Teaching Soft Skills…Is it Really Possible?
Presentation for the
North East Regional Employment and Training Association
By Joanie Stephen
Smart Work Ethics
If you ignore it--it just gets worse
Work Ethics
Soft Skills
“They don’t show up on time.”
“They aren’t dressed appropriately.”
“And sometimes they don’t show up at all.”
Business and Industry continue to say…
Employers are looking for people who:
• Want to work
• Who have an understanding of workplace responsibilities
• Who are willing to learn and grow
• Who can work cooperatively with others, and
• Who are disciplined and motivated in their work habits
In other words, someone with “WORK ETHICS”
What are Work Ethics?
Why are they necessary?
Who needs them?
How do people get them?
Work Ethic
A motivating belief that employees owe their employer a full day of diligent work including following their supervisor’s instructions.
Courtesy
The habitual use of “Please,” “Thank you,” “Excuse me,” and “May I help you?” in dealing with customers, supervisors, and colleagues.
Teamwork
The ability to share responsibilities, confer with others, honor commitments, help others do their jobs, and seek help when needed.
Purdue University lists Soft Skills as:
PURDUEUNIVERSITY
Responsibility
Why are “Work Ethics” Important?
Impacts production
Enhance workplace environment
Creates the culture of the workplace
Allows employees to move up the career ladder
What Happens When Your Workforce Doesn’t Have
Work Ethics?Perceived problem that a workforce is not available
Classes for hard skills unfilled
Lack of enrollment in tech programs
Harder to learn hard skills
Causes higher unemployment
Creates high turnover
Impacts production
How Do You Get a Quality Workforce?
Identify Workforce
Presently employed—but problem employee
Unemployed
School graduates
Future school graduates
So, where do you “get” work ethics?
Home School
WorkRole Model--Sports or otheractivities
What about the person who hasnever been taught work ethics?
If you ignore it,it just gets worse.
State governments have great
programs and doors are opened
every day.
However, the open door sometimes
feels like . . .
Work Ethics
Resume and Interview Skills
Job Skills
Mentoring
Present Workforce
SUCCESS
Understanding Strengths and Stressors
Attitude
Punctuality and Attendance
Appearance
Cognitive Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Time Management
Goal Setting
Self Management
Working with a Difficult Boss
So, let’s talk about work ethics.What do we really mean?
PersonalResponsibility
Work Ethic
A motivating belief that employees owe their employer a full day of diligent work including following their supervisor’s instructions.
Courtesy
The habitual use of “Please,” “Thank you,” “Excuse me,” and “May I help you?” in dealing with customers, supervisors, and colleagues.
Teamwork
The ability to share responsibilities, confer with others, honor commitments, help others do their jobs, and seek help when needed.
Purdue University lists Soft Skills as:
PURDUEUNIVERSITY
We need an “out of the box” solution
E-learning
Videos (DVD)
Motivational Speaker
http://www.act.org/products/workforce-act-national-career-readiness-certificate/
The Small Steps Necessary
Training
Building on skill development
Goal setting
Celebrating successes
Reinforcements
Movement to the next step--successful employment
TRAINING
Telling is not training
Orientation
Policy Manual
Supervisor Instruction
Employee Meetings
Motivational Speakers
Training Must Include Experiential Activities
Tell them what you are going to have them do -- and why
Have them do what you want them to do
Have them report on their experience
Effective training must * Engage the person * Create interest * Provide relevance
If it does not do these things then itis like going to a foreign film and notbeing able to read the subtitles.
Build On Each Skill
Introduce the skill
Give them a point of reference
When introducing new skills refer back to other learned skills and show how they connect.
It is just like telling a child to “Go clean your room.”
If they have never cleaned their room thenit is a good idea to start with:
Hang up all the clean clothes that are in your room
Then: Put all the shoes away in the closet
Then: Pick up all the dirty clothes and put them in the dirty clothes hamper
Then: Make your bed
Encourage Success
Feedback is importantTrainer feedback
Participant feedback
Reinforcement programTangible reinforcers
Social reinforcers
Reinforcement ProgramBehavioral reinforcement is used to create change.
Reinforcement refers to methods of strengthening behaviors so that they willincrease, or will continue, to be performed.
Use:
• Tangible reinforcers (material objects)
• Social reinforcers (attention, praise, approval and acknowledgement)
Reinforcers are used to Create interest Encourage enthusiasm Take ownership
They are designed to move participants from classroom reinforcements to natural reinforcements
Job retention Promotions Pay raises
Some critics of behavioral methods have
argued that individuals should perform desirable
behaviors simply because of their intrinsic value.
“They just need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps”
“They don’t want to work”
“They feel entitled.”
Except for behaviors that satisfy our basic
physiological needs, such as eating or sleeping,
the value of all behaviors is learned.
Participants in a Work Ethics program will learn that increased work ethic can lead to:
• Increased job retention
• Fewer work place problems
• Increased productivity
• Promotions
• Pay raises
Consider These Ideas!
Teach Work Ethics in schools (Grade/s ?)
Teach Work Ethics to everyone whocomes to the Career Centers/One Stops
Teach Work Ethics at thebeginning of the GED programs
Consider These Ideas continued
Teach Work Ethics with company orientations
Teach Work Ethics with juvenile probation programs
Teach Work Ethics withre-entry programs
Consider These Ideas continued
Teach Work Ethics at every Community College
Teach Work Ethics withevery Technical College
Teach Work Ethics toapplicants for Pell Grants/student loans
Consider These Ideas continued
Teach Work Ethics with Ready-to-Work programs
Teach Work Ethics withHousing Board recipients
Teach Work Ethics in the Foster Child Independent LivingProgram
Consider These Ideas continued
Teach Work Ethics with Big Brothers Big Sisters Programs
Teach Work Ethics to Job Corpsparticipants
Teach Work Ethics…
What can be done TODAY
• Acknowledge the need for a new approach to Work Ethics training
• Incorporate a program for Work Ethics in the schools/prisons/GED programs, etc.
• Create the change necessary to provide states with a stable and strong workforce
• Train the present workforce in Work Ethics
• Train the incoming workforce in Work Ethics
REALLY GREAT RECIPEServes 6
12 Ounces thick-sliced bacon Kosher salt Vegetable oil1 pound small pasta, such as cavatappi1 quart whole milk8 tablespoons butter½ cup all-purpose flour12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled½ cup Rioja wine½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg5 slices French bread, crusts removed¼ cups chopped fresh basil leaves
SHOPPING LIST
Cavatappi
Gruyere cheese
Extra-sharp cheddar cheese
Blue cheese
Nutmeg
Basil
Rioja
So, what do we end up with?
Or this….
You can provide an “out of the box” solution.
REALLY GREAT RECIPEServes 20
AttendanceCritical ThinkingCommitmentGood AttitudeDependabilityGoal SettingTime ManagementPunctualitySelf ManagementAppearanceGood Work EthicAnd ……
Facilitator Training
Participant Manual
All Classroom Materials
All Reinforcements
Coaching
SHOPPING LIST
It’s time to get started!