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. Cant say I blamed him really. Just another costly presentation about “enhancing human capital” that nobody asked for. I’ve spent over two decades in the professional development business, and I reckon about 80% of what passes for professional development these days is just expensive box ticking.
Here’s what gets me wound up though. Companies are spending serious money on training programs that nobody remembers three weeks later. 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 rigid, cookie cutter training formats you’ve ever seen.
What really winds me up is this. Companies are spending serious money on training programs that nobody remembers a month down the track. 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.
The thing that drives me absolutely mental. Companies are spending buckets of cash on training programs that nobody remembers a month down the track. Sydney companies are throwing away serious dollars 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 friend 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 luxury car. Six months later? Nobody could name a single thing they’d learned. But hey, the completion certificates looked fancy on LinkedIn.
The problem isn’t that people dont want to grow professionally. Trust me, I’ve seen the hunger in people’s eyes when they finally get training that actually connects with their actual work challenges. It’s like trying to fix a Ferrari with a hammer when you need precision tools.
Don’t get me wrong, people do want to develop their skills. 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.
Most training programs follow this predictable pattern. Day one : icebreaker activities that make everyone cringe internally. Day two : theoretical frameworks that sound fancy but have zero application to anyone’s actual job. Final session : goal setting workshops that produce plans destined for desk drawers. Think Groundhog Day but with worse coffee and steep price tags.
But here’s what actually delivers results
Hands on, practical challenge tackling. Hand them the problems keeping them awake at night. Skip the theoretical examples from decades ago, but the stuff causing genuine stress about actual workplace situations.
The approaches that genuinely make a difference though
Down and dirty workplace issue resolution. Give people actual challenges they’re facing right now. Forget the textbook scenarios that bear no resemblance to reality, but the stuff causing real stress about actual workplace situations.
I remember working with a development company in Brisbane where the site managers were struggling with communication breakdowns. Rather than enrolling them in standard corporate communication training, we had them work through live challenges from their daily operations. They mapped out the communication flows, identified where things were falling through the cracks, and developed their own solutions. Within half a year, they were finishing jobs 25% faster. Not because they learned some elaborate theory, but because they figured out real fixes to actual problems.
Now I’m going to upset a few readers. I reckon most professional development should happen during work time, not as an add on to already overloaded schedules. Organisations demanding after hours learning are dreaming if they think people will be engaged.
Here’s where I might lose some people though. I reckon most professional development should happen during work time, not as an add-on to already overloaded schedules. Businesses pushing weekend workshops shouldn’t be surprised when attendance drops off.
Here’s where I might lose some people though. I reckon most professional development should happen within business hours, not piled onto people’s personal time. Businesses pushing weekend workshops shouldn’t be surprised when attendance drops off.
This might ruffle some feathers : we dont all need to manage people. The corporate world seems convinced that career progression equals people management. Many top performers prefer staying hands on rather than moving into management. But try finding advanced technical training that isnt wrapped up in management speak. Good luck with that.
The missing piece that makes me want to bang my head against the wall : ongoing support.
You send people to a two day workshop, they come back full of energy and new ideas, then… nothing. No support, no check ins, no way to put into action what they’ve learned. Think of it as purchasing exercise equipment and hiding it in the garage.
The other thing that drives me mental is the follow-up. Or complete lack thereof.
People attend sessions, get inspired, then face radio silence from management. No support, no check-ins, no way to implement what they’ve learned. Think of it as purchasing exercise equipment and hiding it in the garage. Studies prove that lacking follow up means 85% of training content disappears in four weeks. Yet most companies act surprised when their training investment doesnt stick.
I’ve started telling clients to budget as much for follow up as they do for the initial training. If you’re spending $5,000 on a workshop, plan to spend another $5,000 on coaching, mentoring, and applying support over the next six months. Otherwise you’re just throwing money into a very expensive bin.
Now I’ll completely flip my position for a moment. Occasionally the greatest growth comes from unexpected situations. I’ve seen people learn more from a challenging project that went sideways than from any formal training program. Maybe we need to get better at recognising and capturing those organic learning moments instead of trying to force everything into scheduled training slots.
The tech companies seem to have figured this out better than most traditional industries. Google’s famous creative freedom policy giving workers time for self directed learning, has produced some of their most innovative products. Think of it as learning opportunities wrapped in exploration time.
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 face supervisors stuck in command and control mentality, what good does it do? Imagine preparing chefs and then locking them out of the kitchen.
Smart companies work on culture and training simultaneously. They refuse to rely solely on external training programs. They create environments where new skills can actually be used and valued.
Financial justification requests never stop coming. Executives demand exact calculations linking education spending to profit increases. Understandable expectation, though measuring impact isnt always simple. 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. Try explaining that to an accountant who only wants to see immediate productivity gains though.
The fundamental issue might be our language choices. This phrase implies external action rather than personal drive. Maybe “performance boosting” or “capability building” would be more accurate? Less formal, more useful, definitely more honest about what we’re actually trying to achieve.
My forecast for the coming decade. Businesses that merge training with genuine job activities will crush their rivals. Not due to better certificates or credentials, but because they’ll be flexible, assured, and committed to addressing genuine challenges.
Tomorrow’s winners will be companies that make learning as natural as daily operations. Essential, continuous, and completely integrated into everything else they do.
I should wrap up this rant before it gets any longer. Time to get back to designing training that people might actually remember next month.
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