Talks on artificial intelligence and automation continue to dominate in the workplace. They continue to change and reshape the workplace, so it’s easy to overlook what has always deemed as “soft” skills. These skills require a multitude of relevant qualities, such as creative thinking, analytical skills, problem-solving, ethics, integrity, and critical thinking.
In an increasingly digital world and endless discussions, this single question remains: how do soft skills remain relevant in the digital age? In more ways than one, technology is expected to replace workers—but is that all there is to see?
Contrary to what many believe, technology is highlighting the need for soft skills more than ever. Here are three things you need to know:
1 – Technology is transforming the workplace
Experts continue to argue that technology will ultimately create more jobs than diminish, as its main purpose is to help human beings perform better and more efficiently. It augments the number of tasks they can handle and many businesses have regarded technology adaptation necessary to business growth and competitiveness.
It’s true, though: as technology advances, many more machines will be designed to perform tasks chiefly done by a human. However, most devices are designed to be complementary rather than replacement. Disaster recovery and cyber threat detection, for instance, are beyond human capabilities and will need the help of technology.
As technology transforms the workplace, skills will evolve. Human employees will eventually acquirable new marketable skills, especially when it comes to technology literacy.
2 – Technology highlights soft skills and empathy
Make no mistake: technology will eventually disrupt operations but as a way to mitigate this and transition smoothly, human employees must develop new skills that will not be easily automated.
There are various things that robots will not be able to, specifically “soft skills”. These are deemed as personal attributes that enable individuals to interact effectively with other people, such as empathy, body language, nonverbal communication, leadership, work ethics, active listening, and flexibility. In other words, these are attributes currently required to succeed in the workplace.
The next few decades will see the rise of digital technology, soft skills will remain to be out of reach for machines. As previously mentioned, computers will only take over monotonous tasks—consumers will still need access to intelligent, thoughtful, and creative people to address problems and provide solutions.
3 – Technology encourages creativity
Creativity is regarded as the most important soft skill, and it remains to be in-demand even as technology integrates into various aspects of our lives. Many studies postulate that creativity remains to be a crucial area where machines can never outperform humans. Creativity comes from life experiences and emotions, after all, and the end-products are the means of expressing and making sense of these factors. Machines, on the other hand, have no means of creating authentic pieces of art because they have no way of experiencing and expressing emotions.
Conclusion
Even as technology advances, human employees have nothing to be afraid of. Focus on shaping and building your soft skills now—creativity, problem-solving, leadership, strategy, and empathy will remain ever relevant, especially in the digital world. These skills can never be automated, so direct your attention now and help place yourself in the best possible position in the coming era of machines!
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