Soft skills are back!
Soft skills are hard currency in today’s tussle for talent. Three ways employers can respond.
Soft skills are back! After the Great Resignation and as the Great Adjustment continues, we’re all working out what skills are needed at work today. And soft skills, it seems, have become hard currency.
A flurry of recent articles have reminded us about soft skills. CNBC informed us that 93% of employers want to see soft skills on resumes, with communication topping the list. Forbes told us that these kinds of skills create healthy workplaces. All the more important if we follow Malcolm Gladwell’s encouragement to get back into the office and find our sense of belonging.
It’s not just the pandemic, Great Resignation and rise of virtual working driving this trend. The BBC observes that the growing use of advanced technology and automation is putting more emphasis on how we work, not just what we do. Employers don’t just need workers who can deal with the change and uncertainty of the modern workplace; they need people who can thrive in it.
And if all this wasn’t obvious enough to business leaders, Fast Company recounts that employees themselves are starting to demand an investment in soft skills to create the kind of future managers and leaders we’d all like in this new helter-skelter world we now live in.
However. More training isn’t going to cut it, so how can businesses step up their soft skills game? Consider three strategies as a start.
Prioritise foundational skills for flexible workforces
Firstly, invest in foundational skills that can be applied all over the place. Business writing is a great example – being able to write clear, compelling and concise content is critical to so many business scenarios. Marketing blogs, commercial proposals, business cases, customer emails and innovation schemes all require it. I didn’t start Storyboardr to create brilliant writers, but because business writing gets results. For employees, soft skills can also give them competitive advantage in today’s melting pot of career progression.
Give employees control of their own development
Secondly, choose an approach which blends training with coaching to help employees learn new skills and then put them into practice with support. Traditional training programmes may not cut it – instead, people need access to ongoing support as they apply new skills, reflect on the experience and learn what works in practice. A company-wide coaching programme – long-considered the preserve of high-flying executives – could be the secret ingredient in your recipe for more fulfilled and engaged employees.
Build healthy workforces through self-awareness and purpose
Finally, focus on the whole employee. Many of the articles cited above highlight the importance of soft skills in creating healthy workforces, equipping people with skills to navigate uncertainty and thrive in the modern workplace. And the fact that soft skills are often just as valuable outside of work is not just a happy side-effect. Initiatives like HUM4NS and the widely used Insights Discovery tool equip employees to reach their potential.
If you need to build a next-generation soft skills programme, please get in touch.