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The Future Of Work

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 09:00:05 GMT

Maximise your greatest asset, your people

In the next five years, as the "double-disruption" of the economic impacts of the pandemic and increasing automation impacts us, half of the workforce will need further training of six months or more.

These were the findings of the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report, which maps the jobs and skills of the future, tracking the pace of change and direction of travel.

Critical thinking and problem-solving top the list of skills employers believe will grow in prominence in the next five years.

Newly emerging this year are skills in self-management such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility.

However, the very technological disruption that is transforming jobs can also provide the key to creating them – and help us learn new skills.

What will change tomorrow?

Active learning, learning capabilities and creativity will make a difference and climb up the ranking of most in-demand skills for 2022.

Emotional intelligence and leadership abilities will continue to be sought after.

Computational thinking and programming will be crucial.

What are soft skills?

The World Economic Forum advises us on the essential skills to develop today and tomorrow, with predictions for 2022. They are essentially soft skills. Here is the list of essential soft skills for 2022:

1. Analytical thinking and innovation

2. Active learning and learning strategies
3. Creativity, originality and initiative
4. Technology design and programming
5. Critical thinking and analysis
6. Complex problem-solving
7. Leadership and social influence
8. Emotional intelligence
9. Reasoning, problem-solving and ideation
10. Systems analysis and evaluation

Why is it Important to sharpen Soft Skills in the Workplace?

Many organisations focus on performance management and product knowledge training because they directly impact company sales. But they fail to recognise the importance of soft skills even though abilities such as communication, conflict resolution, and problem-solving are at the core of business. In every department and job, employees must strengthen their interpersonal skills to improve customer service stats and build a stronger team dynamic. Here are a few benefits that highlight the importance of honing soft skills in the workplace:

1. Boost Workplace Productivity

Soft skills improve employee performance and productivity across the board. Staff are able to manage their time more effectively and communicate their thoughts with ease. This allows them to speed up task completion times without compromising quality. A stronger team dynamic, thanks to interpersonal skills, also facilitates greater collaboration. Everyone understands their role and works together to achieve common goals.

2. Reduce Risks

Lack of self-awareness and confidence makes things risky in the workplace. For example, an employee is unable to communicate with their manager or adapt to new policies or protocols. Potentially they could break the rules or violate company policy. Soft skills help them mitigate risks and solve problems on their own. They use creative reasoning to think of all possible approaches and repercussions to achieve the best outcomes.

3. Improve Customer Service

The most direct benefit of soft skills in the workplace is an increase in customer satisfaction. Employees are better equipped to actively listen to consumers' needs, identify the problem, and help them resolve it. They also have more empathy- a essential quality in the customer service department.

4. Increase Sales

Happy customers lead to more sales. Soft skills in the workplace also benefit your sales team during the negotiation process. Employees can use their skills to engage with the customer on a personal level without blurring their professional boundaries. They take the time to discuss the consumers' pain points and match them with the right product. They also overcome buying reluctance with tact.

5. Build A Stronger Team

It's not only the front-end customers who reap the rewards of soft skills training. Your employee becomes a cohesive unit because they're able to collaborate and respect each other's perspective. These skills build a stronger team and a sense of community. Everyone remains positive and faces challenges with optimism. They treat every new obstacle as an opportunity to grow and identify personal areas for improvement. In many respects, skill-based training makes them more well-rounded. You're not simply focusing on their sales pitch or compliance knowledge.

6. More Self-Confidence, Less Stress

Another notable perk of soft skills in the workplace is greater self-confidence and self-esteem. Employees know they have what it takes to complete their job duties. Training has given them all the tools they need to overcome challenges and creatively resolve their differences. There are also fewer conflicts so that team members can rely on each other for moral support. Then, there are the stress-reducing benefits. Increased confidence and assurance lead to lower stress levels; mistakes become a learning opportunity.

7. Improve Employee Retention

You retain top talent because they have all the essential skills. You've invested in their professional growth, and it pays off. You don't have to pay to hire and train their replacements. You hold on to top performers who continue to widen your profit margin.

Soft skills boost online training benefits by improving knowledge retention. Employee training participants can manage their time more efficiently and get the most from experience. They encounter a problem and immediately turn to the training library because they possess strong planning, organisation, and self-evaluation skills.

Employees who have improved their soft skills and are entering a jobs marketplace which is saturated with applicants have a distinct advantage in being hired. This is a major bonus for management as they are not just developing an employee to collaborate and develop within their organisation but also progressing to the next chapter outside.

The payoff to the employer is increased employee engagement, well-being and job satisfaction. This will make the business stickier, retaining employees and attracting new talent.

Soft skills in the workplace are more challenging to measure because they're nuanced. There are no business reports and sales stats to evaluate employee proficiency. You can't simply conduct a multiple-choice exam to identify pre-existing gaps. However, you can use LMS metrics, Coaching, Events for collaboration (e.g Virtual Escape Rooms), Personalised Certification Courses and real-world assessments to gauge your employee’s professional development. These will identify areas for improvement and help your team boost productivity and reduce risks. These tools also will increase staff retention, employee satisfaction, engagement and well-being which will eventually effect your bottom line.

In essence improving soft skills combined with all the elements outlined will create a happy and productive workplace to future-proof your business.

The only downside to this is that companies have had to invest in a plethora of different HR systems and courses to get to this happy place. That is until now! I was recently introduced to CareerJay www.careerjay.com.

