While it’s true that workplace learning leads to greater employee productivity — and is even one of the top factors that job seekers look for in companies — not everyone is interested in learning and developing new skills.  

When employees are resistant to learning, it not only hurts their chances of personal and professional progression, but it can also hurt an organization’s ability to retain talent. So, how do you engage and motivate employees to learn when they’re disinterested, burnt out, or generally unmotivated?

In this article, we’ll tackle some of the most common objections to workplace learning and how organizations can navigate them.

The eight most common objections to workplace learning

Burnout is real. Employees everywhere have a lot of work on their plates, in addition to personal responsibilities, and are often overwhelmed by the prospect of taking something else on, even if that additional task is beneficial to them in the long run. 

That’s why, when encouraging employee learning, try to integrate training into daily work routines (i.e. learning in the flow of work) rather than treating it as a separate activity. Self-directed learning, mobile-friendly programs, or platforms that offer microlearning tools — like Blinkist, which is available through Go1 Premium Pro — can allow employees to learn on the go, and in short bursts that could take just 1-5 minutes at a time.


Unfortunately, many learning programs are one-size-fits-all, giving all employees — regardless of their roles — the same learning materials and objectives. When that happens, employees can become disengaged. 

Conversely, when presented with personalized courses instead of standardized training, employees are up to 60% more engaged. 

To overcome this, use an LMS that offers curated, personalized training paths that are tailor-made to specific employees in different functions don’t have to experience the same courses. The content should involve real-world examples and case studies relevant to specific jobs, so employees can see exactly how learning materials can be applied to their everyday roles.

Pro tip: When creating these personalized learning paths, be intentional about listening to your employees. Asking for their input on their learning objectives, skill gaps, and their preferred ways to learn will encourage them to engage and make them feel like they were a part of the process.


There's a growing gap in how different generations take an interest in learning. They also have very different preferences in learning formats.

To address these disparities, deploy several learning strategies for your multi-generational workforce:

Baby Boomers: To support Baby Boomers in their learning journey, use structured, well-organized training programs led by a real person. This might include in-person workshops, webinars led by employees from your organization, or expert guest speakers from outside your business. 

Gen X: A learning program that works for Gen X will include mentorship and feedback, hands-on learning, and flexible, self-directed courses. Be sure to recognize milestones and track progress, too.

Millennials: A somewhat digital-native generation, Millennials were born during a period of high technological change (VCRs, smartphones, etc.). To engage them, be sure to offer self-directed video courses and microlearning options that align with their comfort with technology. 

Gen-Z: To engage a true digital native generation, use a training program that offers both bite-sized learning content and opportunities to learn in groups. This might include mentor training and peer-learning cohorts. 

4. "I already know everything I need to know."

Lots of experienced employees become comfortable in their roles and often don’t recognize the rapidly changing nature of their industries or the need for continuous upskilling.

Partner with the right providers: Use software that offers automatically updated content. Employees will quickly see how much new information is coming in and how important it is to learn and understand.

Create opportunities for leadership: For very knowledgeable employees, you might invite them to share their knowledge through a course to help their peers learn and grow.

5. "The training is boring or ineffective."

When training isn’t engaging, it’s boring. Employees aren’t going to be excited about learning when the material and format are dull and uncreative.

To address this, be sure to invest in high-quality, interactive training materials, utilize diverse learning methods (e.g., gamification, simulations, peer learning), and regularly gather and act on feedback. You might also consider bringing in respected industry professionals or internal experts to add credibility and real-world insights to the training, too.

Many employees who are accustomed to lecturing as a method for learning and development often think hands-on learning is superior. But, the truth is, both are important.  

To overcome this objection, use a blended learning approach that combines formal training with practical application. You might even implement mentoring or shadowing programs where employees can learn skills in real time on the job.

Employees may resist learning if they don't see a clear connection to career advancement, increased compensation, or other concrete benefits.

To address this, clearly communicate how learning ties into career progression using training engagement — or even how soft skill development can lead to long-standing employability.  

Pro tip: Try linking the completion of learning programs to performance reviews or promotion criteria to motivate employees even further.

Sometimes, employees have had past negative experiences with education or training. So, becoming interested in new training and development programs can feel challenging from the outset.

