The Lost Art of Soft Skills
Technology Replaces Getting Along
The culture of the workplace has changed since the pandemic, with more remote work, and the rise of AI performing tasks. With the increase in technology and not needing to see someone’s face at work, soft skills are quickly sliding downwards with people at all levels of individual, department, and corporate behavior.
I have worked in New York City, which is a tough place generally. Varying backgrounds have always converged here and interacted socially and at work. Before the pandemic, companies and managers emphasized getting along, common ground, and at least courteous behavior. When I returned to an office environment, trauma from the pandemic had made people paranoid, worn out, and finding excuses to work remotely. No effort at welcoming new faces was even superficially in place. Soft skills were flushed down the toilet in favor of the old-fashioned New York grittiness that I grew up with but hadn’t seen in a while.
Then I had a position with a company that hired people around the globe, including different states. The work was 100% remote. I found myself in a team of people who didn’t know each other, never met, and were vastly different from each other. Surprisingly for a company that put so much emphasis on employee well-being, there was little effort put into orientation, getting to know colleagues and new people, and caring about their background. Instead, I experienced an onslaught of cultural conflicts that began with US state value and culture differences that also extended beyond national borders. Yet again, soft skills were put on the back burner in favor of trying to find hard skills to plug into a team. In addition, I have seen people in leadership positions reluctant to ask their own team members for help, opting to use AI.
When I have looked at job requirements and been in interviews, all the emphasis is on hard skills. STAR questions are not directed at soft skills, and the interviews are surprisingly short. Descriptions might include collaboration, but I don’t notice particular emphasis on this, especially when I encounter people newer to the job market.
All of this makes me wonder whether we, as a workforce, have been so worn out from the last 10 years that we cannot work together. It concerns me, because it reflects a larger mind frame of being unwilling to get along with other people. I live in a city that has historically asked diverse groups to get along – at least passively. Strangers gather for commuting, cultural events, and other outings. We find ways to get along and exercise our soft skills. I need to ask why this is not extended to the workforce – is that really asking too much? I worry for our future if the answer is “yes.”
