Soft skills, especially creativity, is becoming vital in today’s workplace. And so are factors like pay transparency, flexibility to work where & when employees want, and new ways to tackle workplace harassment.
These are the findings of a LinkedIn survey of over 5,000 talent professionals in 35 countries, including more than 400 in India. While globally 92% said soft skills are becoming very important, in India 95% felt so. The rise of automation and artificial intelligence means that hard skills alone are no longer enough to be successful, LinkedIn said.
“And while the half-life of many hard skills is shrinking, soft skills stay relevant: A particular programming language may go out of fashion, but creativity, adaptability, and collaboration skills will always be valuable,” it said.
Despite its growing value, many companies are seen to be still struggling to accurately assess soft skills. Interestingly in India, 43% respondents felt that AI-powered soft skill assessments are effective, nearly double the global average of 27%.
While pay has always been a touchy topic for employers to be open about (they fear it will cause wage disputes and limit their ability to negotiate), the study showed that employees feel happier when pay scales are standardised and transparent. “Leaving people in the dark can make candidates uneasy and employees distrustful,” the study said, noting that most people incorrectly believe they’re being underpaid relative to their market position.
With the #MeToo movement gaining momentum in social media and at corporate offices, more than 75% of those surveyed globally said they saw management change strategy to tackle workplace harassment. In India, more than 92% of those interviewed said their company has implemented some harassment prevention measure.
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