How to improve interpersonal skills in the workplace
Hiring demand for candidates with soft skills that are in demand is rising across industries. While technical expertise still matters, the ability to build relationships, communicate effectively and collaborate with others is a universal necessity, no matter your role or sector.
According to the Hays Salary Guide FY25/26, the real issue facing employers isn’t a shortage of experience or technical skills, but a decline in social skills across the board. It's an endemic challenge that’s not confined to one job type. While teaching interpersonal skills to adults through training and education is part of the solution, human skills also need to be factored into hiring decisions, particularly at the intermediate level.
When surveyed about the human skills most needed, three key themes emerged:
- 82% cited people skills such as communication and interpersonal skills, people management, emotional intelligence (EQ), negotiation and coordination
- 73% pointed to adaptability and learning in times of change
- 59% spoke about creativity, critical thinking, judgment and decision-making
With social skills declining due to technology and remote work reducing in-person interaction, it’s never been more important to understand and develop interpersonal skills.
Why are interpersonal skills important in the workplace?
Interpersonal skills are the foundation of strong working relationships and are essential for long-term career success. They help you navigate team dynamics, communicate effectively, and collaborate with others to achieve shared goals.
Developing strong interpersonal skills matters for various reasons:
- Enable effective collaboration: Work well in teams by adapting to different personalities, roles, and communication styles.
- Foster stronger relationships: Build trust and rapport with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.
- Support adaptability: Adjust to change, communicate transitions clearly, and contribute to evolving priorities.
- Improve conflict resolution: Navigate disagreements calmly and constructively to maintain a positive work environment.
- Enhance leadership potential: Influence and motivate others by listening, supporting, and responding to their needs.
- Drive professional fulfilment: People with strong interpersonal skills often experience more rewarding, enjoyable careers.
Interpersonal skills examples
Interpersonal skills encompass everyday behaviours to effectively interact and communicate well with others.
Active listening
Active listening is more than just hearing what people say. To be an active listener at work, it’s important to devote your full attention to the person you are speaking with. That way, you absorb their message, respond to them with relevant questions and retain key information.
Employers value active listening skills because they know they can share valuable information with you and it will be received in the way they intend. As an active listener, you are also more likely to retain the information you need to perform your job to the best of your abilities.
Conflict resolution
Conflict can occur for many reasons. Some issues surface because of adversarial management styles, poor leadership choices, personality clashes and different ideas on the best way forward on a task or activity. If left unresolved, conflict can impact staff absenteeism, lower morale and increase turnover.
Conflict is inevitable, but interpersonal skills help to resolve it. Those with strong interpersonal skills:
- Actively listen to all parties involved
- Identify the problem causing the conflict and speak specifically about it
- Avoid personal statements about the individuals involved
- Speak calmly and communicate clearly
- Establish next steps for all parties to resolve the conflict
Communication skills
Communication skills in the workplace take many forms. Fundamentally, communication skills are all about the exchange of messages communicated through writing, speaking and body language.
There are a range of areas you can focus on to develop your communication skills, including:
- Being aware of your audience
- Using clear and concise language
- Remaining empathetic
- Developing non-verbal cues
Collaboration
Very few jobs involve working in total isolation. Most involve working with others to solve problems or to reach a common goal. To do so successfully, you need to interact proficiently and productively with all team members. This includes:
- Being open to the ideas of others
- Sharing information
- Setting common goals and plans together
- Supporting others
- Delivering on your own personal project responsibilities
- Adapting when priorities change
Emotional intelligence
Your feelings can impact the way you interact with others. By managing your own emotions, and recognising and responding suitably to the emotions of others, you’ll develop your emotional intelligence skills and, in the process, create stronger professional relationships.
By being emotionally aware, you can keep your own emotions in check, while simultaneously understanding the emotions of others and responding in a way that enables you to maintain a mutually beneficial professional working relationship.
How to improve interpersonal skills
With the decline of social skills often attributed to increased digital interactions, knowing how to actively improve your interpersonal skills is vital. Here’s how to start:
1. Identify interpersonal skills
If you want to improve your interpersonal skills in the workplace, you could undertake an online self-assessment. This will help you to analyse how skilled you are in interpersonal relationship building and communication. By completing a self-assessment, you can then plan what you need to do to develop your interpersonal skills further.
2. Create an interpersonal skills development plan
Once you complete your self-assessment, you will have identified certain interpersonal skills that need to be improved. For each developmental area on your list, determine how you can best upskill.
For example, if you need to become a more confident public speaker, practice in front of the mirror, a video camera, or supportive friends and family who can provide constructive feedback. Or, if you realise that you are prone to interrupting colleagues, consciously practice active listening in future meetings and conversations.
You can also use opportunities outside of work to build up your interpersonal skills. Sports clubs or school committees, for example, are great places to develop your interpersonal skills.
Managers can also assess their team's overall human skill capability. Consider integrating soft skill diagnostics into performance reviews or hiring assessments to pinpoint gaps in collaboration, adaptability and communication.
3. Undertake professional development
There is a range of professional learning courses that will sharpen your interpersonal skills. For instance, Hays Learning is only a few clicks away and provides free online training and microlearning to progress your career and skills, including your interpersonal skills.
With constant learning necessary for ongoing career success, consider other ways to upskill your interpersonal skills, including apps, social media or through an industry or professional association.
Employers can provide access to coaching, mentoring, or training targeted at high-demand interpersonal skills. Build these into onboarding for new hires and ongoing development for existing staff.
4. Build interpersonal skills in the workplace
Of course, you can also pursue opportunities at work for interpersonal skills development. For instance, put yourself forward to participate in more collaborative project work or spend more time participating in social occasions at work. Be on the constant lookout for any opportunities to put your interpersonal skills into practice at work.
Managers can intentionally create environments where interpersonal skills can flourish. Encourage team collaboration, support cross-functional projects, and build a feedback culture that values active communication.
Why employers should hire for human skills
Our survey discovered that a skills shortage doesn’t mean a lack of talent, it’s human skills that are proving harder to sustain. While qualifications matter, so do qualities like empathy, adaptability, and collaboration. These skills can’t be assumed; they must be nurtured.
As well as skills-based hiring, here’s what employers can do:
- Hire for potential, not just experience. Look beyond technical expertise to assess how candidates communicate, problem-solve, and adapt to change.
- Embed soft skills into position descriptions and performance metrics. Define what good interpersonal behaviour looks like in your organisation and reward it.
- Support ongoing education. Provide consistent access to resources for teaching interpersonal skills to adults, especially at the intermediate and leadership levels.
Importance of interpersonal skills in action
Whether you’re growing your own abilities or developing a team, improving interpersonal skills is a clear competitive advantage. With fewer opportunities for organic interaction due to remote work and digital communication, intentional skill-building is crucial.
And if you're hiring, make sure to evaluate and promote these capabilities throughout your recruitment process. In a world where soft skills are in demand, human connection is what drives real business results.
Hays Learning
Sign up for free