A new survey reveals that 81% of business leaders believe recent college graduates are woefully unprepared for the professional world, leading some employers to take drastic measures to help mitigate the problem.
Findings from Intelligent.com, an online career readiness resource, looked at responses from 1,000 managers last month, finding that one-third (33%) of them suggest that recent graduates “definitely” need workplace etiquette training to succeed, while nearly half (48%) say they “probably” do.
“I don’t think that it’s anything new,” Huy Nguyen, chief education and career development advisor of the platform, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
“There’s been some generational differences and disputes in the workplace as different generations come in and people who have been inside of the company for a long time are looking at this newer generation that’s coming in, and there are different attitudes and different priorities. So there’s a bit of a culture clash as people are coming into the workforce and trying to integrate into the company culture right now.”
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He says the problem is especially pronounced as the workforce continues its shift out of its COVID pandemic phase, with some returning to the office and mingling with others.
Beyond that, these managers pinpointed a series of commonly emerging themes, including an inability to handle constructive criticism, conflict resolution, dressing professionally, exercising proper cell phone etiquette and keeping controversial topics out of the workplace.
Over 40% of respondents cited these concerns along with others like time management and the inability to communicate professionally via email, phone or through public speaking.
Recent graduates’ inability to handle constructive criticism, poor cell phone etiquette and poor conflict resolution skills comprised the top three.
The findings lead to questions about whether higher education is doing enough to prepare students for the real world.
Nguyen addressed that point with a remark obtained from a press release provided to Fox News Digital.
“Recent grads have spent most of their lives in academic institutions that focus more on theoretical knowledge and inherently give less exposure to practical skills needed to be successful in the workplace,” he said.
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“Leaving a structured environment with clear and constant guidance to enter the professional workplace where they are expected to be more autonomous and deal with ambiguity can be a difficult transition.”
The COVID-19 pandemic upending traditional learning and forcing people to isolate only exacerbated the issue – removing people from a classroom setting and leaving them to work independently until they learned how to use Zoom or another video meeting platform.
In Tuesday’s interview, Nguyen additionally highlighted another change – focus is drifting away from the typical 4-year college degree and settling on these “soft skills” that might be better acquired outside the classroom.
“A lot of time, people are valuing how important practical skills, soft skills or human skills are – interacting in different environments, having respect, understanding and having self-awareness of what’s going on. Ultimately, I think that people are valuing those a lot more now. In the past, there were a lot of company mandates where they required four-year degrees, and I think that trend shift is changing,” he said.
“I think that trend shift toward valuing more practical work experience is higher than it’s ever been.”
Consequently, survey results found many employers already (one third) or plan to (one-fifth) offer workplace etiquette training to bridge the gap between these newcomers and their more experienced colleagues.
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“I think it should provide transparency, so there’s clear communication with clear expectations on how the company works, different processes and procedures there,” he said.
“I also think that adequate training can go both ways. It’s not just necessarily for people that are entering the workforce, but it could be for older generations who have been working for quite some time. It’s about understanding how to work with people. It’s really striking a balance between the two.”
Managers cited several reasons for implementing such training, including fostering company culture and communication, increasing productivity and addressing behavioral issues, in addition to helping struggling graduates develop communication, conflict management and time management skills they might need.
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