Workplace Learning Programs: The Expensive Mistake Most Companies Make
Walking into that corporate training room, I could already see the vacant expressions before the presenter even started. Honestly, I was tempted to do the same thing. Yet another session filled with buzzword bingo and meaningless corporate speak. After 25 years running workplace training programs, and I reckon about most of what passes for professional development these days is just expensive box ticking.
Here’s what gets me fired up though. Companies are spending serious money on training programs that nobody remembers after the first coffee break. Melbourne businesses alone probably blow through millions each year on workshops that teach people how to “think outside the box” whilst keeping them firmly inside the most mind numbing, one size fits all approaches you’ve ever seen.
What really winds me up is this. Companies are spending serious money on training programs that nobody remembers after the first coffee break. Melbourne businesses alone probably blow through millions each year on workshops that teach people how to “think outside the box” whilst keeping them firmly inside the most mind-numbing, one-size-fits-all approaches you’ve ever seen.
Here’s what gets me fired up though. Companies are spending absolute fortunes on training programs that nobody remembers after the first coffee break. Melbourne businesses alone probably blow through millions each year on workshops that teach people how to “think outside the box” whilst keeping them firmly inside the most boring, predictable session structures you’ve ever seen.
I was chatting to a colleague who runs HR at one of the top four banks. The company had dropped serious cash on a management course that cost more than a expensive car. Six months later? Nobody could name a single thing they’d learned. The only lasting result was some impressive looking credentials.
The problem isn’t that people dont want to grow professionally. You can see the engagement spike when sessions address genuine workplace issues. The issue is we’re treating professional development like a one size fits all tracksuit from Big W when it should be more like a bespoke suit from Collins Street.
Don’t get me wrong, people do want to develop their skills. Trust me, I’ve seen the hunger in people’s eyes when they finally get training that actually connects with their real work challenges. The issue is we’re treating professional development like a one-size-fits-all tracksuit from Big W when it should be more like a bespoke suit from Collins Street.
Here’s how these workshops typically unfold. First session : forced team building exercises that nobody enjoys. Middle day : fancy models and theories that dont solve actual workplace problems. Last day : commitment ceremonies for objectives that’ll be forgotten by Friday. Imagine paying Netflix prices for free to air quality content.
The approaches that truly make a difference though
Hands on, actual challenge tackling. Hand them the problems keeping them awake at night. Forget the textbook scenarios that bear no resemblance to reality, but the stuff keeping them awake at 3am wondering how they’re going to handle that difficult client or fix that broken process.
What really works though?
Down and dirty workplace issue resolution. Focus on the issues sitting on their desks today. Not hypothetical case studies about companies that went bust in 1987, but the stuff causing real stress about actual workplace situations.
There was this building firm on the Gold Coast having major communication issues between supervisors. Rather than enrolling them in standard corporate communication training, we had them work through live challenges from their daily operations. They traced their messaging systems, found the weak points, and built better processes. After six months, their on time delivery jumped by a third. No theoretical breakthroughs, just genuine solutions to everyday issues.
This is probably going to be divisive. I reckon most professional development should happen in paid hours, not squeezed into evenings and weekends. Organisations demanding after hours learning are dreaming if they think people will be engaged.
Now I’m going to upset a few readers. I reckon most professional development should happen within business hours, not piled onto people’s personal time. Companies that expect their people to do training in their own time are kidding themselves about commitment levels.
Here’s where I might lose some people though. I reckon most professional development should happen in paid hours, not squeezed into evenings and weekends. Businesses pushing weekend workshops shouldn’t be surprised when attendance drops off.
Also controversial : Not everyone needs to be a leader. The corporate world seems convinced that career progression equals people management. Many top performers prefer staying hands on rather than moving into management. Advanced technical development seems to only exist alongside management courses now.
What really gets my goat is the non existent follow through .
You send people to a two day workshop, they come back full of enthusiasm and new ideas, then… nothing. No support, no check ins, no way to put into action what they’ve learned. Imagine investing in tools and then storing them where nobody can access them.
What really gets my goat is the non-existent follow-through.
You send people to a two-day workshop, they come back full of enthusiasm and new ideas, then… nothing. No support, no check-ins, no way to implement what they’ve learned. Imagine investing in tools and then storing them where nobody can access them. Data indicates that without reinforcement, most learning evaporates within 30 days. Then businesses wonder why their development programs fail to create change.
I recommend clients allocate matching funds for both workshops and post session coaching. If you’re spending $5,000 on a workshop, plan to spend another $5,000 on coaching, mentoring, and putting into action support over the next six months. Without this, you might as well burn cash in the car park.
Now I’ll completely flip my position for a moment. Sometimes the best professional development happens completely by accident. Failed initiatives frequently provide better education than successful workshops. Perhaps we should focus on harnessing natural development opportunities rather than manufacturing artificial learning experiences.
The tech companies seem to have figured this out better than most conventional industries. Google’s famous 20% time, where employees can spend one day a week on passion projects, has produced some of their biggest breakthrough developments. It’s professional development disguised as creative freedom.
What truly drives me up the wall though. Training programs that ignore the reality of workplace culture. You can teach people all the collaborative leadership techniques in the world, but if they return to managers who rule with iron fists, what good does it do? Think of it as training pilots and then giving them bicycles.
Intelligent organisations address both environment and education together. They refuse to rely solely on external training programs. These organisations build workplaces that reward and recognise fresh capabilities.
ROI discussions happen in every planning meeting. Executives demand detailed calculations linking education spending to profit increases. Fair enough, I suppose, but it’s not always that straightforward. How do you measure the value of preventing a key employee from quitting because they finally felt supported in their development? How do you quantify preventing accidents through improved safety training?
I worked with a mining company where we calculated that their safety training prevented approximately $2.3 million in potential incident costs over two years. Good luck convincing finance teams who focus solely on quarterly profit improvements.
Perhaps the problem starts with our terminology. “Professional development” sounds like something that happens to you, rather than something you actively pursue. How about “job enhancement” or “skill upgrading” instead? More straightforward, more practical, certainly clearer about our actual objectives.
Here’s my prediction for the next five years. Organisations that integrate development with daily operations will dominate their markets. Not because of fancier qualifications or accreditations, but because they’ll be better at handling change, more self assured, and focused on practical solutions.
Success will go to businesses that embed development into everything they do. Essential, continuous, and completely integrated into everything else they do.
Time to stop this tirade and get back to work. Time to get back to designing training that people might actually remember next month.
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