At Go1, we believe in creating solutions that make it easy for organizations to learn. One key element to executing these solutions is a focus on personalized and integrative learning experiences. 

We are excited to announce a global partnership with Adobe that will see Go1 equip Adobe Captivate Prime learning management system users with our extensive workplace learning online library.  

A new Content Marketplace from Adobe Captivate Prime will provide its users with in-product access to more than 70,000 titles from the Go1 Content Hub. Users will also have access to topical content bundles, curated exclusively by Go1 for Adobe Captivate Prime, that address the learning needs of popular job functions and skill domains such as Sales, Leadership, and Project Management. 

“Digital learning has seen tremendous growth over the past years and will continue to accelerate well beyond the pandemic. Bringing Go1’s extensive catalog of world-class content to Captivate Prime will offer users engaging learning and development experiences across any digital device,” said Amit Dayal, Vice President and General Manager, Print, Publish and Digital Learning, Adobe. 

Adobe Captivate Prime is a next-generation learning management system that delivers AI-based personalized learning experiences that allow users to embed learning tools into their work. Adobe Captivate Prime LMS is recognized as a leader by G2 and used by millions of learners across large enterprises. 

“More than 3.5 million learners rely on Go1 for a seamless and frictionless experience for their workplace learning needs. With Go1’s Content Hub, Adobe Captivate Prime users will gain access to the world’s top online training providers coupled with an unparalleled learning experience to improve employee development and retention,” Basem Emera, Go1 Vice-President of Partnerships and Alliances, said.  

This exciting partnership means Adobe Captivate Prime users now have ready access to a broader scope of personalized learning options.  

Get in touch if you'd like to learn more about the partnership. 

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

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Go1’s partnership with Adobe to equip Captivate Prime users through AI-based personalized learning experiences

Self-advocacy can be one of the most difficult skills to master in a professional environment. Most people can probably relate to feeling dissatisfied, stuck, or even stagnant in a job at some point. In fact, in a recent survey, a whopping 74% of employees said they aren’t reaching their full potential at work due to a lack of development opportunities. 

There can be several reasons for this feeling. Perhaps your company’s L&D program is lagging behind (or, in some cases, nonexistent). Maybe you aren’t being given enough time to learn at work. Or maybe, professional development just isn’t prioritised in your workplace. However, while these feelings are one thing, challenging the status quo to advocate for your professional development is another thing entirely. 

With this in mind, we have decided to offer some tips to self-advocate for your professional development. We’ll start by looking into what self-advocacy is and why it’s so difficult before answering the question: how can I advocate for my professional development at work?

If you need a quick refresher on the benefits of professional development, be sure to read the first article in this series, how to motivate your team to invest in their professional development. 

What is self-advocacy, and why is it so difficult? 

In many ways, the concept of self-advocacy is self-explanatory. In a professional context, it means speaking up when things are important to you, asking for things you want or need to progress in your career, and setting healthy boundaries and expectations. You know, advocating for yourself. Speaking up to advocate for professional development opportunities is a key aspect of self-advocacy in the workplace, allowing you to learn new skills and progress in your career. 

According to MyWay Employability, “self-advocacy means standing up for yourself and letting people know about your rights and needs. Advocating for yourself in the workplace helps to ensure that you can do your job safely and to the best of your ability. Advocating for yourself also means you are more likely to be treated fairly by others and have an equal opportunity to succeed.”

Forbes expands on this definition, explaining that “self advocacy is a critical part of healthy relationships, long term success, and overall happiness in life. One of the many benefits of self-advocacy that helps establish these three pillars of overall wellness, is that when you feel comfortable advocating for yourself, you can get what you want and deserve out of your negotiations.”

However, these relatively simple definitions belie the difficulty of advocating for yourself at work. 

To exemplify this point, only 29% of employees are "very satisfied" with their current career advancement opportunities. Similarly, 76% of employees are actively looking for career growth opportunities, while Gallup finds that a mere 13% of employees worldwide are fully engaged. 

These statistics reveal two vital points. Firstly, many organisations lack the robust, well-funded professional development programs that most employees crave. Secondly, many employees are in a position where they are unable to advocate for their professional development. There are many reasons for this. For example, organisations may foster a culture where speaking up is discouraged, or employees that do speak up may not be listened to. 

