They will most definitely have to write SOMETHING in a professional context however. Proposals, notes to coworkers, directives, emails, etc.
If they are unable to write even casual notes with (mostly) correct spelling, grammar, mechanics, etc- they will not be taken seriously- or worse yet, the "audience" may not even be able to determine what they're trying to say. I receive emails at work all the time that I have to reply back asking for clarification because they are so poorly written- this is hardly professional!
The article mentions that there is not typically a formula for most of these kinds of writings, but we need to empower our students to make contextualized choices considering GAPS (Genre, Audience, Purpose, and Situation).
The way that we can do this is making the students write a lot- things that aren't even assignments necessarily. Have them give feedback in writing, write letters to you, compose a blog entry, etc. Before long, it becomes second nature- and it's one of those great "learning without knowing you're learning" things! Writing will always be a part of all of our lives and we should be able to do it well, regardless of the GAPS.
