Importance of soft skills for modern day HR professionals

Skills that can help HR professionals in their modern day challenges.

Skills that are needed by HR professionals can obviously be role-specific, but there are a variety of different skills and traits that come handy across the board when talking about a HR professionals skillset.

Soft skills are one those things that come in handy pretty much in every role and they can make a huge difference when comparing to someone without them. Everyone has their own unique sound and style of speech, however focusing on the relationship with whomever you are speaking with is key. Creating a connection, active listening, maintaining rapport and being able to explain are all part of good soft skills. They come in handy, whether you are coaching, making a first impression or helping to resolve a conflict. It is no wonder that those companies who focus heavily on soft skills excel in their customer service. The same principles of soft skills can be applied on all levels. Deepening the knowledge of how to communicate effectively and reach resolutions by creating a real connection through soft skills can help HR professionals everywhere improve.

Challenges in manager-employee relationships.

There has been a decline in communication when it comes to manager-employee relationships. This has become even more common now that a large part of the workforce is working remotely. Not so common for some people to sit at the table in the same room while having a real human interaction. Meetings are held on virtual platforms and while we can still see each other through our cameras, something has changed. Driving engagement virtually presents it's unique challenges. This can even be seen on virtual lectures held by universities. How can you tell if someone is engaged or not? Managers can also become less engaged. The convenience of remote-work is of course unmatched, especially when the company can cut down on expenses. Why fly everyone to a meeting when it can be held in Teams? The modern challenge is creating and maintaining our relationships between managers and employees.

Figure 1. How to Run Effective 1 on 1 Meetings: a Guide for HR Departments.
https://tomhrm.com/en/how-to-run-1-on-1-meetings/

HR can help by learning how to drive engagement virtually.

In the future HR can and should focus on maintaining regular communication within departments in companies. It is key to stay connected and maintain rapport even if the office environment changes to home office. Some virtual meetings can just be an email and this is true. But instead we need meetings that strengthen relationships and where employees are eager to join to discuss and maybe even team build. Time has to be made for small talk too. Successful virtual meetings and trainings are engaging meetings. The ones where people do not sit with their camera closed but instead actively participate. This is challenging but there are methods. Requirement to be on camera, questions that promote participation, questions that promote understanding, focusing on the relationship with who you talking to and plenty more. 

References:

Michelle Gouldsberry. 31.01.2024. 10 Core HR challenges in 2024.

https://www.betterworks.com/magazine/8-of-the-biggest-challenges-for-hr/

Erik van Vulpen. 18 HR Skills Every HR Professional Needs [2024 Guide]. 
https://www.aihr.com/blog/hr-skills/

Workleap. 15.12.2022. 17 Effective remote meeting best practices your team needs to succeed.

https://workleap.com/blog/remote-meeting/