Over the last decade, the workplace has experienced tremendous changes due to such attributes as technology and changes in consumer behavior and preferences. As a result, various jobs and hiring requirements have also witnessed a change in terms of both hard and soft skills. Hard skills such as education and technical knowledge have been complemented by soft skills, which have been of great interest for many organizations due to their invaluable contributions to organizations. This is an indication that when a company or organization does not pay great attention to the improvement of soft skills, then it does not optimally obtain the best from its human resources.
“In the most basic terms, soft skills involve a combination of individual and social skills, as well as personal characteristics like attitude at the workplace”, says Joseph Kullberg, a custom essay writer at EssayOnTime. Common soft skills include communication, coping under pressure, problem-solving, time management, emotional intelligence and empathy, ability to adapt to change, openness, flexibility, and growth of mindset among others. In order to clearly understand the significance of soft skills in organizations, it is essential to discuss various hard truths about soft skills.
- Soft Skills Help in Predicting Success at Workplace
It is the objective of any organization to achieve an increase in productivity and profitability. However, this objective cannot be realized without human resources and employees that are performing optimally through utilizing their skills in the organization. Based on this attribute, companies cannot seek to employ an individual who does not possess the appropriate and desired hard skills.
With statistics indicating that about half of all new hires tend to fail within the first two years, there is sufficient proof that those who make it have soft skills in addition to their hard skills. The soft skills are highly considered to be the greatest predictors of success in almost all jobs, whether drilling engineering, nursing, or event coordinating. Due to the significance of soft skills in organizations, it is advisable that they are accurately and reliably assessed by the organization before hiring an individual.
- They are Capable of Being Improved
According to Lauren Hines, a business coach who is also one of the best dissertation writers in the UK, organizations are more interested in soft skills for the growth of their organizations. Just like any other skill that can be thought of, soft skills can always be improved. In this regard, when an individual intends to improve on a particular skill, say communication, at the workplace, they may need to aim at eagerly refining and expanding their scope towards improving in that skill. This attribute makes them learners, who can significantly enhance their skills for better individual and organizational performance.
There is absolutely no limit to what an individual can achieve in terms of the development of their skills. All that is required is to remain focused on what one wants to undertake and work towards achieving that. With significant improvement in soft skills, an employee becomes more competitive in their work and is better placed to get greater employment opportunities such as promotions towards more senior positions. This means that the improvement of soft skills is good for career growth and development.
- They are of Great Importance than Thought
Research evidence has revealed that more than 92 percent of talent professionals perceive soft skills to be of greater importance than hard skills as a consideration during the hiring process. In addition, it has been found that about 80 percent of human resource professionals assert that soft skills tremendously contribute to the success of an organization.
Many venture capitalists and entrepreneurs believe that for an organization to remain competitive in the future in terms of the talent manifested in the employees, there is no shortcut but portray significant soft skills such as creative thinking that helps in solving different organizational problems that are inevitable. In fact, economic forecasts indicate that soft skills would be more required in the coming decade due to the rapid dynamism in today’s economic situations.
- Soft Skills Are Essential in Defining Workplace Roles in Future
Today’s workplace requires proactive individuals who are able to cope with the increased demands of an organization to fulfill the needs and wants of consumers. Organizations are expected to meet the needs of consumers based on their tastes and preferences, which are experiencing tremendous changes. This calls for a need for organizations to adopt the appropriate strategies, which can only be implemented by the employees that possess the appropriate mindset and skills to implement the desired changes.
Critically, fundamental and hard truth is that successful performance of businesses is largely centered on relationships at the core. In this regard, an organization should ensure that it fosters effective relationships between its different stakeholder groups such as employees and consumers.
Regardless of the job title or function, individuals experience success through their interactions with others. It has been found that the individuals who are capable of effectively combining soft skills and hard skills tend to develop environments that ignite and empower a greater performance, which significantly improves consumer satisfaction and fuels sustainable organizational growth.
- Leaders Cite Soft Skills to be Superpowers
Soft skills are an undoubtedly invaluable attribute for an organization. These skills are capable of bringing transformation to an organization in terms of its performance and productivity. They say that “unity is power”, and collaboration is a soft skill that when utilized in an organization, it can revolutionize how an organization operates towards becoming dominant in various attributes such as meeting consumer demands and creating a super brand.
Due to the significance of the soft skills in organizations, leaders and managers are more interested in soft skills because they believe that the skills are critical in contributing to organizational success. Due to this, there is no surprise why human resource managers and professionals seek to identify that new hires portray the powerful characteristics in terms of soft skills.
- Soft Skills are a Basic Requirement for Any Leader
Being a boss is good because one does not need to be told what to do by anyone, especially the employees. Some bosses have the perception that if the employees do not subscribe to their ideas, then they have the liberty to leave. Apparently, one of the primary reasons why employees quit their employment is due to their bosses, who are largely considered to be conservative.
A recent survey indicated that more than 80 percent of employees have a strong belief that the relationship between them and their direct boss significantly affects their job satisfaction. However, it does not mean that a boss should be a buddy to everyone, but there is surely a need for connection with the employees, portraying how valuable the team is, and exercising control over them as appropriate based on situations. Although being a leader or a boss is quite challenging, soft skills are essential in enhancing an individual as a leader, which builds effective relationships with the followers.
- Without Soft Skills, Hard Skills May Be Rendered Irrelevant
This is a hard truth that may sound hard, but it should not be misunderstood. It does not mean that without soft skills, the hard skills possessed by an individual become less important but rather irrelevant. An individual may be smart and possess great technical knowledge in an organization, but those who are able to work effectively in teams, energetic, proactive, and attentive will always thrive.
“In modern business settings, where competition is at a higher level, employees are required to showcase what they can bring to an organization regardless of their hard skills, and this is where the soft skills come into play”, states Gloria Anthony, the author of Essayedge reviews. The individuals with a good mastery of soft skills often perform better in their different tasks, which indicate that the hard skills, though important, are of less relevance for businesses.
The seven hard truths about soft skills offer a great eye-opener in terms of what businesses actually require in the 21st century. It is now clear that soft skills are the most critical attribute that employees need to portray for them to remain employable because they are more competitive. Soft skills are, therefore, critical in contributing to individual and organizational growth, and should be adopted by employees who want to grow in their careers. It should be noted that hard skills are equally important, which implies that individuals who combine both will have an upper hand in the job market.
Michael Gorman is one of the best essay writers online, a highly skilled freelance writer and proofreader from the UK who currently works at one of the best thesis writing service which is https://www.paperwritingpro.com. Being interested in everyday development, he writes various blog posts and discovers new aspects of human existence every day. Feel free to contact him via Facebook or check out his Twitter.
