One of the biggest challenges facing employers and companies today is keeping employees happy, engaged, and productive. Recent data suggests that upwards of 71% of employees are not fully engaged at their jobs, and 26% are actively disengaged. There are many potential reasons for this, but one of the big factors is lack of professional training and development.

If you’re a job seeker and you want to stand out from the crowd, it’s important to understand the types of skills employers are looking for in 2017. While there are always specific “hard skills” required for each unique job (typing speed, language proficiency, knowledge of software, etc.) these can be taught, but the “soft skills” that are important to employers can be more difficult to learn. The Balance describes soft skills as “…subjective skills that are much harder to quantify. Also known as "people skills" or "interpersonal skills," soft skills relate to the way you relate to and interact with other people.” Unlike hard skills, soft skills are more difficult to teach employees, and that’s why employers are placing more importance on them.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is “the ability to manage one’s own emotions and perceive others’ feeling.” While many people put a great value on a high intellectual intelligence (IQ), the importance of emotional intelligence is being more widely supported. In fact, Daniel Goleman, the leading research specialist on EQ has found that EQ is just as important to career success as IQ. According to the University of Consulting Alliance, Goleman found 67% of all abilities associated with professional success are related to EI.

Updated April 10, 2023

Those looking to motivate their workplace teams, instill confidence, and increase productivity often find that the missing ingredient is a culture of trust among their employees. Without trust in the workplace, workers are simply doing a job with little emotional investment rather than being a complete team with different parts working together for the organization's greater good.  

Here, we look at establishing trust in the workplace by demonstrating and incorporating these six pillars into your workplace culture.

Presenting under any circumstances can be a stressful experience, but even more so when presenting your business case. When you have a business case to share, it’s often something you’re passionate about and the culmination of a lot of hard work. When the stakes are high, it’s perfectly normal to feel nervous about presenting, but there are many things you can so beforehand to ensure it goes smoothly. Here are 6 ways to increase your confidence when presenting your business case:

Updated Dec. 8, 2022.

Project management is an important skill. Successful project managers know how to run a good team, keep multiple balls in the air, and ideally bring their project in on time despite whatever problems might emerge. 

Of course, project managers are also human. Project outcomes can vary, and they can obviously make mistakes. A good project manager is not somebody who never makes a mistake. Instead, they are somebody who learns from their mistakes and, of course, from those good things that can happen through serendipity.

Does your company invest in professional development for its employees? Have you thought about it? Maybe you should. Investing in the professional growth of your employees has many benefits that more than justify any associated costs. In this post we’ll look at the seven different reasons managers should make employee skill development a priority.

As political polarization has gotten steadily worse over the last few election cycles, so too has political tension in the workplace. In the close quarters of a work environment, political differences, especially when combined with the pressures of work, have the potential to get out of control. Fewer than a quarter of employers have formal, written policies on political conversations in the workplace. So, it’s important to have an understanding of the management skills that can help you handle these conversations before they escalate into heated debates. We’ve put together some management communication tips to help you do that.

Considering the average person spends over 70 percent of their time in the workplace, experiencing consistent stress at the place of employment can lead to gradual unhappiness and seep into other parts of one’s life. In this article, we will explore how to identify workplace pressures and cope with workplace stress.

As social creatures, we rely on relationships for love, comfort and even professional success. Strong people skills in the workplace can improve relationships with your supervisors, coworkers, and clients, leading to better job performance and recognition. However, developing these skills takes intentional thought and work; experience alone is not enough to help you build the kind of quality relationships that lead to success.