5 steps to developing soft skills of employees

Soft skills are just as important as hard skills in the workplace. Hard skills are measurable and are generally considered technical skills. Soft skills, on the other hand, are more difficult to measure and include people’s skills or interpersonal skills and how you treat or interact with others. Soft workplace skills typically include leadership, communication, teamwork, emotional intelligence, time and stress management, conflict and anger management, critical thinking, change and diversity management, presentation and negotiation skills, listening skills, self-motivation, and so on.

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Assess the training needs of your employees. When making an assessment, it is good to remember that your organization has different staff and departments. An employee who starts as an intern has different training needs than, for example, a senior management employee. In addition to building customer relationships, call center staff should consider expanding them to departments that teach these skills, such as receptionists and secretaries.

Emphasize employees and their development
As a human resources manager, you recognize an employee’s potential. Some employees stand out from each other, and with leadership development or good time management skills, certain employees become a leader. A technical staff that has a lot to offer in terms of advice and experience may not have the right soft skills when promoted to board level. In this case, the initial investment in developing their skills ensures that the company receives long-term benefits.

Learn soft skills intelligently

Make sure you work with a reputable and recommended soft skills training provider. The Mindspa Institute can tailor each course to the needs of your employees. Employees who know their company invest in developing their skills feel that they are not just a figure, but that the company cares. Mindspa also offers a “on-the-job training” method where the company does not have to send employees for training, but they are cared for and trained in the performance of their daily duties in the office. This will help employees apply the skills they have learned in the situations that arise there. The advantage is that companies do not lose productivity.

Hire people who want to learn

Hire graduates who want to learn from scratch. Potential employees who not only seem eager to expand their knowledge, but who are willing to go through the mentoring process will be of great benefit to your company. Author Peggy Klaus: “Soft skills get a little respect, but they make or break your career.”

Teach in a way that employees understand

As you know from school, different people learn differently. Training programs must be relevant and draw the attention of employees. A partner with a training company that can communicate and present different generations, cultures and genders in different industries and regions.

Job satisfaction and long-term success are determined by the development of soft skills. Soft skills can be easily developed through training. HR managers need to proactively develop these skills in their employees. The Mindspa Institute has a national footprint and makes the task less challenging for HR managers. Visit www.themindspa.co.za to see all the soft skills courses available.