There was a time where soft skills were considered common-sense practices that held no value within the confines of an organization. While soft skills played a vital role in the success of an organization and its employees, they often went unrecognized for the significant impact they played. However, in an ever-evolving employment landscape, it has quickly become obvious that the two youngest generations in today’s workforce, the Millennials, and Gen-Z, have simply not been equipped with the soft skills that generations before considered common sense.
While this younger workforce is highly equipped to handle the current hard skills required for their jobs, also known as the required aptitude, experience, and specific skills required for their work, basic soft skills such as setting an alarm, being on time, or respecting chains of command are often missing from their skill set. As the future leaders of our economy and workforce, employers should place equal importance on hard and soft skills during the recruiting cycle for new employees — placing an equal value on those who possess the soft skills that were otherwise thought of as common sense, as the hard skills necessary to complete their work. Furthermore, employers should work with current employees to build up their soft skills to help them become critical thinkers, communicators, and effective leaders.