It’s been months since the mandatory work-from-home policies were implemented due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This sudden switch to remote working is becoming more prominent across different verticals and has brought in changes to how the work is performed.
As employees no longer interact with clients, team members and managers in person, they’re now required to rely on their interpersonal skills, be more proactive and display a greater degree of empathy to increase levels of trust.
Team members are relying on various soft skills to virtually collaborate with each other in digitally enabled work environments.
From communicating with clarity to being a team player with active listening skills, from adapting to change and being flexible in the need of the hour to displaying creativity in solving problems, from demonstrating time management skills to leading teams with humility — all of these need soft skills!
These are just some of the skills that are needed to sail through the tough times and most importantly are the #1 priority for organizations when recruiting candidates for current and future roles.
According to data insights from Skill Survey, 77% of employers believe that soft skills are as important as hard skills and 67% of HR managers will hire candidates with strong soft skills even if their hard skills are weak.
Add to it the talent crunch in the labour market and businesses racing to hire and retain the crème de la crème in the market.
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Why are soft skills the new power skills?
As per the Annual Employability Survey 2019 by Aspiring Minds, an alarming 80% of Indian engineering graduates were unfit to be employed.
One of the major reasons for this percentage was that the majority of them lacked sufficient soft skills. It is a shocking fact considering that India has the third-largest higher education system in the world.
Organizations must also focus on providing the required skill training for their employees.
While looking at it on a global scale, 40% of the organizations do not offer soft skill training to their employees. This would lead to a decrease in the making of good leaders who have the ability to take the reins.
Although digitization has consumed a significant number of jobs, there are still some jobs which require ‘human’ skills. Regardless of the industry and the level of management you are in, these skills cannot be mimicked by machines, making soft skills the new power skills.
It is about time we start reframing the term soft skills and start calling them power skills.
It comes as no surprise that today, in the ever-changing business environment, soft skills are valued to a great extent.
The Future of Jobs Report suggests that skills such as creativity, people management, emotional intelligence and critical thinking account for half of the top 10 skills listed in the report.
If organizations start training their employees in soft skills, this bleak scenario can be turned around for a promising future. As an individual, merely enrolling yourself in any soft skill course is not enough.
You must first analyse which of your soft skills require improvement and which are your strengths.
Continuous effort to enhance your skills will help you thrive in your career and become a skilled employee.
Remember, practice makes a person perfect!
Courtesy: India Today
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