The dark arts of soft skills: Why you need to revive communication competencies in the workplace

Few things have been as royally screwed by the post COVID world like employees' soft skills. 

They’ve become a dark art in the post-pandemic workplace.

The combination of employees choosing to work from home for two or three days in their pyjamas, coupled with the looming dread of officially returning to the office, has led to a disillusioned, directionless and disconnected workforce. 

We’re talking about the importance of investing in professional development.

Soft skills have been pushed aside and employees have missed out on years of development, upskilling, and career progression. And now HR teams are listening. 

They’re doing their best to help employees regain lost ground by creating professional development workshops, offsites, and investing in growth initiatives. But despite these efforts, employee feedback surveys reveal a growing fatigue with uninspiring, condescending and monotonous lecture-style learning.

HR teams are struggling to get everyone back on the same page. 

This is why it’s critical for HR to rekindle the importance of soft skills before they fade into obscurity as a dark art.

How did we get here?

Workplaces have become more individualised, and our shared touchstones are increasingly disparate. Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings and thereafter they shape us.”

Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafe chats. So even things like physical work meetings, running into colleagues on the way to work or even hump day traditions are hard to come by.

While individuality is important because it promotes diversity of thought and creativity, which is a major asset, it can also make it harder to keep everyone happy, motivated, and in growth mode. 

So it’s up to HR to rethink professional development. We don’t have all the answers, or even a perfect fix…But the mansplaining, boring and dry-as-toast professional modules about communication and soft skills are most certainly out. 

So what’s in?

Engaging, interesting, and contemporary content that actually inspires your people to return to the office and drive organisational growth.

And so, we need to ensure that soft skills don’t become a dark art. To prevent this, HR must work to unify and reconnect employees, especially as they return to the office in a post-hybrid work era.

Why soft skills are important 

The modern workplace is complex.

There are unwritten rules, newly implemented guidelines, cultural sensitivities, personal preferences and a stream of things that ‘have always been done this way’. 

These factors can create a confusing maze where even common sense is a scarce commodity. And the problem with common sense is that it ain’t that common!

So are things good from afar but far from good? 

Well not quite. Employees' muscle memory for these non-core competencies and soft skills need a workout. Think Gold’s Gym with Arnie in the 80’s.

Hybrid work has killed the passive transfer of soft skills. If employees aren’t around other people, how can they communicate on a daily basis? This isolation stunts the natural, informal learning that once occurred simply through interaction.

Learning soft skills is about re-establishing employees as a cohesive team—a unit—bringing them back onto a path of mutual growth where both employees and employers benefit from a shared, enriching experience. 

Additionally, investing in soft skills not only improves communication and collaboration but is a good way to bring people back into the office, because many acknowledge the deficit in their communication skills. 

The art of soft skills 

Create team building exercises where employees don’t feel like they're being punished.

We’re not here to debate the pros and cons of returning to the office. It’s happening. So it’s important to address the elephant in the room, break the ice and set some ground rules. 

But for that to happen, team building must evolve beyond the tired, obligatory exercises that often feel like a punishment. Rather than forcing employees into activities they dread, HR should design engaging, fun events that directly relate to real work challenges. 

Working on things like:

• Interpersonal communication 
• Understanding and appreciating colleagues 
• Skills to address the elephant in the room 
• Appreciating different styles of communication. 

These activities should foster genuine connections, encourage collaboration, and provide opportunities for peer-to-peer learning in a relaxed environment. When team building is enjoyable and relevant, it boosts morale and helps rebuild a cohesive company culture. 

In the end, the dark arts of soft skills can no longer be left to chance. By rethinking professional development and embracing engaging, outcomes-based training and team-building strategies, HR can help revive essential soft skills in today’s hybrid world. 

About us

Martian Logic has been empowering HR teams for years with simple, scalable solutions that let organisations thrive. Our intuitive HRIS streamlines every aspect of HR—from recruitment and onboarding to performance tracking and internal mobility. With robust analytics and real-time insights, our platform helps you transform professional development, re-energise soft skills training, and foster a more connected, productive workforce. Contact us today and discover how Martian Logic can boost engagement, retention, and long-term success.