If Part I made one thing clear, it is this: many of the skills we keep expecting from employees were never explicitly taught in the first place. We are not just facing a performance gap, we are facing a preparation gap. And once we see that clearly, the conversation shifts. The question is no longer “Why don’t they know this?” but “How do we teach it in a way that actually works?” Because awareness alone does not change outcomes. Identifying the missing middle is the first step, but closing it requires something more intentional. It requires clearer diagnosis, practical training, and a willingness to build learning into the everyday flow of work. That is where we go next.
The First Step Is Identifying the Real Gap
Before organizations can teach the right skill, they need to identify the right gap. This is where a lot of training efforts miss the mark. Too often, organizations respond to a broad frustration with a broad training.
Employees are not communicating well, so everyone gets communication training.
Employees are struggling with follow-through, so everyone gets professionalism training.
Employees are making mistakes, so everyone gets accountability training.
Will that help? Maybe a little. But it may not solve the real issue. The better question is: what specifically is missing?
If an employee struggles with communication, do they need help with email structure, tone, phone calls, documentation, active listening, conflict, or asking questions?
If an employee struggles with professionalism, do they need support with punctuality, follow-through, boundaries, written communication, meeting behavior, accountability, or workplace expectations?
If an employee struggles with critical thinking, do they need help identifying assumptions, comparing options, asking better questions, using evidence, or making recommendations?
Specific gaps need specific training.
“Be more professional” is not specific.
“Use a clear subject line, include the purpose of the email, identify the next step, and proofread before sending” is specific.
“Use critical thinking” is not specific.
“Identify what you know, what you still need to know, what assumptions you are making, and what next step makes sense” is specific.
That is where real development begins. The more clearly we can name the gap, the more effectively we can teach the skill.
Help Employees Assess What They May Be Missing
Here is another piece we do not talk about enough. Employees need a way to assess their own gaps without feeling embarrassed, judged, or called out. A lot of people do not know what they do not know. That does not mean they are careless. It means no one has helped them name the gap yet.
A good self-assessment should feel like a growth tool, not a test. The message should be:
“This is not about proving what you lack. This is about identifying where you want to build more confidence.”
That language matters.
A practical self-assessment could ask employees to rate their confidence in areas such as:
- Typing speed and accuracy
- Microsoft Word formatting
- Microsoft Excel basics
- Writing professional emails
- Using proper grammar and proofreading
- Answering the phone professionally
- Leaving clear voicemails
- Taking accurate phone messages
- Addressing an envelope or mailing a document
- Researching information from credible sources
- Summarizing information clearly
- Thinking through a problem before reacting
- Asking clarifying questions
- Receiving feedback
- Managing time and priorities
- Communicating with empathy
- Handling difficult conversations
- Organizing digital files
- Knowing when to ask for help
- Staying curious and willing to learn
The assessment should include both confidence and ability.
For each skill, employees can answer:
- I feel confident doing this on my own.
- I can do this, but I sometimes need support.
- I have seen this done, but I need more practice.
- I do not know how to do this yet.
- I am not sure what this means.
That last option is important. Sometimes the biggest gap is not ability. It is awareness. If someone does not know what a pivot table is, what track changes does, how to format a business letter, or what makes a source credible, they cannot accurately assess whether they know how to do it. That is why self-assessment should be paired with examples.
Instead of asking, “Can you use Excel?” ask:
“Can you create a spreadsheet, enter data, sort and filter information, use a SUM formula, and create a simple chart?”
Instead of asking, “Do you have good communication skills?” ask:
“Can you write a clear email that includes a subject line, greeting, purpose, necessary details, next step, and professional closing?”
Instead of asking, “Are you good on the phone?” ask:
“Can you answer a call professionally, introduce yourself, ask clarifying questions, take a message, and end the call clearly?”
Specific questions lead to better answers.
Better answers lead to better training.
Buy-In Comes Before Behavior Change
This is the part we cannot skip. People are more likely to learn when they understand why the skill matters. Training does not work well when it feels like punishment. It also does not work well when people feel talked down to, embarrassed, or treated like they should already know everything. If we want employees to buy into learning, we need to connect the skill to something that matters to them.
Typing is not just typing. It is speed, confidence, independence, and less frustration during the workday.