Emerald Works backs this up, finding that many organisations are resistant to change. According to their 2020 Back to the Future report, 36% of leaders have traditional expectations of L&D that are difficult to challenge, while 28% of organisations experience reluctance by senior management to encourage new ways of learning and working. 

Whatever the reason, many people find it difficult to advocate for their professional development at work, thereby stifling their career growth opportunities. 

How to self-advocate for your professional development

With these challenges in mind, it is worth asking: how can I advocate for my professional development at work? 

The first and most important tip is to come prepared. While it is great to advocate for your needs, without a solid justification and measurable statistics, these requests are likely to fall on deaf ears. Our article on the cost of not investing in digital learning is a great place to start, as it shows organisations and managers how much they miss out on by not investing in employees’ professional development. For example, one-third of all turnover is due to either unsupportive management or a lack of development opportunities. And these turnover costs add up quickly. 

While building your case, another helpful tip is to align your goals with the overall goals of your business. As Masterclass puts it, “make sure what you want also benefits your company. The next time you ask for something you want at work, frame it as a win-win for both you and your company.” By putting your requests in terms that executives can relate to, your needs are more likely to be taken seriously.

For instance, if you want your organisation to upgrade their professional development program, you could point out that 94% of employees would stay longer at a company if it invested in their professional development. Likewise, Emerald Works finds that nearly one-third of companies are concerned about the cost of set-up, maintenance, and development for L&D tools. To ease these fears, you could point out that ​​companies that invest in L&D have a 24% higher profit margin than those that spend less on training. 

If these requests still go unmet, it might be time to take matters into your own hands and look elsewhere for professional development opportunities. This doesn’t necessarily mean changing jobs, but thinking outside the box. As Seek explains, there are still many ways to get ahead if your company’s professional development plan is lagging behind. One way to do this is by growing your connections on social media. By building your network, you will be exposed to more perspectives, have more chances to interact with experts, and advance your development by learning from other peoples’ skills. 

You may also want to reach out to a mentorship program to help grow your knowledge and skills. Or, you could lean on resources such as books and podcasts from industry leaders to help advance your career. If you’re looking for a great podcast to aid your professional development, we’d recommend listening to Learning with Go1. 

Finally, it may also be worth talking to other people in your team to see if they feel the same way. If they do, you could encourage knowledge sharing by organising learning workshops within your team. One good way to do this is by organising ‘Lunch and Learns’, where you can take turns teaching each other new skills. Likely, you will all have different skills, perspectives, and experiences to impart. By doing so, you can help to foster a sustainable learning culture within your organisation.

Self-advocacy can be one of the most difficult skills to master in a professional environment. So, we have decided to answer the question: how can I advocate for my professional development at work?

Tips to self-advocate for your professional development

Any effective manager will know that motivating your team can be equal parts challenging and rewarding. Without the proper tools and processes, motivating your team to invest in their professional development can be a struggle. On the other hand, watching your employees develop new skills and go from strength to strength in their careers can be extremely satisfying. 

As such, we have decided to investigate the best ways to motivate your team to invest in their professional development. We will start by looking at the benefits of professional development, before moving on to five ways to empower your team to invest in their professional development. 

Keep your eyes peeled for more, as this will be the first in a series of blogs looking at professional development. Next week, we will shift our focus to the employee’s perspective and analyse how to advocate for your learning if your company’s L&D strategy is lagging behind and how to self-identify skill gaps. 

The benefits of professional development 

In many ways, the benefits of professional development are self-explanatory. After all, who doesn’t want the opportunity to develop new skills, learn new things, and progress in their careers? Still, a deep dive into the statistics reveals exactly how beneficial professional development can be. 

Unfortunately, the current state of workplace professional development leaves a lot to be desired. 59% of employees say they received no workplace training and most of their skills were self-taught, while only 29% are "very satisfied" with their current career advancement opportunities. Although this is a worrying trend, it also provides an opportunity for organisations with high-quality professional development programs to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

The good news is that employees crave professional development opportunities. 74% of people are willing to learn new skills or retrain to remain employable. Plus, 87% of millennials believe L&D in the workplace is important. What’s more, 76% of employees want opportunities for career growth. The message is clear: employees want professional development opportunities, so it is your job to offer them engaging, relevant, and timely learning. 

