganizationsLeaders have a lot on their plates, but by paying attention to what people are doing and what they love to do; and by taking action to design work that is fulfilling, it’s possible to enhance engagement, drive performance and increase positive outcomes. People want to matter and they want to do great work. Providing enough work and assigning work that taps into people’s skills has compellingly positive outcomes for people and for organizations.