Don’t forget about human contact

The use of technology is causing people to lose their interpersonal or soft skills, creating a “static workforce” in Malaysia.

While technology and the use of the internet has created pathways for networking and connecting online, the value of face-to-face communication is being forgotten in some areas, a journal by Hays reported.

The lack of interpersonal communication can relate to both external networking and among colleagues in the same office.

“The technology boom has opened up many networks online and created real, focused, commercial opportunities. One merit of making connections online is the opportunity to tap into a vast international knowledge base,” Chris Mead, regional director of Hays in Malaysia, said.

However, he added the migration to communicate online has created a static workforce, where employees are losing confidence, dynamism and other benefits of human contact.

“In a knowledge-based economy, it’s a high risk strategy for individuals to neglect person-to-person connections… companies should help their staff to learn to network more effectively, both in person and online,” said Mead.

This means actively developing employees’ soft skills to ensure they do not become “isolated by email”. This type of isolation can be a threat to an employer’s competitiveness.

Mead suggests networking training skills alongside further face-to-face contact after introductions via technology have been made.

The journal also suggests strengthening ‘weak ties’ – those people encountered in frequently who could become regular clients or contacts – and a focus on ‘marzipan managers’. These are the people who sit beneath the leadership ‘icing’ who often feel frustrated and swamped in a job with too much paperwork.

“If you want your business to succeed, sooner or later you’ll need to meet the people you would like to turn into clients or staff.”