Excel is not just Excel. It is organization, accuracy, reporting, tracking, and better decision-making.
Microsoft Word is not just a blank document. It is the ability to create something polished, readable, and professional.
Email etiquette is not just being polite. It is being clear enough that people know what you need, what you mean, and what happens next.
Phone etiquette is not outdated. It is real-time communication, confidence, and professionalism.
Grammar is not about perfection. It is about clarity.
Research is not just looking something up. It is knowing how to find accurate information, compare sources, and avoid repeating nonsense with confidence.
Critical thinking is not just a buzzword people toss into job descriptions because it sounds impressive. It is how employees learn to pause, process, ask better questions, and make stronger decisions.
Empathy is not just being kind. It is how people build trust, reduce conflict, support clients, and communicate like actual humans instead of malfunctioning office robots.
When employees understand the purpose behind a skill, they are more likely to care about learning it. The message should not be, “You are missing this.” The message should be, “This skill will make you stronger, more confident, and more prepared for where you want to go.” That is a very different conversation.
Learning Has to Feel Safe Enough to Try
People do not learn well when they feel ashamed. That matters because foundational skill gaps often come with embarrassment.
An employee may feel embarrassed that they do not type quickly.
They may feel embarrassed that they do not know how to use Excel.
They may feel embarrassed that they are nervous on the phone.
They may feel embarrassed that grammar does not come easily.
They may feel embarrassed that they do not know how to address an envelope.
They may feel embarrassed that they need help with something everyone else seems to already understand.
That embarrassment can turn into avoidance. Avoidance can look like disengagement. Disengagement can get mislabeled as attitude. And just like that, the real issue gets buried. Organizations can interrupt that cycle by normalizing learning. That does not mean lowering expectations. It means making the learning process less humiliating.
Leaders and trainers can say things like:
- “This is a skill many people were never directly taught.”
- “Everyone has a starting point.”
- “The goal is not perfection. The goal is progress.”
- “We are going to practice this in a way that connects to real work.”
- “You are not expected to know everything on day one.”
- “Asking for help is part of learning.”
That kind of language lowers defensiveness. It gives people permission to try. And trying is where growth starts.
We Need to Teach the Urge to Learn
One of the most important pieces of workforce development is helping people want to learn. This is where many training programs miss the mark. We teach the task, but we do not always teach the value of learning itself. If employees only see training as one more thing on their calendar, they may attend, complete the activity, and move on. But if they understand that learning helps them become more confident, more independent, and more prepared for future opportunities, something shifts.
Learning becomes personal. That is where buy-in starts.
Organizations can help build the urge to learn by asking employees to reflect on questions like:
- What skill would make your current job easier?
- What skill would help you feel more confident?
- What task do you avoid because you do not feel fully comfortable doing it?
- What is one skill you wish someone had taught you earlier?
- What is one skill that could help you grow into a future role?
- What kind of practice would help you feel less nervous?
- What support would make learning feel easier?
These questions turn training from something done to employees into something built with them. That distinction matters. People are more likely to commit to learning when they can see themselves in the reason for it.
Turn the Assessment Into a Learning Plan
The assessment should not sit in a folder and collect digital dust. Once employees identify what they may be missing, the next step is to turn that information into a learning plan. And that plan does not have to be complicated.
Each employee can identify:
- Three skills they feel confident in
- Three skills they want to strengthen
- One skill that would make their current job easier
- One skill that would help them grow into a future role
- One action they can take this month to practice
This helps employees take ownership of their development. It also helps managers coach more effectively. Instead of guessing where someone needs help, managers can have a conversation based on the employee’s own reflection.
A manager might ask:
- “Which skill would help you feel more confident right now?”
- “Where do you feel like you need more practice?”
- “What part of this skill feels confusing?”
- “Would an example, a template, or practice time help?”
- “How can I support you as you build this?”
That kind of conversation changes the tone. It moves the employee from feeling criticized to feeling supported. And that matters because people do not grow well in shame. They grow in safety, clarity, practice, and support.
Training Must Be Practical, Not Performative
Once gaps are identified and employees understand why learning matters, training has to be practical. Not performative. Not overly complicated. Not a two-hour lecture with a slide deck full of buzzwords and one stock photo of people pointing at a laptop.