However, organizations can overcome this by providing multiple learning formats, like microlearning, interactive courses, podcasts, practice labs, and more on subjects like emotional intelligence and communication. With Go1, employees can engage with the topics, languages, and formats that help them learn best. ​ 

Not everyone is going to be excited to learn. But with the right strategies, you can convince any employee to take their professional growth seriously. 

With tools like Go1, which offers a variety of upskilling and compliance courses, personalized learning paths, and learning formats, employees can get engaged and excited about upskilling.

Ready to see Go1 in action? Book a personalized demo to discover how our platform can transform your L&D strategy.

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Is your team resistant to workplace learning? Learn about the eight most common objections and how to overcome them to create a more engaged and skilled workforce.

Eight common objections to workplace learning

A lack of comprehensive compliance training can cost organizations millions. In fact, in a single non-compliance event, organizations lose an average of $4 million in revenue.

Despite how important compliance training is, this type of learning is often a sore subject for companies that have competing priorities. For highly regulated industries like financial services, technology, and manufacturing — where rules and regulations change frequently — keeping employees compliant can be challenging. Not only are business leaders tasked with staying up to date themselves, but they’re expected to teach and engage employees too, all while navigating the challenges that come with it.

Compliance training is more than a checkbox. Staying up to date with changing compliance is not only a requirement but an essential strategy for staying relevant and competitive within saturated industries.

Risk management and legal protections: Compliance training prevents various threats by teaching employees the potential risks and proper procedures. This includes financial risks (fraud, embezzlement), operational risks (data breaches, safety incidents), and strategic risks (loss of license to operate). Compliance training also provides organizations with a crucial legal shield, reducing the likelihood of inadvertent violations.

Reputation preservation and competitive edge: Compliance training helps maintain a positive corporate image with the public and external stakeholders like investors or shareholders, by ensuring ethical practice and regulatory adherence. Plus, in highly regulated industries, robust compliance can set an organization apart from its competitors. 

Safety: Comprehensive compliance can prevent disaster for both employees and the public. Forklift safety/operating heavy machinery protocols, for example, safeguard manufacturing employees from bodily harm, while compliance with anti-money laundering policies protects the financial services industry.

Employees who are well-versed in compliance and regulations are likely to be more productive and efficient in their day-to-day work as well, as opposed to employees who are working with outdated knowledge.

In highly regulated industries, finding compliance training that is both effective and engaging is difficult. Compliance training today is often:

Ineffective: Gallup reports that of those who have participated in a compliance or ethics training session within the past 12 months, only 23% of employees would rate that compliance training as "excellent." And nine out of ten employees couldn't tell much of a difference between their workplace pre-training versus post-training.


Outdated: Inadequate resources were one of the top three factors cited in a survey by our content partner and compliance expert, Reuters, as obstacles to a team’s confidence in addressing compliance risks. For highly regulated industries, this is even more of a pressing issue: With compliance regulations changing so often, it’s hard to find accurate or updated content.

Time-consuming: Regulated industries tend to have extremely time-poor employees. It can be hard to ask teams to dedicate hours of their days to training for compliance when they’re bogged down by so many other tasks.

How to implement effective compliance training and enhance employee knowledge retention

Employers can use several different techniques and strategies to bring in compliance training that shows results and resonates with employees, like leveraging:

Evaluation tools: Organizations often invest in and deploy training only to quickly find out that it’s ineffective. Before disseminating company-wide compliance training, evaluate if a course meets your employees’ needs by previewing learning outcomes, course summaries, skills covered, and course ratings. 


Hyper-prevalent content: Choose a provider that consistently updates course offerings to reflect the latest regulatory changes so employees aren’t engaging in content that will be outdated in just a few weeks, and you don’t have to keep track of changes in programs. For organizations with ever-changing compliance requirements, a content aggregator like Go1 is a great solution. With thousands of compliance courses from industry-leading providers to choose from, you can worry less about shifting strategies. As regulations change, so do the courses.


Employee autonomy: Employees are incredibly busy and often don’t have time to sit in a physical training about compliance — especially if they're remote or hybrid. Instead, offer mobile-friendly sessions that can be completed asynchronously.


Gamification: One of the best ways to increase knowledge retention when it comes to compliance training is to include gamification. In fact, 72% of professionals say gamification inspires them to work harder. 


Interactive training: Provide engaging and applicable training through the application of compliance knowledge in simulated or controlled environments, or use content that references real-world scenarios and case studies. The more that organizations can connect learned material to actual, everyday circumstances, the better. If you’re looking for ideas, check out this virtual engagement cheat sheet to get started.


