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!