Some employers find that their new employees lack basic interpersonal skills such as the ability to work with colleagues as a team.What are the causes of this problem?What are some solutions?

Companies whether small scale or multimillion goes through a rigorous process when looking for a candidate who will best fit a job position. In most if not all job advertisement, employers look for candidates who possess not only great technical and communication skills but also interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills are the behaviors a person uses to interact with others harmoniously and properly. These skills do not only entail being able to work well with others while at the same time performing the job and completing the tasks at hand it also means active listening, teamwork, leadership, problem- solving and decision making all geared towards achieving the company’s goals.
During interviews is when most companies are tricked. Candidates can say all they want about their abilities and being a team player but it won’t be proven and observed until they are out on the field. Once a candidate starts working, this is when the employees learn about the newbie’s problem on interpersonal skills or the lack thereof. Some employers find that new employees lack the ability to work with colleagues as a team; this can hinder the company in achieving its goals.
One’s inability to work well with others can be attributed to many factors like personal issues and challenges, cultural diversity in the workplace, poor leadership and not having clear objectives from the management. Although one’s personal problems and issues should not be brought to the office, it surely affects one’s performance at work and their ability to interact with others. To address this kind of issue, management and human resource department should allow their employees to take a leave from work in order to address and resolve their personal issues. A fully focused employee can surely get his job done in no time. Another factor to take into consideration is the diversity in the workplace. A huge company will surely have tons of employees from different walks of life, this means each employee will have to deal with different attitudes for eight or more hours in a day. These differences can bring forth miscommunication, misunderstanding, and rifts between employees, new and old alike. This is where team building activities play a great role. Activities that promote unity, camaraderie and effective communication will surely help employees to get to know and understand each other and will surely help them in having and keeping their professional relationship. Leadership also plays a great role in an employee’s ability to interact with the rest of the team or company. If a new employee feels that he cannot approach his leader to ask for feedback or for help on his work it is most likely that this employee will think that everyone in the company or team is just his leader. It is imperative that all leaders should set as a good example to his team members. This will ensure that the whole team will work in harmony thus helping the company achieve its goal.
To sum it all up, companies also play a great role in helping and cultivating their employees’ innate abilities. Individuals should also do their part in improving their interpersonal skills so they can do their job and help the company in achieving its goals.