Continuous assessment: Employees want to feel listened to. They want to have a say in the assigned compliance training. When disseminating materials within the company, be sure to constantly consider whether the material is engaging and making a difference in your workforce. And always remember to ask for feedback. In doing so, you’ll be able to address knowledge gaps, improve content, and try different approaches if needed.


Personalized learning paths: Instead of asking every employee within your organization to review the same compliance material, tailor training content to specific roles and departments. A more targeted approach ensures employees receive relevant information and reduces cognitive overload. With tools like Go1 AI, L&D teams can create playlists or programs based on the unique goals and parameters for each team, and curate highly relevant and personalized learning in seconds, for any employee. 

Take the challenges out of compliance training

Though plenty of organizations struggle with compliance training, deploying the right tools and strategies can lead to success. Mandy Rutherford, Wave Utilities’ L&D Manager, knows that to be true. Since using Go1 for compliance, her training now has a 98% completion rate. She says that Wave finally feels like they’re “At the forefront of learning.”

Though compliance training is often not the most glamorous part of working in a highly regulated field, the benefits of disseminating and reinforcing compliance within your organization are priceless. When your team is up to date on compliance, your company can mitigate risks, save money, and create a company culture where everyone feels in the know.

With Go1, organizations can take the challenges out of compliance training and deliver high-quality, relevant, accessible, and engaging content that sets your company up for success. From creating custom learning paths to accessing 100+ pre-curated playlists aligned to a broad range of skill development needs, your organization can make compliance training a simple and effective part of your everyday operations. 

Experience the future of learning with one, easy-to-integrate subscription. Schedule a demo

with our team to explore Go1's innovative features and benefits.

Learn effective strategies to create engaging compliance training that captures your employees' attention and fosters a positive learning experience in your organization.

How to design engaging compliance training

In a live session at the 2024 CIPD Festival of Work, CPO of Go1, Holger Seim, and Andrew "Andy" Roberts, EVP of Product, Zensai, emphasized the significance of lifelong learning in fostering employee engagement to drive success in organizations. In this article, we'll break down the key takeaways from this session and share the recording so you can uncover every last bit of learning yourself.

According to research presented by Holger, employees are more likely to stay with a company that invests in their learning journey and aligns business goals with people's growth. 

Holger shared, "What we do know is that organizations that focus on this area in terms of purpose — social responsibility — with their employees, do see higher levels of both innovation and retention within the workforce." 

Andrew added, "It's really important that we're providing employees with this opportunity to grow within the organization but at the same time benefit the organization."

They went on to highlight the importance of creating a culture of continuous learning within the organization, providing access to various learning opportunities, such as workshops, courses, and mentorship programs. Incorporating technology and digital tools into all learning and development initiatives to provide more flexibility and accessibility for employees. All of this work starts at the top with leaders, who play a pivotal role in promoting, actioning, and supporting lifelong learning, to set the tone for all employees.

Overall, the message was clear: Investing in employee development not only benefits the individual, but it also positively impacts the organization.

Leadership's role in promoting a culture of learning

Leaders play a crucial role in promoting a culture of lifelong learning within an organization and should set the strategic vision for learning and development across teams, serve as role models, and be accountable for instilling a culture of learning.

Leaders should actively participate in the learning process themselves, modeling a commitment to continuous learning and growth. By prioritizing learning and development at the highest level of the organization, there's a clear message to employees that learning is valued and essential for the success of the company.

Roberts explained, "It's no good setting [up] your Learning and Development journey in a silo in L&D or in HR. It needs to be brought in at the C-level. That sets the Strategic vision." This approach leads to a culture of learning and innovation, where employees feel empowered to take risks and constantly improve their skills and knowledge.

In addition to setting the tone and direction for learning, leaders should ensure that resources are allocated towards learning initiatives and that employees have access to various learning opportunities. This includes providing time and space for learning, investing in technology and tools to facilitate learning, and creating a supportive and safe environment for employees to experiment and learn from their mistakes.

By prioritizing and actively promoting a culture of learning, leaders can empower their employees to continuously develop their skills and knowledge, leading to improved performance, innovation, and overall organizational success. 

Holger and Andy went on to highlight the importance of a blended approach to learning, combining formal and informal learning opportunities, for a unique learning journey that caters to individual preferences.

