HUNEETY RESOURCES
We invested in Learning, so why Aren't our employees learning?
You are not alone, many companies face the same challenge.
Perhaps your organization has invested in the full LinkedIn Learning catalog together with a LMS with a great user experience - and you've spent significant resources on it.
Investment in L&D has been significant since the COVID era. During this period we witnessed an acceleration in the adoption of learning tools at the corporate level. But this doesn't stop C-level executives from asking: "So what? Where is the ROI? We have invested in learning tools. Are employees more productive? More engaged?"
The real bombshell is when you hear :"We invested in learning, so why aren’t they actually learning?"
To answer this question, let's jump to the other side of the fence.
This article explores five simple statements made by employees, focusing on the "how-to" behind them.
Excuse the jargon —this article is designed for L&D professionals. If your role involves fostering a culture of learning, then this is for you.
As harsh as it sounds, that’s actually fair feedback. Employees typically have their own KPIs to focus on, with evaluations and bonuses tied directly to their performance.
You might say: "Our performance management system also includes a Competency section, and it factors into salary increases."
Great! Is it linked to your LMS? And what’s the quality of the action plan tied to each competency? Because what we often see in the comment section is far from an IDP or an actionable plan offering relevant training.
Treating learning as a silo will not help you create a learning organization.
Why it is true:
Even if you’ve invested in a kickass Learning Management System (LMS) for your company, chances are it’s not connected to your Performance Management System (PMS). Even the so-called full-suite HRMS solutions from a single provider often treat the LMS and PMS as disconnected modules. And before they become fully integrated you’re hit with an extra price tag.
What we can do :
If you're on a budget:
If your systems are integrated (You are an enterprise-level company):
⚠️ As part of the PMS process, objectives (KPIs) should be reviewed at least quarterly, adjusted during the mid-year review, and actively discussed during one-on-ones throughout the year.
Why should employees bother learning if they can’t picture the benefits of learning?
Small Picture for employee to learn:
“Learning is a requirement to perform better in my job” I see the low-hanging fruit.
Big Picture for employee to learn:
“I recognize the benefits of learning for my career path and future growth.”
To see the small picture, let’s go back to Employee Statement 1.
For the bigger picture tied to a future career path, it’s crucial to understand which competencies are required to reach possible career paths:
To make this work, competencies need to be dynamic, linked to your organizational tree structure, and updated at least annually.
What We Can Do (If you are just starting):
What We Can Do (If you have already started):
Perform competency mapping for jobs based on:
Update the framework at least annually. New competencies may need to be added, while others might become obsolete as technology evolves, new product lines are developed, or your organization expands into new geographies.
Map the gaps to career paths and develop missing competencies
Here’s an easy example: a common case of promoting someone to a manager level without basic PMS, management, or leadership skills.
Addressing this helps achieve:
Finding training content is no longer the issue—content is everywhere. The problem now is the overwhelming amount of it. What’s missing is focus: with so much content out there, how do you choose?
First:
Next:
What we can do :
I’m personally a big believer in 360 assessments—so much so that I created Huneety Learning. A competency assessment helps to:
My advice is to focus on strengths. That’s just my opinion, though I understand that companies tend to focus more on areas of development versus the baseline.
Fair enough—this approach gives you a clear justification for why one competency should be prioritized over another. Once that’s settled, finding relevant learning content becomes the easy part.
Either the format is unsuitable, or there’s no real application on the job. Both make it boring for employees—and leave them asking, “Why bother continuing to learn?”
What we can do :
If the format is unsuitable, remember:
If there’s no application on the job, beware:
Implement a 70/20/10 action plan.
The 70/20/10 framework helps emphasize that learning should be practical.
70:20:10 is a guideline ratio and highlights that the vast majority of the learning is coming from on the job experience (“post-training” as shown in the previous chart) . It is also important to understand that varying between the 3 learning types will allow different learning profiles to assimilate competencies, as some people learn better through repetition, others visually, and some through hands-on trial and error.
Click here to know more about the 70/20/10 principles.
Leverage informal learning and mentorship to boost motivation. Having an external source of feedback not only enhances on-the-job learning but also increases engagement for both the learner and the mentor or designed person in charge of providing feedback
An example of 70/20/10 action plan for the competency public communication:
By the end of Q2, deliver three public speaking sessions: at [Seminar 1], the [Internal Manager Review 2], and [Seminar 3]. Prepare these public presentations to be concise, engaging, and tailored to the audience.
Attend the training program on [insert name of training] regarding effective presentations in January, and document the main takeaways for review by Mr. [Name], who serves as the point of reference for public speaking within the company.
Before your public presentations, rehearse with Mr. [Name] and incorporate their input. Mr. [Name] will provide feedback after each presentation, which you can use to make continuous improvements.
I saved this one for last because it’s a classic.
Bad faith or good intentions? Both might be valid, but the issue remains. Personally, I’m not a big believer in companies adopting compulsory learning timeslots. While I understand the intention behind it, in practice, I’ve seen:
This might work in companies where the CEO is a strong advocate for L&D. But for the sake of actionability, let’s assume your company isn’t one of them.
What we can do :
The answer is a blend of everything mentioned above:
Plus, recognize the employees who are actively learning and winning. In other words:
Recognizing and promoting employees who are winning helps set the standard within the company. It’s your best response to “I don’t have time to learn” (translation: Look at what happens to employees who do make time to learn).
I know every organization faces unique challenges when it comes to building a learning culture, and there’s always more to discuss. Feel free to share your suggestions—I’d love to hear them!
I’m Simon, Founder of Huneety Learning. I help companies focus their L&D efforts to improve talent retention and achieve a better overall ROI.
