The value of everyday maths in the workplace
Everyday maths, or numeracy, are essential parts to everyday life. However, many adults avoid using maths, including at work, because they are not confident in their skills.
Don’t worry, we’re not talking about Albert Einstein levels of maths, which are not really relevant to most people and jobs; we’re talking about the everyday use of maths, such as adding and subtracting, multiplying and dividing, or telling the time, that we all need to get by.
‘But I have my phone?’, you also be thinking. But having good numeracy skills is about being confident in both numbers and yourself, and so much more.
Here are our top five reasons as to why developing your everyday maths skills are essential!
Problem-solving
Maths skills are essential for identifying and solving problems in all workplaces, no matter if you work in customer service, construction, marketing, or any other sector.
We often need to analyse complex situations, break them down into manageable parts, and apply mathematical reasoning to find solutions. For example, when you have an end goal, usually you will break down the goal into a step-by-step plan to achieve those results.
So even if numbers aren’t involved, the everyday maths principles can help you to effectively problem solve!
Building confidence and advancing your career
Are you looking for that promotion or new opportunity? Improving your numeracy skills can help to build your confidence in the workplace and advance your career.
Numeracy is all about being confident in yourself and with the numbers and data that you can come across in daily life, and our ‘Multiply’ courses are perfect for this, supporting you to excel in your career, improve your confidence, and gain a qualification in maths.
A YouGov poll shows that ‘Less than a quarter of the working-age population (24%) has the numeracy level equivalent to a GSCE pass (Grade 4)’, which puts into perspective just how important courses such as ‘Multiply’ are, if a quarter of the UK population do not have the skills required to pass GCSE maths.
Source: Nationalnumeracy.org.uk
Scheduling and time management
In the workplace, numeracy is an essential tool for time management. You need to know when you start your shift, when you finish, and how to effectively manage the time in your day, including:
- scheduling tasks.
- creating timelines.
- managing workloads.
- allocating resources efficiently.
- meeting project deadlines.
It can seem obvious, but if you don’t know how much time you have to complete tasks, you will find it more difficult to be effective at work and can fall behind.
Accuracy
It’s important to be accurate when performing tasks in the workplace and to avoid making mistakes. Some jobs require this more than others, however, regardless of your role, it is beneficial for you to perform all of your tasks with precision.
Whether you’re in finance, engineering, or healthcare, making accurate calculations is critical to avoid errors and maintain a high quality of work.
Customer Service
When working in a role where you are communicating and interacting with customers or the public, every day maths will often crop up, including:
- adding up bills
- processing orders
- invoicing
- pricing products
Having good numeracy skills is not about being fast with tasks such as the above. Like we said previously, it’s about having the confidence in yourself to take on such responsibilities at work, and perform them to the best of your ability.
Whether you would like to build your confidence with numbers and gain a qualification, or upskill for your current job and climb your career ladder, visit Multiply | Ixion Holdings