As Holger explained, "We talked about those different learning preferences... you don't need a piece of software to do this in a small organization so you can start simple and you can look at the opportunities and make sure that this is reflected process to see how people prefer to learn."

Andrew added that "[Zensai has] really focused on making sure that our tools are available to frontline workers and desk-based workers. Creating access to not just compliance but also educational resources as wide as possible." Providing access to learning resources for all types of workers, regardless of their job role or location, promotes a culture of continuous learning and development within the organization.

By incorporating both formal training programs and informal learning opportunities, employees can gain knowledge and skills in a variety of ways that best suit their individual needs and preferences. This not only enhances their learning experience but leads to more effective and efficient learning outcomes.

Using skills mapping and assessments in L&D

Skills mapping and assessments play a vital role in learning programs, setting the groundwork and keeping learning personalized and relevant. These tools enable organizations to identify current competencies and areas for development. Technologies, including AI, have made it possible to streamline this process and create personalized learning journeys at scale and speed unlike ever before. Zensai and Go1 are both at the forefront of AI in learning and development.

Roberts stated, "Managers need tools to be able to support both the baselining and also the targeting of skills within an employee's journey... Skills and AI are now really powering the ability to both build your own skills taxonomies within the organization, [while using] AI to identify core competencies that people may have and some of that future state as well." 

This approach to technology allows for a more focused and efficient learning experience, as individuals can pinpoint specific skills that are necessary for their role and career progression, and focus on developing them at their own cadence.

Additionally, skills mapping and assessments allow L&D leaders and teams to track the progress of their employees' learning to ensure that the right skills are being developed to meet future business needs. With the continuous evolution of technology, skills mapping and assessments will continue to play a crucial role in L&D, helping organizations stay ahead in an ever-changing business landscape.

Listen to the full conversation with Holger and Andy

This session at CIPD's Festival of Work highlighted the power of lifelong learning in unlocking human potential and fueling personal and professional fulfillment. Holger and Andy discussed the importance of fostering a learning culture that keeps employees engaged and motivated to achieve their full potential. Listen in to see how you can empower your team to reach success!

Festival of work: How lifelong learning sets employees up for success - Andy Roberts and Holger Heim

To learn more about our partnership with Zensai or on how you can embrace lifelong learning with Go1, book a demo today. 

Explore how organizations can foster a culture of lifelong learning, the role of leaders in promoting learning, and the benefits of a blended learning approach for employee engagement and success.

Lifelong learning for employee engagement with Go1 and Zensai

In the middle of a busy workday, getting an email reminder about mandatory compliance training can make employees feel irritated, stressed out, and even downright frustrated. It’s not unusual for individuals to ignore these emails, completely forget about them, and then find themselves rushing to complete their compliance training at the last minute—and, let’s be honest, probably not comprehending much of what they’re learning in the process. 

But what if compliance training was more than what many may see as a boring, time-consuming obligation? What if these trainings helped employees feel more agile and informed so they could carry out their work ethically? 

In this article, we'll explore strategies you can use to transform compliance training from a dreaded chore into a source of value employees are eager to engage in. Ready to revolutionize your approach to compliance training? Keep reading! 

Leverage microlearning to engage employees 

Compliance training shouldn’t take your team a full day to complete. Requiring employees to spend hours at a time on compliance training not only consumes time employees may be relying on to finish a project, but it also means you’re likely feeding learners way more information than they can realistically retain. 

Instead, consider implementing microlearning. Microlearning is digestible content delivered in bite-sized snippets, and for compliance trainings these snippets are typically around 10–30 minutes long. Now, we’re not saying you need to provide employees with only 10–30 minutes of compliance training total per year, as that probably won’t meet regulatory practice. What you might consider, though, is providing multiple pieces of microlearning content to complete over time. 

Our tip: Deliver all microlearning courses at once with a common due date, or deliver one piece of microlearning per week for four weeks, allowing employees to engage in short bursts of learning over the span of a month. This way, the course or training can be picked apart and employees can sit with what they learn. Think of your team and how they learn best when you choose which method works best for them. 

Compliance training isn’t something employees should do once a year and then forget about. With microlearning, you can use compliance training as an ongoing reminder of how to stay safe and mitigate risk. Because this content is short and easy to complete, you might use it throughout the year. For example, choose a month to focus on DE&I and assign a microlearning course about the importance of diversity & bullying prevention. 