Practical. Useful. Connected to real work.
Training should show employees what good looks like, let them practice the skill, provide feedback, and give them a chance to try again. That is how confidence is built.
This is where the companion Foundational Workplace Skills Training Guide (coming soon!) becomes useful. The guide is designed to help organizations move from awareness into action by outlining foundational workplace skills, what employees should know, and how to teach each skill through practical learning activities.
The article names the problem. The guide helps build the solution.
Managers Have to Reinforce the Skills
Training cannot live only in a workshop. If employees attend a session on email etiquette and then return to a workplace where no one models clear communication, the training will fade. If they practice giving a voicemail in training but never receive feedback on real communication, the skill may not stick. If they learn Excel basics but no one gives them opportunities to use Excel at work, the skill gets rusty.
Managers and mentors need to reinforce the skills in daily work. That does not mean hovering. It means coaching.
Instead of saying, “This email is bad,” a manager can say:
“Let’s make the purpose clearer.”
“Can you add the next step?”
“Let’s adjust the tone so it sounds more professional.”
“Can you summarize this in three sentences?”
“What information did you use to make that recommendation?”
“What would you do differently next time?”
These questions build thinking. They also show employees that improvement is part of the work. Not a personal attack. Not a failure. Not a reason to hide in the bathroom after feedback.
Just growth.
Normalize Learning Without Lowering Expectations
There is an important balance here. Supporting employees does not mean lowering expectations. It means teaching the skills required to meet them. We can hold high standards and still be honest about the fact that people may need training to reach those standards. The expectation can still be professional communication, timely follow-up, clear writing, accurate documentation, thoughtful problem solving, and respectful client interaction. The difference is that organizations should not just announce those expectations.
They should teach them.
Model them.
Practice them.
Coach them.
Reinforce them.
That is how people grow. That is how workplaces improve. And that is how we stop pretending “common sense” is a learning strategy.
The Goal Is Confidence, Not Perfection
The goal of foundational workplace training is not to create perfect employees. Perfect is not real. The goal is to create capable, confident, curious employees who can keep learning.
Employees who can write a clear email.
Answer the phone professionally.
Leave a useful voicemail.
Use Word without fighting the formatting for 45 minutes.
Open Excel without needing emotional support.
Type with enough confidence to keep up.
Research information instead of trusting the first thing they see.
Think through problems instead of shutting down.
Communicate with empathy.
Ask better questions.
Receive feedback.
Try again.
That is the goal. And it is absolutely teachable.
We Cannot Keep Expecting What We Refuse to Teach
Workplaces are changing. Technology is changing. Communication is changing. Expectations are changing.
But if we want employees to rise to those expectations, we need to be honest about what has been missing. We cannot keep expecting professional communication without teaching professional communication. We cannot expect critical thinking without giving people a process to think critically. We cannot expect strong writing without offering practice and feedback. We cannot expect confidence with Excel, Word, typing, research, phone calls, voicemail, grammar, and email etiquette if we treat those skills like they magically appear at orientation.
They do not. The missing middle is real. But it is also fixable.
With the right assessment, the right coaching, the right training, and the right mindset, organizations can help employees build the skills they need to actually succeed.
Not by calling them out. By calling them in.
By saying, “You are capable of learning this, and we are going to teach it in a way that makes sense.”
That is how we build stronger employees. That is how we build better workplaces. And honestly, that is how we stop complaining about the same skill gaps year after year and finally do something useful about them.
References
National Association of Colleges and Employers. Career Readiness Defined.
https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy. Soft Skills: The Competitive Edge.
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/publications/fact-sheets/soft-skills-the-competitive-edge
LinkedIn Learning. 2025 Workplace Learning Report.
https://business.linkedin.com/learn/resources/workplace-learning-report
Microsoft WorkLab. Work Trend Index.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index
Author Bio
Emily Davies is a Learning and Development Specialist focused on creating practical, people-centered training that helps employees build confidence, strengthen workplace skills, and continue growing in their careers. Through her work in workforce development, she supports organizations in identifying skill gaps, developing meaningful learning opportunities, and creating training that connects directly to real-world needs. Emily is passionate about making professional development feel approachable, useful, and human because people cannot grow into skills they were never given the chance to learn.