Marvin OnumonuThe latest study from Attensi of 2,000 employees across sectors found 58% have hidden gaps in their skills at work.
46% said they had pretended to understand tasks they did not, and 40% said they avoided asking for help even when they were not sure how to do something.
Trond Aas, CEO at Attensi, said: “The data shows a clear mismatch between how organizations evaluate onboarding and what employees actually experience.
“Too often, success is measured by checklists, not mastery and confidence.
“And when employees don’t feel safe learning in person, they mask their gaps rather than close them.”
Younger staff reported more worries about not being qualified enough.
Over half of those aged 18 to 44 said they often worried about this, and 29% said it strongly affected them in their jobs.
The main effect of poor onboarding was a drop in confidence, with 55% saying they felt less sure of themselves, rather than leaving the job or performing badly.
Even so, 58% said they would be comfortable telling their manager about skill gaps.
67% said they would use confidential, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to practise job skills in private.
Aas added: “Skill masking is what happens when people don’t feel safe learning in front of others.
“They hide uncertainty, perform surface competence, and miss the chance to truly master their roles.
“The data shows a clear mismatch between how organizations evaluate onboarding and what employees actually experience.”
He said: “Too often, success is measured by checklists, not confidence. And when employees don’t feel safe to share weaknesses, they mask their gaps rather than close them.
“This also creates a lot of bad data for employers who are trying to benchmark skills and implement training programmes to improve employee confidence and performance.
“The good news is that technology is catching up to human psychology. AI-powered simulations now allow people to rehearse tough conversations, practice decision-making, and close real skill gaps without fear of embarrassment.
“For organizations serious about performance, the key is creating environments where people can safely stop pretending and start progressing.”
