How to Train Gen Z on People Skills: An HR Consultant’s Guide

By Shelley Brown, CHRE, FHRPA

Senior HR Consultant

Strong people skills are highly sought after by hiring managers. Job seekers with a strong mix of hard and soft skills make great candidates. However, one generation of workers is struggling to show their people skills. 

According to a report, 82% of managers say Gen Z new hire soft skills require more guidance and training. Developing these people skills is a priority to future-proof your organization. 

In this article, our experts will answer some of the common questions about how to train Gen Z workers on people skills. We discuss:

• Why does Gen Z struggle with people skills at work?
• What people skills are Gen Z missing?
• How do you teach people skills to Gen Z employees? 
• What happens if organizations don’t address people skills gaps in Gen Z?

Why does Gen Z struggle with people skills at work?

COVID-19 fundamentally changed the way we work. For Generation Z, who were entering the workplace for the first time, it disrupted how they learned to work. Many of the in-person experiences that older generations take for granted were largely absent for them. Gen Zers missed out on:

• Informal mentorship
• Observing workplace dynamics
• Having conversations with different co-workers and managers
• Learning through day-to-day interactions

Entering the workforce during lockdowns, many Gen Z professionals missed out on the hands-on learning that typically comes with internships and early career roles. 

Now, as return-to-office policies come into effect and more companies bring employees back into shared workspaces, Gen Z employees need additional guidance to bridge those gaps and adapt confidently to in-person work environments.

What people skills are Gen Z employees missing?

The areas where Gen Z employees need guidance are typically not job-related or technical. They struggle with skills related to interacting with people. Most commonly, this is communication, teamwork, conflict, and emotional intelligence. 

Here’s a list of the skills Gen Z employees are missing: 

Emotional intelligence: Many Gen Z employees are still developing emotional intelligence, particularly when it comes to reading workplace dynamics, managing emotions, and responding constructively to feedback.

Business etiquette: A lack of exposure to traditional office environments has left some Gen Z professionals unsure of workplace norms such as professional communication, meeting etiquette, and appropriate boundaries.

Teamwork: Some Gen Z employees struggle with teamwork due to limited in-person collaboration experience, making it harder to build trust and contribute effectively in group settings.

Communication: Gen Z workers often prefer digital communication, which can create challenges with clear, direct, and professional verbal communication in the workplace.

Collaboration: While comfortable working independently, many Gen Z professionals need support developing collaboration skills that require compromise, shared accountability, and collective problem-solving.

Decision-making: Limited real-world workplace exposure has left some Gen Z employees hesitant in decision-making, particularly when faced with ambiguity or competing priorities.

Conflict resolution: Many Gen Z employees lack experience navigating workplace conflict, often avoiding difficult conversations rather than addressing issues constructively.

Resilience: Gen Z professionals may struggle with resilience, especially when facing criticism, setbacks, or high-pressure situations early in their careers.

Patience: Accustomed to fast feedback and quick results, some Gen Z employees find it challenging to develop patience in long-term projects and career progression.

How do you teach people skills to Gen Z employees? 

How you teach people can be just as important as what you teach. Certain training methods work best. Teaching people skills to Gen Z employees is most effective when learning is hands-on, genuine, and built into everyday work rather than taught as abstract concepts. 

Gen Z values clear expectations, frequent feedback, and meaningful purpose, and they are quick to disengage from outdated or overly formal training approaches. Here are the most effective training methods for building people skills with Gen Z:

1. Microlearning: Gen Z responds well to short, focused learning moments rather than half-day seminars.

2. Scenario-Based & Real-World Practice: People skills stick when employees can see themselves in the situation. Use role-playing real workplace conversations (performance feedback, client calls, peer conflict)

3. Coaching & Continuous Feedback: Gen Z expects frequent, specific feedback, especially on interpersonal skills. Annual training is not enough. 

4. Clear Expectations & Behavioural Examples: Vague advice like “be more professional” doesn’t land. Give them. Concrete examples of effective communication. Scripts or templates for difficult conversations are also effective.

5. Values-Based Training: People skills training is more effective when it connects to impact and values. Link communication skills to inclusion, career growth, and leadership potential. Explain why soft skills matter to clients, teammates, and business outcomes.

To teach Gen Z employees skills, it's essential to keep the information concise, provide continuous feedback, and clearly outline expectations. Organizations that modernize people-skills training engage Gen Z better and build stronger leaders faster.

What happens if organizations don’t address people skills gaps in Gen Z?

Gen Z workers are the future managers and leaders of your organization. They are the people you want to develop and promote. But when organizations don’t address people skills gaps in Gen Z, they fail to address a gap in their organization. 

The consequences of not investing in your Gen Z employees can and will show up quickly. There will be issues with performance, culture, retention, and a shallow leadership pipeline. These gaps won’t correct themselves over time. They will compound.

Here are the main issues that arise when companies don't address the people skill gaps in Gen Z workers:

1. Communication issues Increase: Without strong people skills, teams struggle with misunderstood expectations, feedback and having difficult discussions. This leads to rework, frustration, and slower decision-making.

2. Conflict Goes Unmanaged: Untrained employees often avoid conflict entirely, escalate minor issues unnecessarily, and rely on HR to mediate everyday interactions. Over time, unresolved conflict erodes trust and team cohesion.

3. Engagement and Retention Issue Persist: Gen Z values feedback, inclusion, and psychological safety. When people skills are weak, employees are unsupported, high performers disengage, and turnover increases. Replacing talent costs far more than developing it.

4. Culture and Employer Brand Suffer: Poor interpersonal skills lead to toxic or disengaged team dynamics, inconsistent employee experiences and negative reviews and word-of-mouth. The employer brand weakens. In a competitive talent market, cultural damage is hard to reverse.

A final word about how to teach Gen Z people skills

Developing people skills in Gen Z employees isn’t optional. It’s a critical long-term investment in your organization’s success. By intentionally building communication, collaboration, and emotional intelligence in your Gen Z workers, employers strengthen team performance, improve retention, and protect their culture. This creates a sustainable pipeline of future leaders equipped to thrive in an evolving workplace.

Ready to turn these insights into real results? Register for AugmentHR’s New Manager Training in February to learn proven coaching and communication techniques that will help your leaders build stronger teams, improve retention, and close people-skill gaps in Gen Z employees. Reach out at getstarted@augmenthr.com for more information and to register or to learn more about our training programs.