Finally, a robust learning culture doesn’t just benefit employees, but the whole organisation. For example, 86% of millennials would be prevented from leaving their current position if their employer offered better training and development. To exemplify this point, companies that offer professional development opportunities have 34% higher retention rates. As such, a strong learning culture can save you a sizable amount in retention, recruitment, and turnover costs. 

Further, companies that invest in L&D have a 24% higher profit margin than those that spend less on training. Finally, employees who receive regular professional development opportunities are 15% more engaged. 

Thus, companies with a well-thought-out professional development program are likely to have higher retention rates, better profit margins, and more engaged employees. Who doesn’t want that?

How to motivate your team to invest in their professional development 

The benefits of a strong professional development program are hard to ignore. With that in mind, let’s move onto the how. The exciting news is that, in many cases, you don’t have to do too much to motivate your team to invest in their professional development. Usually, they’re already motivated and just need you to provide them with the right opportunities. In fact, 59% of employees say they already invest in their own upskilling.

Even so, there are always ways to motivate your team to achieve even better results. According to DeakinCo, one of the best ways to motivate your team is by aligning learning value and business value. As they explain, “as you define what your organisation wants to achieve, work from a high level to ensure your human resource planning – incorporating employee learning and growth programs – aligns with your strategic goals. By taking this top-down approach, your HR development initiatives will align with your goals, and your entire organisational culture will value employee development and learning.” 

Similarly, Nav advocates for a culture of knowledge sharing to motivate employees, explaining, “employees exposed to a ‘learning culture’ will benefit from an improved mindset while developing a stronger sense of self-worth, ownership, and accountability. Together, these things can provide the intrinsic drivers that your employees need to complete development tasks.”

Other potential methods to motivate your employees to invest in their professional development include: formalising your L&D strategy, conducting regular performance reviews, incentivising employee development, personalising training programs, offering mentorship opportunities, and fostering a culture of career advancement and upward mobility. 

Want more? Here are five concrete ways to empower your team to invest in their professional development. 

5 ways to empower your team to invest in their professional development 

Without the proper tools and processes, motivating your team to invest in their professional development can be a struggle. As such, we have decided to investigate the best ways to motivate your team to invest in their professional development.

How to motivate your team to invest in their professional development

Without the proper tools and processes, motivating your team to invest in their professional development can be a struggle. As such, we have decided to investigate the best ways to motivate your team to invest in their professional development. 

Josh Novelle, Global Head of Learning Design & Technologies, has worked in learning and development at a number of multinationals. And knows a thing or two about building an L&D team from the ground up. 

Josh recently joined Go1 host Nick Ramsay to discuss the experience and challenges of launching digital learning for the first time. 

🎧  During the episode, you will learn more about: 

What Josh has learnt building an L&D function from scratch

Josh's beliefs on the most important part of an L&D strategy

The skills Josh would consider when hiring L&D professionals

The skills needed to build a successful L&D team 

Here are some of our highlights from the conversation. 

L&D calls for people who challenge the status quo, who can dig deep to get to the root of a problem and understand it to its core. This requires a skill that is not often thought about, but is absolutely essential when it comes to building a successful L&D strategy - and that is, curiosity. Listen as Josh explains the growing role of curiosity in L&D below.  

Developing a practice of curiosity

With a long history of managing teams and working with different people in various roles, Josh knows what's most important when building an L&D team from the ground up. 

In this highlight, Josh draws on his past experiences to talk about the big lessons and learnings of building an L&D function from scratch.  

Building L&D from scratch

Something that is becoming an even bigger priority for L&D in the last couple of years is the change of messaging around inclusivity in learning. Providing learning content that empowers all levels of learners to develop their skills and perform better at work, regardless of qualifications or job title - that's where businesses will really start to see success. Josh talks more about having an inclusive strategy below.

Inclusivity as a priority

What does the future of L&D look like? 

Let's answer the above question using two words - employee experience. 

