When hiring managers are expanding their team, most organisations place top value on hard skills. They look for relevant experience, education, and knowledge of the company’s systems. While these are important attributes, other less obvious skills are often disregarded as less important, often referred to as 'soft skills'.
What Are Soft Skills?
Soft skills refer to skills that are not task-based. You can train most people on how to use a cash till, but it can be more difficult to teach them interpersonal skills. Soft skills focus on the employee’s behaviour, attitude, and how they get along with other people. These skills can include:
Soft skills are often overlooked by managers because they are less tangible than hard skills. They are sometimes considered part of the employee’s personality, rather than a skill that can be improved on.
Why Train Soft Skills?
Research suggests that soft skills can have a huge impact on your workforce, and large corporations are recognising the value that soft skills can have. They are spending time and resources training their workforce, and with good reason. Research commissioned by McDonalds in the UK demonstrated that soft skills can account for a £88 billion contribution to the economy.
Improve Personal Productivity
A study conducted by Harvard University showed that the majority of achievements in an individual career come from their soft skills.
Improve Customer Service and Sales
When employees know how to retain customers, the company benefits from higher sales. Some companies believe that soft skills cannot be trained, which is simply not true. With the right strategies and tools, you can train your workforce on how to sell and provide outstanding customer service.
Improve Employee Retention
When employees are being trained, they feel that the company is invested in their growth. This can mean better employee retention, with less turnover. Not only will your staff be better at their jobs, and happier, they will stay put longer, reducing the need to re-train.
How Can I Train Soft Skills?
While it’s true that soft skills are often passed over in favour of more tangible skills, it is possible to train your workforce to improve their soft skills. Just a few short soft skills courses can improve your workforce’s productivity and morale. At Easybook Training, we offer several Soft Skills Training courses covering a range of topics.
Whether you are looking to improve coaching skills, teach better customer care by telephone, or ensure your staff can manage a budget, there is a course that will improve your workforce’s soft skills.
If you need help booking your soft skills training course, contact us directly on 01892 543000. Our friendly customer service team will be happy to help.