Go1’s content library features many content providers who offer unique microlearning courses. Easy Llama’s learning content, for example, includes video scenarios that are presented as Facetime chats, and Marcom’s compliance content is largely set in real-world contexts and features realistic scenarios. 

Segmenting your training into small doses of information creates an approach that employees can fit into their schedule, allowing for better information processing and retention. This type of segmented learning is less overwhelming and more focused, and it enables employees to learn on their own time, at their own pace. Plus, microlearning makes it easier for employees to revisit and review content whenever necessary, resulting in a more impactful, long-lasting training experience. 

Incorporate real-world scenarios specific to your organization 

Compliance training shouldn't be rushed through just to get to the end of it; it’s important that employees actually understand the training content in order to carry out their work ethically and responsibly. Rather than assigning employees generic training and hoping for the best, integrating real-life scenarios into your training can help your team better grasp compliance concepts and understand how to incorporate them into their work. 

Consider sharing real-life successes and failures that your organization or organizations in your industry have experienced. Analyzing personalized or relatable compliance case studies will help employees see the direct impact of their behaviors in upholding ethical practices. If you’re looking to offload some of that personalization work, with Go1, L&D admins can create customized hybrid courses using our lightweight course builder. This allows organizations to create training tailored to their unique policies and compliance scenarios to ensure employees fully understand how to adhere to your company standards. 

Experiential learning strengthens the brain’s neural connections, accelerating learning and improving retention. Offering simulation exercises and role-playing is a great way to help employees put their knowledge to practice and make the theoretical tangible. When an employee understands how to deal with a compliance issue in real time, they're no longer just taking in information; they're embodying an experience so they know how to react if a similar situation ever occurs. 

If you’re still relying on white boards, picking scenarios out of a hat, or an online spinning wheel for interaction, it’s time to update your training with modern technology to better engage your employees. Cutting-edge tools like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can provide immersive experiences that make training more exciting and interesting. 

Research suggests that we remember 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, and a staggering 90% of what we do. Interactive technologies take training to the realm of doing and seeing, rather than simply reading an article or watching a video. And the more senses you engage, the more likely the information is to stick! 

Imagine stepping into a realistic compliance scenario, where every decision you make actually changes the story’s outcome. A compliance video game doesn’t sound half bad, does it? VR and AR can do just that by providing real-world, interactive experiences employees need to practice compliance concepts. AR and VR are the next best thing to on-the-job training, without the risk of real-world mistakes. 

It’s no secret that our society loves games—from sports and fitness to board games, video games, and more, nearly everyone engages in some type of game. When it comes to training, gamification can boost engagement, increase information retention, and encourage correct application of compliance information. 

Adding leaderboards and rewards, like virtual badges and tangible incentives, to training modules can turn compliance into a friendly competition and reinforce good training behaviors. You might also consider using a gamified training course that immerses learners in a story to add interest and excitement. Ultimately, compliance content that incorporates achievements and milestones, as well as interactive elements, gives employees clear, tangible goals to strive for, making the learning process feel like a series of wins.  

By prioritizing a culture of two-way communication, employees will feel less like passive learners and more like active contributors to their own learning. Invite your team to provide feedback through surveys, open forums, or even dedicated feedback sessions. When employees have a say in how they're learning, engagement skyrockets. 

It’s up to you to update, revise, and refresh your training content using the feedback you receive from your team. This iterative process ensures that your compliance training stays current and relevant, and that employees are learning and complying with your organization's policies. Compliance isn't static; it's a continually evolving topic, and your training materials should reflect that dynamism. 

It’s time to transform compliance training from a dreaded requirement into a valuable and enjoyable part of your organization's culture. These strategies will not only elevate your training but also build a workforce of informed employees who approach their work responsibly. To effectively introduce new compliance training, make sure you’re curating content that’s relevant to your business’s unique needs.  

We can help with this if you’re stuck or looking to change up your current strategy. Go1 provides compliance courses based on location, business size, and industry needs. We’re here to help you look at compliance through a new lens—not as a box-checking exercise, but as an opportunity for professional growth, risk management, and, above all, ethical practice. 

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay up to date on all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to discover how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs. 

Learn how to reframe compliance training from a chore to a source of value, using training content to foster a culture of ethical practice.

