REWARD
Continued learning Continuous learning can happen in many forms, such as taking a course to challenge yourself and take you out of your comfort zone, for example, the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management. Continuous learning allows innovation to thrive, and through innovation comes new ideas that can impact positively on your life or the profits of the business. Why are soft skills important? It’s common for job adverts to include requirements such as ‘communication skills’ or ‘a problem-solving attitude’. That’s because soft skills help identify employees who aren’t just able to do the job but are able to do it well. “Identifying and assessing soft skills is no easy task. Those qualities are often intangible and can’t be measured I once interviewed two candidates where both had a similar academic and professional background. The successful candidate was the one I identified as being more collaborative and flexible. Of course, identifying and assessing soft skills is no easy task. Those qualities are often intangible and can’t be measured by simply looking at what soft skills are written on a CV. Can I learn soft skills? The quick answer is yes! Although not normally acquired through formal training, by simply looking at what soft skills are written on a CV”
soft skills can be learned. Before deciding which soft skills to work on, make a list of the ones you think are your strengths and which ones need developing. Find a mentor, friend or co-worker and ask them for feedback and where you could improve. Coaching is an effective method for improving soft skills, but most of all, be open to feedback and continue to develop and improve.
communicator can help keep conflicts to a minimum. They have the ability to adjust their tone and style according to their audience, comprehend and act efficiently on instructions and explain complex issues to co-workers and clients alike. “An effective communicator can help keep conflicts to the minimum” Listening Active listening is about focussing and being engaged with the talker, which means you’re paying full attention and not multitasking, looking at your phone or waiting to give your opinion. When someone actively listens, they’re being respectful to the speaker through non- verbal cues, such as eye contact and nodding. Customer service It’s only natural that customers want to feel they’re understood. To successfully validate a customer’s wants and needs, empathy is crucial. If the customer knows you understand their issue and can see where their frustration is coming from, and better still, find a solution, they’ll feel much more comfortable. Empathy will not only enhance customer experiences, but it can rescue the bad ones.
Now that key soft skills have been identified, how do you improve them and unlock your potential?
How do I improve soft skills? There are courses that can help you improve. I started by reading self-help books like ‘ The Magic of Thinking Big ’ by David Schwartz, and ‘ How to Win Friends and Influence People ’ by Dale Carnegie. You could check out podcasts or watch videos. There are soft skills training courses that can help develop or improve your interpersonal skills. Consider courses which will help you to improve communication, increase active listening and resolve conflicts. Whichever study path you choose, you should have a specific plan with a clear timeline for achieving your goals. Most importantly, don’t give up, keep learning. As payroll professionals, we should look to cultivate a mixture of skills to distinguish ourselves as an asset to our organisations. Of course, through experience and lifelong learning, you can develop and refine these skills, which will help you excel in your personal and work life. n
“Empathy will not only enhance customer experiences, but it can rescue the bad ones”
Key takeaways l soft skills include interpersonal skills which help us interact with others and succeed l examples of soft skills include the ability to communicate, mentor our co-workers, lead a team, follow instructions and get a job done on time l hard skills are measurable and usually obtained through formal education and training programmes l in contrast to hard skills, soft skills are more difficult to acquire through training l people with good soft skills can help companies achieve higher levels of efficiency and productivity l coaching is an effective method for improving soft skills.
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 89 | April 2023
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