This is something that Josh believes will truly transcend the L&D function moving into the future. 

This means embedding the learning function on a hidden basis, where it seamlessly blends in with the flow of work. This also means having resources available to learners in the right place at the right time. This is a place that Josh is certainly excited for L&D functions to reach. Find out his thoughts below. 

Employee experience as a focus for L&D

We’d like to thank Josh again for joining us on the Learning with Go1 podcast and sharing some really great insights into the evolving world of L&D. If you haven't already, you can check out the full episode here. 

We look forward to continuing the rest of the series with L&D professionals already scheduled to join us from Italy, Cyprus, Eqypt, Oman, Finland, The Netherlands, Australia, the USA and many more. Stay tuned! 

Want to hear more? Browse the full Learning with Go1 podcast library on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify to help expand your knowledge of all things L&D. And hear how other organisations are navigating through this ever-evolving landscape.

In Episode 14 of the Learning with Go1 podcast, we were joined by Josh Novelle to discuss how organisations can build their L&D function from scratch. Catch up on some of the highlights from the podcast here.

What it's like to launch digital learning for the first time

A robust, well-planned L&D strategy is essential for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a multinational organisation or an enthusiastic five-person team, your business can probably benefit from a strong L&D presence. 

Unfortunately, L&D is often overlooked and underappreciated among smaller, fast-growing businesses. The Federation for Small Businesses finds that 91% of business owners recognise the value of investing in staff training and development. Yet, less than half (43%) actually invest in L&D. 

When resources are scarce and there are hundreds of other priorities, it’s easy to understand how teams can become overwhelmed and neglect L&D. However, we believe this is an error. 

With this in mind, we’ve decided to show why fast-growing businesses can’t afford to ignore L&D, by outlining five reasons why L&D is crucial for a fast-growing organisation. 

Snapshot: 5 reasons L&D is crucial for a fast-growing business

Recruitment and retention is the backbone of any fast-growing business. If you cannot attract and retain the most sought-after talent, then your growth will eventually plateau. Luckily, L&D can have a meaningful impact on recruitment and retention. 

According to LinkedIn, 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development. Adding to this, 56% of employees say career growth and opportunity is more important than salary. These statistics show how critical a well thought out L&D program can be in retaining employees.

To emphasise this point, 68% of employees say training and development is a company’s most important policy.

In terms of retention, employees are 12 times more likely to leave a company that doesn’t offer learning, development, and career growth opportunities, while 74% of employees feel they aren’t meeting their potential due to a lack of L&D opportunities. Given this, Rapt Media finds that $500 billion is lost every year due to employee disengagement.

The good news is that 42% of workplaces where employees engage with L&D also say their employees are highly engaged overall. Companies with more engaged employees outperform those with disengaged employees by 202%.

In other words, a strong L&D program makes your business far more attractive to top-level talent. Without an L&D program in place, you are likely to miss out on highly skilled employees as they accept more enticing opportunities elsewhere. 

ROI is another key metric for fast-growing businesses. Without a continually increasing ROI, your organisation’s growth will be limited. Again, L&D can have a major impact on ROI.

Put simply, companies that invest in L&D have a 24% higher profit margin than those that spend less on training, according to the Association for Talent Development.

If that isn’t enough to convince you, companies with comprehensive training programs also have a 218% higher income per employee.

Further, 42% of companies enjoy an increase in profits after investing in digital learning. A study by IBM puts this into perspective, finding that every dollar invested in online training results in $30 worth of productivity.

Given these numbers, it should be no surprise that 72% of organisations think their business gains a competitive advantage by investing in L&D. 

Essentially, numbers like these mean fast-growing businesses can’t afford not to invest in L&D.

For fast-growing businesses, skills and futureproofing are vital. For L&D teams, this is bread and butter.

According to research by Deloitte, 88% of companies believe that reorganising and futureproofing is central to business success. To achieve this, upskilling and reskilling will be imperative. 

According to the 2021 L&D Global Sentiment Study, upskilling & reskilling are the number one priorities for L&D teams, taking 13% of the vote. 13%  was the highest vote share since 2016, showing how urgent this priority is among L&D teams. 

