Soft Skills to Consider for Improved Employee Return on Investment

Soft skills that are essential for improved employee ROI

Employees who struggle with crucial soft skills can create disruptive workplace fractures that distract your team from your company’s mission and goals. In contrast, encouraging and cultivating essential soft skills can help smooth your workplace culture and increase your organization’s chances for success and growth. 

Consider the following crucial workplace soft skills that, if encouraged and embraced, can boost your employee ROI and help create a more cohesive work environment. 

1. Support for the company culture

Every business owner and manager wants a strong company culture with employees who believe in the organization’s goals and see the business as more than a paycheck. Employees who believe in your organization’s mission and values will go above and beyond to contribute positively to the workplace environment.

As a business owner, creating a company culture that keeps employees motivated and engaged is crucial. High employee engagement directly correlates with enhanced productivity, which, in turn, can boost profits. Similarly, team members who are invested in the company’s mission will spend less time on tasks that distract from the organization’s underlying framework and purpose. 

If a worker fulfills their responsibilities, that’s great. However, employees who actively support your culture will give your business an even more significant return on investment. 

2. Fulfilled promises

Trust flourishes in companies where employees’ and leaders’ words and actions match. They make and keep promises and fulfill their commitments. In these environments, team members focus on being good co-workers and show dedication to the business and the company culture, promoting cohesion and trust. The result is a more resilient workplace with a high employee ROI that can withstand conflicts and challenges.

However, fractures arise and trust is broken when promises are made and not fulfilled. A disconnect arises when employees say they’re part of the team but behave in ways that disrupt and betray the team’s goals. For example, if an employee promises to complete a project by Monday but doesn’t finish it until Wednesday, trust is broken. 

Unfulfilled promises create cracks within teams that ultimately weaken the company — with potentially devastating consequences. 

3. Good personal judgment

Some employees easily get distracted by their beliefs about how things should work, causing them to become sidetracked by problems and blame others. For example, if they believe a co-worker isn’t doing a task correctly, they may lose focus on their own work goals. 

In contrast, team members capable of exercising sound judgment will perform better in the workplace, elevate their teams and improve the business overall. They can control their emotions when work or personal issues arise, improving workplace communication, decision-making, and the overall health of your team. This soft skill should be recognized, encouraged and nurtured. 

4. Adaptability

No matter your industry, advances will occur, unexpected challenges will arise, and change will impact operations at some point. Employees who are set in their ways can hold your business back and stifle creativity and innovation. Similarly, team members who can’t pivot and adjust their strategy when a project hits a roadblock can cost your organization valuable time and money. 

However, employees who possess the ability to quickly overcome shortfalls are an enormous benefit. They are willing to embrace new technology, spearhead team innovation, adapt to new ideas, and adjust current systems to meet evolving needs. 

Luckily, many professionals are open to learning the benefits of being adaptable. Teaching the benefits of adaptability can help employees be prepared to work through less-than-ideal conditions, such as downsizing, and learn new skills to keep up with technology.

5. Time management

Some employees and managers work hard but have trouble meeting deadlines and fulfilling obligations because of poor time management skills. Wasted time is a productivity and financial drain on organizations. 

In contrast, team members who have mastered time management are invaluable assets. They consistently meet their goals and deadlines and use critical thinking skills to prioritize tasks. 

Continuously improving your team’s time management leads to more money in the bank and less time on the clock. It can also boost creativity as colleagues brainstorm ideas on running the business more efficiently, which can increase job fulfillment and cooperation among teams.

6. Inclusivity 

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are crucial workplace priorities today. However, improving workplace diversity and inclusion requires team members willing to embrace and actively participate in inclusivity measures. Some DEI workplace activities include participating in mentorship programs, embracing diverse holidays as a team, and soliciting and acting on honest, diverse feedback. 

Creating a workplace culture of people who embrace inclusivity starts with the hiring process. You must prioritize hiring for a cultural fit to create a diverse team and ensure all team members promote diversity and inclusion. 

How to foster employees’ soft skills 

While some employees naturally excel at soft skills, others may need help. Businesses can invest in employee training to teach soft skills and help team members become more well-rounded. The time you dedicate to soft skills training can dramatically increase employees’ ROI. 

Consider the following tips for fostering your team’s soft skills:

1. Encourage employees to think creatively.

Creative thinking can improve profits and business growth. When employees are encouraged to think outside the box, they’re more likely to develop innovative solutions for customer service issues, product troubleshooting and marketing initiatives. 

Give your team room to experiment and brainstorm, and facilitate creative thinking exercises that allow this skill to flourish. 

2. Teach employees the art of persuasion.

When productivity is at a standstill, persuasion can take a project from stagnation to completion. Persuasion doesn’t have to come from executives. Any worker with the right skills can positively influence colleagues to try a new tactic, complete a project or perform to the best of their ability. 

Teaching persuasion skills can also help you create stronger and more confident leadership and sales teams. Educating team members on persuasive negotiation tactics is a win-win for soft skills building and organizational outcomes. 

3. Encourage collaboration among team members.

Working as a team isn’t as easy as it sounds. It takes open-mindedness and a willingness to band together for the greater good. However, encouraging team collaboration is a worthwhile effort that can benefit your business and employees. 

Collaboration helps employees bring out the best in each other, learn new skills faster, and share ideas to solve complex problems. Teamwork encourages a sense of unity and is vital for high morale. 

While some staffers naturally gravitate toward teamwork, encouraging workers who prefer working alone to collaborate can help increase everyone’s soft skills. Identify opportunities where a team is more likely to succeed together than individually and encourage group efforts.

4. Implement problem-solving sessions.

Workplace challenges occur daily, and how your workers approach and solve those problems can affect productivity. Resilience and adaptability are essential, regardless of the employee’s role. Encourage employees to tackle problems head-on via guided problem-solving sessions. Educating your team on productive strategies for navigating challenges can improve everyone’s soft skills.

5. Foster workplace communication skills.

Workplace communication can make or break your business. Transparent communication can prevent misunderstandings, resolve conflicts and maintain good morale. 

To foster the valuable soft skill of communication, regularly engage with your team members, whether in person or via internal communication apps like Slack, to discover what’s working and what isn’t. Exemplify the kind of communication you expect from others. Everyone will be on the same page if you teach your team to communicate well.

6. Help employees learn to keep emotions in check.

Employees who regulate their emotions are more efficient and resilient during challenges and conflicts. To help employees learn to keep their emotions in check, consider offering educational sessions on embracing mindfulness, practicing self-care and prioritizing mental health. These strategies can help your team learn how to handle emotional fluctuations better. Employees who demonstrate this soft skill are better critical thinkers, have more mental space for creativity, and are prime candidates for leadership positions.

7. Teach your team time-management skills.

While time management skills are a popular resume bullet point, few workers truly possess them. However, time management is essential for employee productivity, work-life balance, and overall health. Teaching your staff time management hacks and respecting employees’ time off can improve morale, stop workplace absenteeism, and increase efficiency.

Lynette Reed contributed to this article.