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Soft, hard, personal, power, technical, career…life. With organizations becoming more skills-based, what type of skills should L&D programs focus on?
This is the question learning leaders must answer in 2024 as they consider how to balance filling organization capability gaps with creating an engaging value proposition for employees.
Hard skills are necessary making sure employees have the fundamental proficiencies to complete their day-to-day work. Soft skills are equally important to improve problem-solving, communication, innovation, critical thinking, and many other capabilities across the organization.
But where does learning a foreign language fall into the mix? How about developing financial literacy to improve an employee’s understanding of their 401k or stock ownership? What about first-aid courses, CV writing, podcasting, or any other ‘life skill’ that whilst not directly related to an employee’s work could advance their career or improve their quality of life?
Justin Schakelman, Head of Talent Development, Citadel Federal Credit Union, argues this presents a conundrum. “Say an employee's interested in applying for a role within their organization that requires strong presentation skills,” he begins. “The employee has all the technical skills needed for the role but struggles when they get in front of a group of people. Should the employer offer that employee a development course for presentation skills or is it the responsibility of the employee to figure it out for themselves? There is a cost involved and these courses can be expensive.”
Indeed, Many will feel it’s not their primary responsibility to develop employees in these ways. The question, asks Schakelman, is “where do you draw the line?”
The case for ‘life skills’
U.S. employees now view their employer as a new post-secondary colleges – as many as 80%, according to a 2023 study from EdX. They are seeking skills that will advance their career into the long term, rather than focusing on short-term skills that can help them better perform in their current role.
Executives take a similar view, to some extent. 93% of surveyed C-suite executives overwhelmingly agree. However, there is arguably a slight gap between employees who are considering lifelong, if not career-long, capabilities and employers who are aiming to develop skills that will aid employees in their work for only the coming two to five years. This may explain the fact that whilst half of executives believe there is a strong culture of learning, only one in five employees strongly agree.
Offering training on skills beyond the remit of the job role or company capability gaps can feel counterintuitive. Why give an employee a skill they could use to move into a more senior position at another organization?
Well, firstly, because employees are asking for it. Gen Z, for example, sees L&D as having a huge influence on their ability to grow their careers, a goal toward which they are highly motivated. Offering employees ‘life skills’ development is part of a long-term view toward to the employee value proposition. Accordingly, workplaces that offer opportunities to develop in these areas will stand a better chance of retaining their employees. Moreover, “I want to get a job with another company” was the least popular answer for employee motivations for seeking a new skill in EdX’s study.
Secondly, offering career or life skills development creates a more well-rounded, agile, and capable workforce. In the process of picking up skills that stretch beyond their current role, employees are preparing themselves for work in years to come, be it the two to five years that C-Suite leaders are planning for, or beyond.
Adam Yamaguchi, Head of Talent Development, Relativity Space, argues people are more than their work, and that when organizations think of people holistically, they get the best out of them. “Developing people in ways that are not just job-specific skills shows an investment in the whole person,” he argues. “The benefits can lead to more engaged, productive, and satisfied employees, and can also facilitate greater internal mobility. When people have skills outside of those core to their role, they can therefore move around the organization with more fluidity.”
Schakelman agrees, arguing that such skills inform company culture and bring many benefits. “Stronger employee commitment, engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty, which in turn improves productivity and reduces turnover is so key in a tight labor market. It's why so many companies are beginning to become skills-based, rather than role-based.”
Lastly, creating a learning culture that embraces life skills is a powerful solution to combat the U.S. burnout permacrisis and other areas where employee wellbeing is lacking. “We're not teaching people how to put their shoes on the right feet, but wellbeing programs are getting into the weeds of helping people live healthily,” shares Schakelman. “We’ve even done cooking classes before.”
Employees are exhausted, and only one in five strongly agree they have the time to learn. L&D, therefore, often becomes an unwanted chore when it should be fun. According to the EdX study, the most popular motivator for learning from respondents was “I enjoy challenging myself and learning new things.” L&D programs frequently lack the joy of learning that can engage employees. Creating opportunities for fun and enjoyment by allowing employees to develop life skills of their choosing creates a compelling and engaging learning offering.
It's all about balance
Of course, there is still a place for certifications, qualifications, and job-specific training. Employees have to know how to do their job, how to do it safely, and how to do it well. And organizations must quickly bridge skill gaps that can help them improve their competitive advantage. However, embracing life skills as a component of the overall L&D offering adds a new lens to L&D that shows commitment to your people. It is, therefore, all about balance.
“Every organization is different - their size, growth trajectory, goals - and will therefore have different "life skills" needs for their company to be successful. Different teams, and individuals, will need different training beyond those that are job-specific”, says Yamaguchi. “In my experience, you can move the needle when you get to the root cause of dysfunction or a lack of productivity for a particular individual, team, or department.”