How to mitigate risk by boosting engagement in compliance training

Building a learning culture at your organization is vital to ensure your employees deliver quality work on time and within budget. With a learning culture, employees can also apply their creativity and innovation to help keep up with competitors in an ever-evolving business landscape.

However, creating a culture of learning can be challenging, particularly if employees are disengaged, as 85% currently are, globally. Disengaged employees typically lack the motivation and drive to proactively learn, meaning they’re less likely to make the most of L&D programs and retain information.

So, how exactly do you engage employees and build a learning culture? We’ll analyze the importance of building a culture of learning via your employee engagement strategy, including actionable tips to engage employees.  

For a deeper dive, check out our whitepaper, Employee engagement strategies to build successful L&D programs. 

Defining employee engagement and culture of learning

Employee engagement and a culture of learning feed into one another, contributing massively to the overall success of your business. Without one, the other cannot thrive.

Employee engagement simply means how invested employees are in both their roles and the success of the business. Engaged employees want their team to succeed and understand that their work makes a difference, which encourages them to develop and upskill. They’re more likely to be productive, efficient, and innovative, and less likely to seek employment elsewhere.

A culture of learning develops when employees proactively look for opportunities to learn and develop their skills and knowledge. Naturally, the more employees learn, the more likely they are to perform in their roles. A learning culture also encourages collaboration, teamwork, and communication, thereby enhancing your organizational culture and increasing employee engagement.

The importance of employee engagement in a learning culture

Employee engagement and a learning culture go hand in hand. It’s almost impossible to have one without the other. If employees aren’t engaged, you cannot foster a learning culture because disengaged employees don’t have a learning mindset. On the other hand, becoming engaged encourages employees to adopt a learning mindset, which helps them proactively seek development opportunities.

When employees are engaged, it can improve the following areas, which all help foster a strong learning culture:

Further, employee development and upskilling allow your organization to promote from within more often, which increases retention and prevents lengthy and expensive recruitment processes. Engaged employees can also do wonders for customer retention.

For more information, check out our blog on why employee engagement is important for improving customer retention.

The consequences of a poor learning culture

Just like plenty of positives come from having a strong learning culture, many negatives come from a poor learning culture. In fact, a poor employee engagement culture can actively harm your business. For example, a report from Breathe HR found that poor workplace culture costs the economy £20.2 billion a year.

As well as the financial impacts, lack of engagement may also impact your business in the following ways:

Reduced adaptability or even resistance to change

How to improve engagement and create a culture of learning

Your business doesn’t need to reinvent itself to boost company culture and employee engagement. There are plenty of ways to improve engagement that your business can quickly and affordably implement.

Your leadership team plays a crucial role. Without leading by example, how can they expect their employees to engage? Leaders should demonstrate how individuals can make a difference and ensure open, honest, and regular communication. 

Additionally, leaders must be prepared to invest. This includes offering access to learning technology and tools (such as a learning management system to streamline the process) as well as providing learning resources and ensuring employees have enough time to learn. Further, encouraging continuous professional development will emphasize that learning doesn’t need to be assigned. Rather, it can be autonomous and self-directed.

Rewards and recognition are another way to improve engagement. This doesn’t always mean monetary rewards, either. Shout-outs and gamification are great ways to engage employees in learning without significant investment. Similarly, collaborative learning not only improves engagement but also boosts teamwork and communication.

Offering employees the tools, resources, and time they need to improve engagement is one thing, but it’s also important to measure engagement so you know your strategy is effective. To measure employee engagement and identify what’s working and what’s not, explore the following tips:

Learning analytics and data, which is easy to pull and comprehensive if your organization uses an LMS

Surveys and questionnaires, which can be anonymized to encourage honesty

1:1s and reviews, to encourage direct feedback on individual experiences

The overall performance of the business since implementing changes

To learn more, read our blog on how to measure employee engagement. 

Inspired to boost engagement? Download our whitepaper, Employee engagement strategies to build successful L&D programs, to get started! Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs. 

We’ll analyze the importance of building a culture of learning via your employee engagement strategy, including actionable tips to engage employees.

The role of employee engagement in a culture of learning

We’ll analyze the importance of building a culture of learning via your employee engagement strategy, including actionable tips to engage employees. 

Engaged employees are the foundation of any successful organization. Without engaged employees, it’s impossible to thrive as a business. Yet, in recent years, several concerning employee engagement trends have emerged. For example, Gallup’s 2023 State Of The Global Workplace report found that “85% of employees are not actively engaged or are actively disengaged at work,” resulting in $7 trillion in lost productivity. That’s right, $7 trillion. With a T. 

