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Jan 1, 2023
Brenda Smyth
It’s estimated that there are 750 million Microsoft® Excel® users worldwide. This spreadsheet software is used by big and small organizations and is widely considered a “fundamental digital skill” for employees.
First launched in 1985, the tool has become increasingly popular and complex. But despite its steady popularity for organizing and manipulating data, employees are often left to learn it on their own. Because of this lack of training, many users only tap a fraction of Excel’s capabilities, having learned what they know through trial and error (sometimes a lot of error).
I am one of those fraction-of-its-capabilities users. I don’t work in accounting. I’m not an analyst or a banker, but Excel offers a way for me to stay organized. I track work and deadlines. I track results. (So maybe I am analyzing, after all.) I receive weekly Excel spreadsheets from colleagues with advanced Excel skills and marvel at the trends they reveal.
My daughter, an engineering student, was advised to learn Excel. My spouse who works in publishing often gets spreadsheets from outside clients with vast quantities of data to pour into his company’s apps.
We all use it for different reasons, but it’s a universal program.
Having employees with advanced Excel skills has big day-to-day payoffs. I’m a writer, but for the organization, my writing has a purpose. It’s to drive engagement. If I’m not tracking engagement, how will I know if it’s working? This is the case with all kinds of organizations and all kinds of jobs. Maybe you’ve got a spreadsheet of projects and timelines, inventory, or financial data. Someone who understands Excel can set up the information so it’s easy to manipulate and share with management. Suddenly that makes the information an integral part of decision making and offers solid rationale for the choices you make.
It also helps fill leadership pipelines with workers who know how to better organize and manipulate data — which is becoming increasingly important in all areas of the business world.
Train yourself and your team when you register for Mastering Excel® Functions & Formulas.
Excel is one of the most widely used programs in business today. It’s full of secrets. Training workers on fundamental digital skills is smart business. And it’s a smart way to plan for the future.
Brenda Smyth
Brenda Smyth is supervisor of content creation at SkillPath. Drawing from 20-plus years of business and management experience, her writings have appeared on Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com and Training Industry Magazine.
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