These findings should come as little surprise, given estimates show that 54% of employees will require extensive upskilling or reskilling by 2022. Thus, to maintain their growth trajectory, fast-growing businesses must invest in skills training for employees. 

Failing to upskill employees can harm productivity, as 41% of workers say their tasks take longer to complete when they don’t have the right skills. On the other hand, 80% of employees say that upskilling/reskilling has boosted their confidence, and 91% of companies say upskilling/reskilling has boosted productivity. 

For further insights on how upskilling can support a fast-growing business, be sure to read our article on closing the L&D skills gap. 

Alignment is a crucial skill that L&D teams can offer to a fast-growing business. We’ve discussed previously how aligning L&D to a businesses’ overall strategy can improve performance, but it is worth reiterating.

Alignment is particularly important for fast-growing businesses, as the cost of misalignment can be stark. 

Emerald Works 2020 Back to the Future Report spells out the impact that L&D teams can have on alignment and how this usually leads to better overall business performance. 

For starters, only 49% of organisations say their L&D activity fully aligns with their organisation’s strategic goals. However, this increases dramatically to 94% among high-impact learning cultures (defined as the top 10% of organisations), showing what a difference a well-resourced L&D team can make to alignment. 

Similarly, only 52% of organisations say everyone on their L&D team understands their business’ strategic goals, but again, this jumps to 97% among high-impact learning cultures. 

Finally, only 34% of teams say they have a communication plan for all key stakeholders. Once more —  you guessed it —  this skyrockets to 91% among high-impact learning cultures. 

The message here is clear: a savvy L&D team can have a big impact on alignment, taking you from just another business to a high-performing team. 

You can see a concrete example of this in action in our CityFibre Case Study, which details how Go1 helped CityFibre build an L&D team from scratch to support their rapid growth. 

Finally, L&D teams can be excellent drivers of continuous improvement — especially within a fast-growing business. In a fast-paced environment, it's easy to lose track of various projects as you quickly move on to the next thing. However, it is important to thoroughly understand the impacts of each project to ensure you can continuously improve and learn from any mistakes. After all, repeating the same mistakes over and over is the definition of insanity. 

Most teams already know the importance of continuously improving, as 98% of L&D teams say that ‘program evaluation’ should be a priority. However, only 38% of organisations currently have this capability, down from 45% in 2018. 

While this is a concerning trend, it can also be an opportunity. Going forward, teams that can continuously improve will have a distinct competitive advantage. 

The question is, how? Teams should have clearly defined outcomes before engaging in a learning project, then gather data to measure the success of your initiative against these desired outcomes. Without measurable performance indicators, it is almost impossible to continuously improve your learning projects.

For an in-depth look at how L&D can drive continuous improvement, read our article on how to continuously improve your learning projects, including a 10 step checklist of questions to improve your next project. 

L&D is often overlooked and underappreciated among smaller, fast-growing businesses. We’ve decided to show why fast-growing businesses can’t afford to ignore L&D, by outlining five reasons why L&D is crucial for a fast-growing organisation.

How can L&D support fast-growing businesses?

L&D is often overlooked and underappreciated among smaller, fast-growing businesses. We’ve decided to show why fast-growing businesses can’t afford to ignore L&D, by outlining five reasons why L&D is crucial for a fast-growing organisation. 

If you’ve spent enough time working in L&D, you’ll know the frustration of encountering roadblocks that get in the way of your goals. 

Whether it’s sceptical executives, budgetary constraints, technological challenges, or just a lack of time, L&D roadblocks are something that we could all do without. Just imagine what you could achieve with the right resources and nothing halting your progress! 

So, to help address these issues, we’ve decided to answer two vital questions: what are the most common L&D roadblocks, and how can we overcome them? 

What are the most common L&D roadblocks? 

What are the most common L&D roadblocks? If you ask anyone who works in the industry this question, they could probably rattle off a list a mile long. 

For starters, Udemy’s 2021 Workplace Learning Trends Report identifies the four most common obstacles to L&D success. 61% of respondents said ‘lack of time’ was their biggest obstacle, making this the most common response. Next was ‘budget constraints’, with 42% of respondents citing this as an obstacle, followed by ‘proving ROI’ (38%) and ‘choosing the right L&D program’ (31%). 

