Have Employers Gone Crazy?

Have employers gone crazy or are they just frustrated looking for hard working employees?  Apparently a Texas company is now advertising hiring opportunities with very clear standards.  Instead of listing hard skill qualifications such as tasks or abilities required to actually complete the job, they outlined behaviors they prefer not to see on the job.  Have they gone too far?  

According to Alison Doyle a contributor for the balance, a financial website company, surveys report the following statistics for employees losing their jobs;

• 15% of employers have fired a worker for calling in without a legitimate reason (CareerBuilder)

•  22% of employers have fired someone for using the Internet for non-work related activity (CareerBuilder)

• 22% of employees know someone who has been fired for wasting time at the office or disrupting other employees (SHRM)

• 33% of employers have disciplined an employee for violating social media policy (SHRM)

She also reports other popular reasons for getting fired such as lying on a resume or application, not being able to get along with co-workers or management, and posting stuff on social media sites.  For the complete article go to https://www.thebalance.com/top-reasons-for-getting-fired-2060732 .  

What I find surprising, and frankly frustrating, is that these are all behaviors people have control over. Sometimes these behaviors are referred to as soft skills,  behavioral attributes and personal qualities that are not actual technical skills required for a job.  It appears that poor soft skills in the work environment have more of effect on employee performance For more information on soft skills refer to  http://www.skillsyouneed.com/general/soft-skills.html. 

While your technical skills may get you in the door for a job, it is your behavior that leads to career success.