What is one skill that you see as an area for improvement in employees?

Effective communication is critical for employees at all levels. Great communicators inject clarity into everything from day to day tasks to a company's strategic vision. Communication is also a skill that can be deliberately honed and refined. If you are serious about improving this skill set, you have plenty of options. First, you can get feedback about your communications skills from your colleagues at work. Then, you can seek to address weaknesses in your ability to communicate. Finally, you can join a group like Toastmasters to deliberately practice your skills in a structured environment.

As a team focused workforce, we value strong active listening skills. Being able to retain information is great a great quality to have. However, when an employee is able to retain that information and apply it to their efforts, momentum picks up for not only that individual's workflow, but also for the team at large. Where there is a lack in any part of our team, we all experience the effects of holes in our system. But when we are all on our A game, bringing the greatest awareness of how each individual supports the team as a whole, we surpass even our highest expectations.

Most employees are so afraid of data! I get it… math is scary and not many people are naturally inclined to numbers, but the lack of data literacy in most employees nowadays is striking. So much of business is data-driven and data collection has never been more robust as it is now. Employees need to have a better grasp of data and how to interpret it to make projections and inform their work as a whole. Name: Bill Mann Website: https://restoreprivacy.com/ Title: Privacy Expert at Restore Privacy Email: billmann.privacy@gmail.com

Active listening is one skill that employees, as well as leadership, can always improve on. Showing that you are listening by using nonverbal cues, such as head nodding and smiling, indicate that you are present in the conversation. Secondly, it is essential to refrain from interrupting the speaker, or objecting, until they have finished speaking. Finally, providing feedback in a respectful way, while summarizing the point that they have made, indicates that you have understood the point the speaker has made. Oftentimes by being too eager to speak, we fail to accurately absorb what is being said to us. Therefore, active listening is a good practice for everyone, both professionally and personally.

One of the main issues I have seen in my career is that a lot of the employee issues relate to lack of understanding of the cultural differences we all bring to a workplace. Often a situation is taken out of context, which then necessitates a lot of time and effort to look at the situation and determine the root cause. However, when these situations take place, it is great when you are able to use what happened as a learning session for those involved, whereby you explain where each person is coming from. This helps in the future with them understanding each other better, to try to understand first, ask for clarification, and in some cases for one of the employees to modify their behavior or communication as what may be acceptable in his/her culture, may not be acceptable where they are now.

I find that teamwork and collaboration require the most effort to develop and maintain. This is especially so when onboarding new hires. It can take time to integrate new employees into a team and turn them into a cohesive unit. The grind can also wear down teamwork and erode enthusiasm about collaboration, so do what you can to make sure your employees recognize and embody the values of the organization and its culture. Agile methodologies can help to enhance teamwork and collaboration on any team, not just software development teams.

Knowledge sharing is an essential skill that turns personal knowledge into company know-how. Unfortunately, many employees are not willing to share their expertise out of fear of judgment, to keep a competitive advantage, or because they're not aware of the value it can bring to their team. To encourage my team to effectively share their knowledge I like to split it into smaller teams and pair up different people for diverse projects. In this way, everyone can interact with others on a more personal level and feel more at ease about sharing.

One skill that always has a scope for improvement in conflict resolution. This skill is crucial when employees work in a team. When people of different mindsets and thought processes work together, conflicts are bound to happen. You can ignore them. But, as an employee or employer, you must learn the skill to resolve them quickly so that workflow isn’t hampered much. Attaining perfection becomes a bit more tedious when team members shift or alter quickly. So, there is always some scope for improvement in this skill. As an employer, you need to make sure that your team members are able to cope-up with the stress that follows.

As employees move forward, post 2020, I am suggesting candid conversations with managers; with employees asking, what are my skill gaps as our organization moves forward? Companies are making shifts in their focus post 2020 and this is a perfect time for employees to position themselves for their "next" within an organization. Do not rely on your Rear View Mirror as this is not the best compass for what will be next. Before this conversation, do some homework and give important fore thought as to where you perceive your gaps to be in the new order of your organization. This reflection will shed important insights as you map your "next" with your current organization. Be open and responsive to hearing these ideas for the ultimate success. Onward in 2022!

