The Soft Skills Gap: Why It Matters and What You Can Do
Soft skills are defined by Indeed as “interpersonal and behavioral skills that help you work well with other people and develop your career.” These skills are referenced as distinct from “hard” technical skills, which Indeed defines as “abilities [acquired] through education, training, and experience that often pertain directly to a specific job or industry.” Soft skills include attributes such as:
In a recent Indeed survey of 1,000 hiring managers, respondents stated that the most important soft skills of high performers at their companies were:
While the importance of soft skills is often overlooked by many organizations, these are incredibly valuable skills for employees to possess, as they allow for effective communication and collaboration, which in turn increase efficiency and productivity. Research from the Stanford Research Center, the Carnegie Foundation, and Harvard University has found that 85% of job success comes from well-developed soft skills, and just 15% of job success is a result of hard skills. In fact, 89% of recruiters stated that when a hire doesn’t work out, the cause is usually a lack of soft skills.
Soft Skills: A Growing Need
According to recent research, leading soft skills are requested four times more than leading hard skills in employer job postings. More than 29 million job postings (36% of the job postings analyzed) required at least three soft skills. And more than half of all job postings analyzed sought applicants with leadership and communication skills.
Additionally, a poll from Morning Consult found that 65% of employers cited soft skills as the most in-demand skills, and of these soft skills, the employers polled said the ones they looked for most are:
Unfortunately, almost 75% of employers say they have a hard time finding candidates with the soft skills their companies need. Additionally, the Wall Street Journal found that 92% of almost 900 executives surveyed said soft skills were just as important, or even more important, than technical skills, yet 89% said they experience a “very or somewhat difficult” time finding employees with these soft skills.
A McKinsey study found the top three areas of missing soft skills were:
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In order to ensure that team members and employees have the soft skills needed to thrive and increase organizational efficiency and productivity, business leaders and executives should look at two effective methods of upskilling for these skills, both of which are timelier than ever: eLearning and virtual training.
eLearning for Soft Skills Training
eLearning, which incorporates digital media to more efficiently transfer knowledge to learners, tends to take 40% to 60% less employee time than learning in a traditional classroom setting, and every dollar spent on eLearning results in a $30 increase in productivity. eLearning can help to not only convey technical information to employees, but it can also be used to effectively teach the soft skills needed by workers through a combination of eLearning videos, quizzes, assessments, and other interactive methods. eLearning is especially useful for organizations with geographically dispersed workforces, as eLearning can be self-paced and accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection.
Virtual Training to Teach Soft Skills
Virtual instructor-led live training can also be used to teach crucial soft skills. With the same face-to-face collaboration and live interaction as in-person training, virtual training can help team members and employees understand when, where, why, and how to use soft skills, empowering them to excel in their roles. This virtual live training can also be customized based upon the exact soft skills workers need to learn and acquire for their jobs.
Intellezy’s Approach
We strongly recognize the need for soft skills in today’s business environment, and for this reason, Intellezy has created a wide variety of expertly designed, engaging, and interactive eLearning courses and videos that focus on these important soft skills. Given the increasing presence of remote work and hybrid work arrangements, we’ve also developed courses centered around soft skills specific to these types of working arrangements, including courses on leading virtual teams and online meeting etiquette, among others.
Additionally, Intellezy offers custom training services that can help empower your employees with the specific soft skills they require for exemplary performance. Whether you’d like a blended learning approach or strictly virtual live training, we creatively design, develop, and execute all stages of training, partnering with you to ensure your goals and vision are met.
Visit our YouTube channel to view some examples of our soft skill-focused eLearning videos, and contact info@intellezy.com to discuss how we can help you empower your team with the soft skills they need to succeed.