CareerJay combines Soft Skills Assessments that enable employees to upskill and develop through Online Courses, Coaches and Events. Companies deposit money into Employee Wallets and empower their people to take control of their career journey. As a bonus CareerJay comes with Well-being built in, truly offering a wraparound employee and business solution to our rapidly changing landscape.

Check out this introduction video to CareerJay :

Can't Bring Your Staff On A Night Out, Bring Them To A Virtual Escape Room

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 10:00:04 GMT

People Benefits Of A Virtual Escape Room

VIRTUAL ESCAPE ROOMS

are a great way to pass the time. If you are thinking about corporate training, though they can be much more than a diversion. These rooms are quite useful when it comes to corporate team building, and not just because they’re fun. These escape rooms can provide a significant amount of value to any corporate team that attempts to complete the rooms’ challenges.

PROMOTES COMMUNICATION

At a basic level, these rooms encourage cooperation. It’s a rare room that can actually be solved by a single person, and even then, he or she is likely need some help. If you put your team in an escape room, they’ll be forced to overcome any lingering communication issues in order to solve the room’s puzzles. This will teach every team member a great deal about the benefits of communication in an organic way that won’t be ignored.

A CHANCE TO GET CREATIVE

Of course, communication isn’t the only thing that an escape room can teach. These rooms also teach the value of thinking outside of the box. If you have a team that’s bound too tightly to corporate traditions or outmoded ways of thinking, a good escape room can be a pleasant way of shaking things up. The object lesson of most of these rooms if that you have to approach some problems from new angles in order to solve them, something that’s extremely relevant in the world of business. If you’re willing to put your team in an escape room, you’ll be able to see the new ways of thinking they come up with during the game.

BUILD TIES AND TEAMWORK

These rooms also encourage building up team spirit. Having a challenge for the group to come together and solve is a good way to build ties of friendship and teamwork, even if they get their start in an artificial setting. Once a team goes through one of these rooms, they’ll have a single unifying experience to look back on. For a moment, things like seniority or position will fall away and everyone present will see themselves as a single team. This can be a great way to help new groups of employee’s gel more quickly and establish a rapport.

Escape rooms are a perfect tool for corporate team building. Whether you need to work on teamwork, communication, or problem-solving, these rooms have everything you need. Virtual escape rooms will also inform business management of the natural leaders and potential candidates for promotion with your organisation. This can also save a lot of time, effort and costs in recruiting externally.

Next time you want to shake up how your team perceives its own strengths and practices, don’t book a speaker – book a virtual escape room for corporate team building exercises instead.

I recently attended a virtual escape room which was one of the best events I have been at in quite while during these trying times. I would highly recommend Manubu Learning https://www.manabulearning.com/ Great fun for your employees wellbeing and informative for your business.

Health&Safety, Compliance and Training Technology a must for 2021

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 02:58:10 GMT

Innovate To Be Compliant, Productive and Keep Your Staff Safe

Making Compliance, Productivity & Risk Management Simple and more Efficient

Businesses owe a legal obligation to staff to keep them safe while at work and minimise any risk to their health and wellbeing. Businesses have a duty to instruct, train and supervise their staff in order to maintain health and safety in the workplace and must take reasonably practicable steps to safeguard their staff during the pandemic.

Businesses should carry out regular risk assessments to ensure compliance with health and safety law and consider how to achieve social distancing. Businesses may wish to:

rearrange worksites
put barriers between workers
supply PPE
reduce the number of staff permitted in the building
encourage staff to work from home
clean the workplace regularly

Collaboration between businesses and staff is necessary in order to implement the safety measures. Therefore, businesses should:

Aim for regular communication with staff about the latest developments.
Provide training to all staff
Support those shielding.

It's one thing getting these procedures in place but how to do you deliver, track and measure them? You need to invest in technology. A local software company with a global solution is OBBI https://www.obbisolutions.com/. OBBI uniquely combines staff On-boarding with Training (including Health&Safety) and Compliance on an all in one platform. This multi award winning solution will save time, money and reduce risk. Above all it keeps your people safe. Check out the introduction video here https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXMiwF0yii4&feature=youtu.be

HR Software Does Not Have To Break The Bank

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 11:38:29 GMT

HR Software Does Not Have To Break The Bank

I talk to a lot of businesses of varying sizes from 1 person to Enterprise. You may have had to lose some of your people and reduce your outgoings. I do believe that the right HR software can help your organisation to save time and reduce costs but you have to invest money. Breathe stands out based on my knowledge of the market with criteria such as value, ease of use and features. It is specifically designed to support SME's for as little as £10 a month. The bonus is that you get 50% off your first 2 months until the end of February.

How Breathe can help your business:

Eliminate HR admin

• Automate holiday booking and sickness processes

• Allow staff to update their own records

• All people data, all in one place

Develop your team

• Keep on top of 1-1s and performance management

• Record and monitor individual objectives

• Easily delegate tasks to managers

Access on the move

• Store your data securely in the cloud

• Log in anywhere with a WiFi connection

• Mobile friendly

Motivate your people

• Give kudos for a job well done

• Track your people’s progress

• Benefits & rewards overview

To try Breathe out or for a free consultation on your current HR set-up just go to the Contact page. You can also click on the Facebook chat button on the bottom right.