A former public school master has recently suggested that state schools aren’t doing a good enough job of imparting soft skills such as communication, teamwork and empathy in their students.

When high-performing school leavers or graduates enter the working world without a grounding in soft skills, they may initially excel, primed as they are to complete tasks to a high level.

As employees become more integrated into business activities, however, any soft skills deficit will lead to increasing levels of friction among teams.

The highest performing may even land themselves management positions, only to find themselves responsible for getting the best out of teams, yet lacking in the skills necessary to nurture talented employees.

When employees work for, or with, somebody with poor communication, integrity, empathy, or teamwork – soft skills, in other words – performance inevitably suffers, impacting overall productivity.

If staff who deal with customers lack soft skills, they could even be driving customers away.

Bridging the soft skills gap

In any business process, having poor skills is like driving a car with the handbrake on.

It therefore pays to ensure that all employees have the necessary skills to carry out business activities optimally, and make training available for those whose responsible for areas whose performance is in need of a boost.