Member Article

Managers need to do more to address the soft skills gap

It is all about digital or technical skills these days. Job postings ask for everything from proficiency in programming languages to knowing about the latest in digital transformation or collaboration tools. Organisations place a great deal of emphasis on the development of technical skills in the workplace, but many undervalue the importance of developing soft skills. While technical skills are absolutely critical to effective job performance, an organisation needs to look at the bigger picture and ensure all employees, especially those in management and leadership roles, can also exert softer skills. These can include communication, managing conflict and self-confidence.

So what are some of the ways that organisations and management can help employees improve their soft skills?

Hold up a mirror to your employees

It is surprising how many employees lack self-awareness when it comes to how they act in the workplace. One of the most notable times this impacts the workplace is during meetings. We once had an employee who constantly interrupted others, talked out of turn, and disrupted the flow of the meeting. This lack of understanding from one member of the team had a negative impact on the others who found it difficult to share their ideas and fully participate in the meeting. To tackle this, management raised the issue with the employee (who was not aware of his behaviour), provided them with development resources, created an action plan to close the gap, and then established a self-monitoring protocol that let them document and reflect on their behaviour.

Within a short period of time, the employee was more aware of his listening and communication habits and other team members noticed a change during the meetings. At a follow-up feedback session, the employee claimed that attentively listening to his colleagues helped him to learn more as the others had the opportunity to raise their ideas, issues, and information during meetings. This led to greater business performance because the team meetings were much more productive and impactful.

Ask a little a lot

As performance reviews have become more common industry practice, soft skills can be best understood and developed through holding short, frequent 1-on-1 check-ins with a manager, a peer, or a coach. With the pace of change in the workplace, and the growing expectations of employees, the conventional 6-12 month review sessions are not viable as a form of feedback and training.

Encouraging regular feedback and open communication between team members is the best way to foster a new approach to reviews. Many modern employers are promoting short, sharp bursts of regular appraisals to employees, giving them both immediate gratification for a job well done, or allowing them to quickly learn from their mistakes.

Give them the right tools for the job

Digital and mobile technologies have radically altered the learning landscape in the workplace. The always-on and flexibility offered by them has given employees the chance to access training whenever and wherever learning is needed. The benefit of this approach frees up time for managers, as well as giving employees the opportunity to focus on the specific skills they see as being key to their career progression.

As well as giving employees more control over when they learn, the modern e-learning tools give them great control over the what. Having access to thousands of bite size learning interventions, especially ones targeting areas such as self-confidence, give employees the chance to access materials they feel more comfortable doing at their own pace, rather than in the glare of a group.

The importance of soft skills

Having a workforce with strong soft skills is critical for organisations. Effective communication, collaboration and empathy is crucial when organisations can have an array of virtual and diverse stakeholders to work alongside.

If an organisation does not empower its employees with the resources and tools they need to learn and develop these soft skills capabilities, it may find its brand integrity, reputations, and bottom-line is increasingly at risk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tony Glass, GM and VP EMEA at Skillsoft .