You'll receive our next newsletter on June 1, 2017
Get and Keep the Job: Soft Skills That Work
Year after year during our discussions with employers via our Employer One Survey and in various employer consultations we hear a great deal about how employees' soft skills are lacking.
By soft skills employers mean skills such as: customer service, communication, decision making, problem solving, team work, time management, and more.
Workforce Planning Hamilton has recognized this ongoing need in the community and is working on a three phase project. In Phase I we looked at better defining soft skills issues through a report. In Phase II we developed a tool kit that supported employers in identifying the soft skills required by their organization/sector.
As we enter Phase III of our project WPH will develop a series of videos that promote the top soft skills in demand as identified by local employers.
We plan to develop three to five short videos, each one focusing on a unique soft skill (e.g. communications) with employers discussing why this skill is critical for their sector. These videos will be made available to service providers to use in workshops and for soft skills presentations.
Stay tuned for more information and if you are interested in being involved with our project please call Cyndi Ingle at 905-521-5777 ext. 14 or email: cyndi.ingle@workforceplanninghamilton.ca
Canadian Employers Need Longer Term Workforce Planning to Stay Competitive
Despite the current slack labour market, the greying of Canada's population means that retirement rates are hitting their peak and critical skill shortages continue to emerge.
Already, more than half of Canadian organizations report having difficulties finding workers with critical skills. A
new Conference Board of Canada report suggests that Canadian organizations need a longer-term view of the factors affecting their workforce and plan accordingly.
That's because in the face of interpersonal conflict, many managers will stick their head in the sand,
complain to colleagues, or find themselves drawn into the drama. These may feel better in the short run than dealing directly, clearly and specifically with root causes.
But, in professional settings, bruised feelings tend to build over time, simmering rather than boiling over, until they build to a flash point where the pyrotechnics can be fatal.
Year after year during our discussions with employers via our Employer One Survey and in various employer consultations we hear a great deal about how employees' soft skills are lacking.