Research Outline

Soft Skills

Goals

To determine the link between soft skills and job performance to inform the development of an employee competency framework to validate the impact that soft skills have on employee performance.

Early Findings

OVERVIEW
  • Soft skills are traits that are desired in every employee. Some examples include leadership skills, communication skills, a positive work attitude, and teamwork.
  • The most important skills desired for employees are communications, teamwork, motivation, problem-solving, enthusiasm, and trust.
  • The most important soft skill that an employer desires in an employee is communication. This needs to be instant and effective.

STUDY I
  • A research study of 810 employees from nine different companies showed that:
  • 14.5% increase in performance because of the employees' acquisition of soft skills.
  • The training method that involved a time-space between the lessons resulted in a 27.9% increase in performance.
  • This concludes that the employees’ acquisition of soft skills and the training method adopted by the trainer influence achievement.
STUDY II
  • Literature suggests that 15% of one's success depends on hard skill while 85% depends on soft skills.
  • Most employers tend to hire, retain, and promote those with strong soft skills.
TOP FIVE SOFT SKILLS REQUIRED BY EMPLOYERS IN 2019
  • The top five skills that employers desire from their employees are communication skills, interpersonal skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, project management, and management and supervisory skills.