Time management skills are crucial to a productive office. Many employees face roadblocks or distractions when working throughout the day, and are usually more productive when they first enter the remote office. The difficult projects that require the majority of your attention can be completed during prime hours of the day with little interruption, while phone calls and messages can be handled with minimal focus. After lunch, once workers are refreshed, they'll see an increase in their creative capabilities that they may not have had earlier in the day. Not only does this way of working improve the business, but increases productivity in any work environment.

Employees should ask more questions to further their understanding. It is always better for the business and your performance to fully understand what is expected of you before you try to work on partial information. Employees who ask lots of questions inevitably have more developed relationships with their supervisors and leadership. It shows initiative and the will to understand a process or problem that is crucial to the successful functioning of the company. Being inquisitive makes for better overall performance. Sometimes, things need to be clarified, validated, or approved before any of us know for a fact that our instinct is the right approach to a situation.

Every company needs to develop their marketing skills to increase both visibility and relevance when attracting potential employees. Rely on tools and apps that can help with automations, and lean heavily on dashboards and data reports. Once you have a complete picture, it’s much easier to develop creative new strategies, or decide when it’s time to make a big pivot.

As the CEO and founder of 180 Engineering, I have witnessed countless new hires struggle to directly handle conflict and ask for what they need. The fact is, there are few opportunities in our lives where we are taught how to handle 'conflict' in a way that leaves all parties with a shared sense of understanding and mutual respect. In addition, people often erroneously believe that assertiveness is in some way rude or aggressive. As such, I believe that many companies can benefit from training their employees in how to handle conflict, how to move forward from disagreements, and how to ask for what they want even when doing so feels uncomfortable. Thanks!

Generally, new hires are behind the curve when it comes to communication.That can range from sloppy typos in official email communications to lack of confidence in presenting ideas, to not having done basic research before presenting an idea. New hires want to spend more time listening and observing before speaking or offering suggestions. Each office has its own culture and lingo and it takes time for a new employee to learn and adjust. Effective leaders know how to foster a work environment in which employees feel comfortable communicating.

Soft skills, such as time management, creative thinking, and networking always need development and upkeep. These are the skills that can keep your operations a well-oiled machine. Hard skills, the ones that your employees need to carry out their basic duties, are undoubtedly important. But soft skills, which can include conflict resolution and teamwork, complement hard skills and can transform an ordinary worker into an extraordinary one.

Many businesses rely on employees who have strong social media skills. A powerful digital presence is essential for companies to survive, and it helps businesses stand out from its competitors. A team member who has a broad ability to understand these networks and can own a social media strategy will be a major asset to any business that's looking for public relations or content opportunities. While each industry has their own idea of digital marketing, this skill is necessary as social media continues to dominate business strategies.

One skill that I ALWAYS see as an area for improvement in employees of any industry is punctuality. Now you would think this is a no-brainer skill to have, always be 10-15 minutes early for any interview, meeting, working session, etc. However, it seems to many people today in the work force tend to not have punctuality down at all and will be tardy regularly, perhaps due to the recent pandemic and remote work becoming the norm. Any employee of any age will for sure benefit from improving their punctuality no matter what point of their career they're in. Having amazing punctuality can show a boss, co-worker, business partner, lead, friend, or even family member just how much you care not only about your self-image and reliability, but their valuable time as well! Punctuality is not only beneficial for the work place but for all scenarios within people's daily lives.

According to the Infuture Institute, active learning is becoming the key soft skill for employees in the 21st-century labor market. I couldn’t agree more. In an era of rapid technological development and increasing numbers of jobs that can be replaced by AI, willingness and eagerness to learn new skills are essential. While active learning seems to be an innate ability rather than a skill, I believe the opposite is true. Active learning is, by all means, a skill.

Employees can improve their ability to think outside the box. While it is important to fulfill responsibilities, employees can also learn to take initiative and to offer new and innovative ideas as well. Encourage your employees to think creatively and to speak up about it.

These days, there are constantly new technological resources and digital platforms rolling out that workplaces can utilize in order to optimize their operations. Thus, employees can always continue to adapt to the newer versions of these tools. The ability to learn new technologies and digital tools is an essential factor in a professional's success, and this skill should be continual.