HR leaders think soft skills are more important than ever—just don’t call them ‘soft’

HR pros seem to have hard feelings about “soft skills.”

Soft skills are generally understood to encompass non-technical, interpersonal job skills, including communication, critical thinking, and collaboration competencies. HR leaders say these capabilities are more important than ever as technological changes like AI or remote work reshape how jobs are performed.

But it’s hard to miss that HR leaders seldom actually say the words “soft skills.” In fact, some want the people profession to stop using the term altogether.

The rise of soft skills. The term “soft skills” first appeared in military training documents (created by the now-defunct United States Continental Army Command) in the early 1970s, initially describing any skills not involving using machinery or weapons. It emerged in the corporate lexicon in subsequent decades. Today, these skills are generally understood to encompass non-technical, interpersonal job skills, including communication, critical thinking, and collaboration competencies.

In recent years, interest in the term has skyrocketed, driven in part by the Covid-19 pandemic, when the corporate world quickly adopted remote work and suddenly the only human-to-human interactions were happening over Zoom. Leaders worried that workers, Gen Zers in particular, weren’t developing interpersonal competencies because they were missing out on social learning that occurs naturally in-person.

“There is that need for these skills, especially with the new generation that’s coming into the workforce,” said Carina Cortez, chief people officer at the talent experience platform Cornerstone.

“The Gen Z group did enter with video as their main interaction point. And there is something to be gained by entering into an office environment that’s very different than entering through a Zoom environment,” she told HR Brew.

With AI now poised to take over many of workers’ day-to-day tasks in certain jobs, leaders realize that these interpersonal skills are even more important because technology can’t replace them.

“The pace of change is so fast that we need to bring people along. And as we think about the role that AI is playing, it’s even more critical to engage, lead, help support, the people that are around us,” Sara Morales, SVP, people partner sales & marketing, country, and employee relations at Cisco, told HR Brew. “And there’s data that shows that employees who believe their managers care about them, have higher engagement and performance. We need them to help balance out everything we’re seeing from a technology and AI standpoint.”

Out of style. That said, HR leaders interviewed by HR Brew say they dislike the term “soft skills.” And, as these competencies attract a greater focus amid several shifts in the nature of work, they think it’s time to retire the term.

“I’ve been doing talent management for 30 years, and I’'ve probably slipped once or twice, but I’ve never intentionally used the word soft skills in my career,” Chris Ernst, Workday’s chief learning officer, told HR Brew. “It’s time to put the soft skills, hard skills, completely to rest, I feel, because fundamentally the term soft skills unintentionally diminishes the perceived value of the essential skills that are needed, especially in the AI era.”

One large reason given for the pushback against the term is that “soft” often has a “negative perception,” as Morales said, in the business world. Just consider “soft market,” “softening demand,” or “soft management,” as a few examples.

“It mistakenly gives the appearance of diminished value in comparison to ‘hard skills,’ those skills commonly viewed as more technical and quantifiable,” Patricia Bravo, a leadership development consultant and former HR manager, said. “Soft skills have a perception problem. Their return on investment can be equitable, yet more hidden. Because their return is less visible, they are more easily discounted.”

Not all HR leaders dislike the term. While Ty Beasley, chief talent officer at audit, tax, and consulting firm RSM US, prefers to say “durable skills,” he doesn’t have a problem with “soft skills.”

“Maybe it’s because we’ve been saying it for so long, when I think of soft skills, I don’t look at the negative side of it,” he said.

Nailing down the lingo. Numerous terms have emerged as substitutes in place of “soft.” Common examples given by HR leaders interviewed by HR Brew include “core,” “durable,” “human,” or “interpersonal” skills.

But are there downsides to using a myriad of alternatives instead of "soft skills," which, despite its flaws, might be better recognized?

“While alternatives like ‘human skills’ or ‘real skills’ attempt to elevate the perception of soft skills, they can introduce ambiguity or perpetuate the same undervaluation issue,” Jelena Djordjevic, CPO at home services company Thumbtack, told HR Brew via email.

“I think language is important, so I’m hopeful we will land on a common term,” Cortez said. But what’s most important, she noted, is building up the skill sets that these terms actually encompass.

“What’s good, I think, is that the skill sets that make up this group, whatever you choose to call it… they’re the same group of skills, and I think people are understanding that,” she said. “So just to use the terminology consistently within your own organization will be the key.”

Other leaders echoed that sentiment. Workday, for example, uses “core skills,” and further defines the term as relating to the company’s six core values, Ernst said.

“There may be some risk of having different nomenclature, but the most important thing I would advise an organization to do is to organize your skills around your business strategy and your culture, and in a way that makes sense for your organization.”