Learning life skills help you effectively deal with workplace issues and are essential for a steeper learning curve. While you will learn certain life skills in schools, you learn many life skills through experience. These are as important as academic skills. Therefore, employers today seek candidates with mastery of different life skills. Life skills help you get through your work life and ensure you can face any challenges that might block the road to success.
Importance of life skills in the workplace:
- Ensures adaptability: life skills makes you more adaptable as it prepares you to face difficulties and overcome them
- Helps deal with failure: with life skills, you develop the ability to recover from failures and view them as learning opportunities
- Assists in team collaboration: mastery of these skills help you work collaboratively with others that help in building a team collaboration
- Increases accountability: it encourages new ideas and helps you stand for yourself. Life skills teach you to be accountable for all your actions
Life skills required at the workplace:
- Communication skills: Whether you join as an entry-level employee or a senior employee, excellent communication skills are critical for success in your life and work. You should be able to communicate verbally, through body language and writing. Employers look for candidates who can effectively communicate with their colleagues, managers and clients.
Communication skills can be:
Active listening
Written communication
Verbal communication
Non-verbal communication
Public speaking.
Decision-making skills: The ability to make the right decisions lead to productive outcomes at work. Employers prefer candidates who can analyze a situation, come up with multiple solutions, and choose the best workable solution based on the information in hand. People with good decision-making skills are never doubtful of their decision and are confident of them.
Decision-making skills can be:
Emotional intelligence
Creative thinking
Time management
Teamwork
Problem-solving
Technology skills: In the digital age, technology skills and computer literacy are as critical as academic qualifications. You must know how to use basic technology, including using a computer, internet and smartphone.
Technology skills can be:
Microsoft Office suite
G Suite
Social media platforms
Email management
Communication software.
Time management skills: This life skill brings focus and self-discipline into your life. Effective time management skills require working efficiently with a focus on accomplishing goals and meeting deadlines.
Time management skills can be:
Prioritizing
Task management
Workload management
Scheduling
Delegation.