To break this down further, Gallup found that:

18% of employees are actively disengaged at work 

Just 15% of employees are actively engaged at work

At Go1, we believe engaged employees are essential, so we want to redress this worrying trend. 

That’s why we’ve created our new eBook, Employee engagement strategies to build successful L&D programs, packed with tips, tricks, and insights to help managers boost employee engagement. But that’s not all, to accompany the eBook, we’re also launching a new blog series covering the ins and outs of employee engagement. 

In this first blog, we’ll focus on measuring employee engagement. We'll start by analyzing the state of employee engagement, before outlining three essential strategies to measure employee engagement. 

Then, in the coming weeks, we’ll expand on this with blogs on improving employee engagement in remote workplaces, the role of employee engagement in creating a culture of learning, and setting employee engagement goals that lead to business growth. Be sure to check back in regularly so you don’t miss these blogs and more! 

Ready to enhance your engagement? Start here. 

Before we examine strategies to measure employee engagement, it’s important to set the scene by outlining the state of workplace engagement. Unfortunately, as mentioned, the current state of employee engagement is not encouraging. Just 15% of employees are actively engaged at work.

Among disengaged employees, 59% say they regularly feel stressed at work. What’s more, SHRM finds that just 29% of employees are satisfied with the career advancement opportunities their company offers, leading to lower engagement. 

Largely, poor employee engagement falls on managers. 75% of disengaged employees blame their managers or broader company leadership. To make matters worse, 25% of employees say they don’t trust their employer. It’s difficult to engage with someone you distrust. 

Perhaps more concerningly, only 22% of companies say they know what drives their employee disengagement. This is bad news, as it’s impossible to rectify employee disengagement if you can’t identify the root causes. 

Moreover, 90% of leaders think having an employee engagement strategy improves business success. Yet, only 25% have one. Likewise, 87% of HR managers agree that improving employee engagement is one of their most important training goals. Despite this, 36% say increasing employee engagement in learning is also one of their biggest challenges. These stats tell a troubling story: there is a significant disconnect between what businesses want and what employees experience. While most teams want to increase engagement, it seems few know how. 

The current state of employee engagement leaves a lot to be desired — to say the least. Fortunately, it’s not all doom and gloom. When teams put in the effort to actively engage employees, the results can be astonishing. 

For example, Gallup found that teams that rank in the top quartile for employee engagement experienced the following benefits: 

These figures speak for themselves — the benefits of employee engagement are something every business leader should strive to emulate.

So, what can teams do to improve engagement and reap these benefits? For starters, 92% of employees believe well-planned employee training programs positively impact their engagement, while 80% say learning and development opportunities would help them feel more engaged at work. 

Further, 37% of employees say ‘more recognition’ would be the most important thing a manager or a company could do to improve employee engagement, making this the most popular response in a recent survey. To build on this, research shows that 84% of highly engaged employees were recognized the last time they went above and beyond at work, compared to just 25% of actively disengaged employees. In other words, a little bit of recognition goes a long way. 

To learn more, download our eBook, Employee engagement strategies to build successful L&D programs. 

3 essential strategies to measure employee engagement

As demonstrated, the benefits of employee engagement are significant. So, to help you boost engagement and reap these rewards, let's analyze three ways to measure employee engagement.

Surveys are arguably the most common and popular tool for measuring employee engagement. Most employees will have taken a pulse survey throughout their careers. When used correctly, employee engagement surveys are incredibly valuable. Yet, surveys are often misused and misunderstood as a tool for measuring employee engagement.

For example, 58% of employees wish their company conducted employee engagement surveys more frequently. Despite this, only 21% of companies conduct engagement surveys three or more times a year. Worse still, 36% of employees say they either don’t have a feedback program at their company or aren’t aware of one.

Here, a significant disconnect between employees and managers emerges. 48% of senior managers say engagement surveys are highly valuable, whereas 45% of employees say surveys have little or no value. Similarly, 52% of senior managers feel engagement surveys provide a very accurate assessment, whereas 48% of employees believe the surveys do not provide an accurate assessment. 

