Teleworking and Softskills become inseparable

June 8, 2020

Faced with the Covid-19 crisis, millions of employees found themselves in “full remote” (full-time teleworking). If the various expertises of the employees also called Hardskills remain essential, they are no longer sufficient to ensure the smooth running of missions in the current context. From now on, individual socio-emotional skills, also known as Softskills, are an important condition for maintaining business activity.

The Softskills, those personal faculties at the service of know-how

While professional expertise remains crucial in the various missions to be carried out, professional integration is generating know-how that is increasingly sought after in companies. In line with human emotions, Softskills act on the personal assets of the employee in the service of the company.

They can be operational, thus determining the ability to organize, make decisions, but also the ability to adapt and undertake. They can also be relational, determining the ability to listen, team spirit and leadership. Finally, cognitive softskills establish the ability to concentrate, to manage emotions or even the creativity of the employee.

Softskills essential to telework: Major assets sought by recruiters

he experience of containment in the face of the covid-19 crisis will undeniably reshuffle the cards in terms of recruitment. Knowing how to communicate, work in collaboration or know how to evolve in a sometimes complex and remote environment are becoming essential qualities in a company. For the teleworker, it is a question of working on his personal skills to meet the needs of the company.

Getting to know each other: The ideal teleworker for the company has a good knowledge of the resources at its disposal. He must be sure of his ability to take on the missions entrusted to him and to maintain his judgement in all circumstances.

Mobilizing your organization’s resources: This is a key asset. It must be able to quickly mobilize all the resources useful to its missions. He must also strive to reject possible negative thoughts related to past situations in the company and by subtly influencing his entourage to stimulate faster results.

Collective thinking: One of the major difficulties in full-time teleworking is the ability to maintain a strong and constant relationship with colleagues, customers, managers and suppliers. The state of mind, involvement or the ability to perceive the needs of others become essential assets in order to find “win/win” solutions.

Be stimulated by challenge and complexity: Teleworking is a real opportunity to surpass oneself and avoid tedious and repetitive work. A positive exploitation of difficulties allows one to become more and more comfortable with what seems complex at first sight. The ideal teleworker should strive to be clear in the way he or she expresses himself or herself in order to have productive meetings at a distance, to show what can be brought to the group and to stimulate consensual solutions by exploiting differences.

Becoming indispensable in the eyes of the hierarchy: This is all the more true in a situation of prolonged telework. It is about the ability to demonstrate one’s expertise and Softskills by highlighting successful projects or by voluntarily facing difficult situations and anticipating expectations.

The role of managers in the development of telework Softskills

The role of the manager evolves with the context in which the company is confronted. If teleworking will largely benefit the employees who are used to and have these Softskills, we should not forget the others. For managers and HR, it is a question of identifying them and supporting them in their daily work. The word equity thus takes on its full meaning, and managers must take care of this between everyone, especially when it comes to speaking in virtual meetings.

Establishing a relationship of trust becomes vital. Putting everyone’s Softskills to work is first and foremost about letting everyone do things their own way.

How about you give them some responsibility instead? By letting an employee take charge of a file, you allow him/her to develop personal skills such as autonomy and management if the assignment is in a group.

Discover  Talentia Softskills, to evaluate the optimal telework frequency for each of your employees.