Why is this disconnect so apparent? Because many employees believe engagement surveys don’t lead to any actionable change. Just 20% of employees believe their manager would act on the results of an engagement survey. Unfortunately, they’re not wrong, as 27% of managers admit they never review survey results, while 52% say they have reviewed survey results but taken no action.

As a result of this disconnect, just 25% of employees feel like the feedback they receive from their managers is frequent enough to help them improve and reach their goals.

So, what can companies do to enjoy the benefits of employee engagement surveys? According to The State of Employee Feedback Survey, the number one thing (68.4%) employees need to feel heard is for their company to take feedback seriously and implement meaningful change. Yes, it really can be that simple! 

To learn more, check out our article on why listening to employees is essential in the modern workforce. 

2. Use technology to measure engagement 

The world of work is continually evolving, with technology gaining primacy in more and more aspects of workplace life. Measuring engagement is no exception. 

Many powerful tools help businesses measure employee engagement. As Culture Monkey explains, “by leveraging technology and utilizing data analysis techniques, organizations can accurately measure employee engagement and make the necessary changes to their workplace culture to maximize employee satisfaction and productivity.”

Similarly, eLearning Industry puts it in no uncertain terms, stating, “for organizations looking to improve employee engagement and organizational performance, leveraging technology is a must.” 

However, many companies fail to harness the full power of technology for measuring employee engagement. A recent analysis by Gartner found that just 16% of employers use technologies to monitor their employees' engagement levels. Likewise, 64% of HR leaders say an always-on feedback tool is essential for an engagement program, but only 20% have this kind of tool in place. 

On the other hand, when teams do harness technology as part of their engagement program, the results can be monumental. For instance, TriHealth, an award-winning American healthcare company, implemented an engagement tool featuring a powerful audience manager and AI-powered content delivery, which led to a 164% increase in engagement in a year. 

Ultimately, these statistics present an opportunity for teams that are looking to gain a competitive advantage. Technology can be a powerful ally to boost employee engagement, yet few teams currently utilize engagement tools to their full potential. As such, using technology to measure employee engagement can not only boost engagement but also give you a leg up on your competitors. 

To learn more, read our article on how technology has changed the way we learn. 

As mentioned, to boost engagement, employees want to feel heard. Additionally, they also want more recognition and want their feedback to be taken seriously. Stay meetings and 1:1 meetings tick all three of these boxes. 

While you’re probably familiar with 1:1 meetings, stay meetings are less common. As BuiltIn explains, “a stay interview is a conversation with a high-performing employee with the goal of discovering what they like about their role, and what they would like to change. Stay interviews are an opportunity to both uncover what motivates that employee and to also build trust with them as a manager.” 

Currently, just 28% of organizations say they currently use stay interviews. Although, organizations that don’t use stay interviews may be missing out, as research shows stay interviews can reduce turnover by at least 20%.

Moreover, a massive 70% of employees wish they could spend more time with their managers to create a stronger connection with them and the organization. Whether this is achieved via stay interviews, regular 1:1 meetings, or something else entirely, this is a statistic businesses cannot afford to ignore if they want to boost employee engagement. 

Additionally, a survey on workplace rewards and recognition found that 43% of employees want to receive recognition privately in a 1:1 meeting with their manager. If you’re a manager, keep this in mind the next time you walk into a 1:1 or stay meeting with an employee.

Again, the message is clear: to accurately measure employee engagement, managers should spend more one-on-one time with employees, dedicating time to listening to their suggestions, recognizing their contributions, and ensuring employees feel heard. In turn, this will lead to more open, honest, and productive conversations about engagement. 

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At Go1, we believe engaged employees are essential. So, we'll analyze the state of employee engagement, before outlining three essential strategies to measure engagement.

How to measure employee engagement

Gamification is a fantastic way to increase engagement in your learning and development program. To do this, many learning management systems (LMSs) have the option to incorporate gamification, introducing a new, exciting, and competitive way for employees to learn.

The good news is LMS gamification is simple to implement and has many benefits, including increasing engagement rates.

Accordingly, we’ll explore how you can use LMS gamification to improve workforce development, including how to implement gamification to increase engagement.

Gamification means introducing game-like elements to bring a more interactive, fun, and competitive element to online learning. As a result, gamification encourages users to engage more with learning materials, thereby increasing retention and building a culture of learning.

There are various ways gamification adds value and interactivity to learning, including through:

We’ll explore how you can use LMS gamification to improve workforce development, including how to implement gamification to increase engagement.