Similarly, LinkedIn’s 2020 Workplace Learning Report uncovered the ten most common challenges that L&D teams face. 49% of respondents said ‘getting managers to make learning a priority for their teams’ is their biggest challenge, followed by 42% who said ‘creating a culture of learning’ is their biggest challenge, and 36% who said ‘increasing employee engagement in learning’ is their biggest challenge. Other notable responses include ‘making sure learners know where to find learning resources’ (22%) and ‘demonstrating the value of learning’ (21%). 

Finally, the CIPD’s 2021 Learning and Skills at Work survey found that 81% of teams experience barriers to learning. According to their findings, the most common roadblocks are the pressure of other business priorities (39%), lack of learner or management time (38%), funding (25%), the quality of L&D data collected (20%), and the quality of learning systems (19%). 

Overcoming L&D’s most common roadblocks 

Among these findings, many common themes emerge. For starters, not having enough time to learn is a feeling that many of us can relate to. This should come as no surprise, as employees only spend 24 minutes — or 1% of their time — learning in a typical week, while 49% say they don’t have time to learn at work at all, according to LinkedIn.

There are many ways L&D teams can overcome this roadblock. Firstly, it can be as simple as prioritising time for learning. When teams actively invest in their learners, the improvements can be dramatic. According to LinkedIn, 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development. 

During their annual ‘Learning Challenge Week’, LinkedIn put this theory to the test and doubled their employees’ daily learning goal from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. This increase led to 44% more engaged learners and 50% more course views. As such, dedicating an extra 15 minutes per day to learning had a massive impact. 

Another way to overcome this roadblock is by streamlining your learning content. From a learner’s perspective, streamlining learning content into one central platform can have many benefits, making it easier to find relevant content quickly and efficiently.  By doing so, you can also address the challenge of making sure learners know where to find learning resources, which 22% of teams said was a concern. For further insights on this, be sure to read our recent article on how having multiple learning platforms impacts the learning experience.

Another common L&D roadblock is budgetary constraints. This is a challenge that most of us are all too familiar with, as 42% of L&D teams cite “lack of budget” as their biggest roadblock. However, as we discussed in a recent article, now is the perfect time to flip this question on its head and ask ‘what is the cost of not investing in digital learning?’ 

Next time you’re faced with a budgetary cutback, remind your teammates that 42% of companies experience an increase in profits after investing in eLearning, while companies that invest in L&D have a 24% higher profit margin than those that spend less on training, and every dollar invested in online training results in $30 worth of productivity. Numbers like that are hard to ignore, making it costly to not invest in L&D. 

Finally, proving ROI and demonstrating the value of learning are common trends. While you probably have a strong sense of the value your team creates, expressing this value to decision-makers and business leaders in measurable, meaningful ways is an ongoing struggle for L&D teams. Emerald Works’ 2020 Back to the Future Report found that while 98% of L&D teams think ‘program evaluation’ is a priority, only 38% currently have this capability, down from 45% the year before. 

To overcome this roadblock, the CIPD offers several recommendations, explaining, “a key shift is embracing the fact that learning impact measurement can’t just be a post-intervention activity. Effective learning requires evidence-gathering and needs definition to underpin decisions in design and delivery. Impactful learning journeys are underpinned by evidence from start to finish.” For a more comprehensive analysis, be sure to read our article on improving ROI metrics to showcase L&D’s value. 

If you’ve spent enough time working in L&D, you’ll know the frustration of encountering roadblocks. So, we’ve decided to answer two vital questions: what are the most common L&D roadblocks, and how can we overcome them? 

Overcoming L&D's most common roadblocks

If you’ve spent enough time working in L&D, you’ll know the frustration of encountering roadblocks. So, we’ve decided to answer two vital questions: what are the most common L&D roadblocks, and how can we overcome them?

In 2021, 42% of L&D teams cite “lack of budget” as their biggest challenge. Similarly, 29% of L&D teams say they are “overwhelmed and underequipped.” Anyone who has had to work with limited resources, or try in vain to justify an L&D budget increase, will know exactly how frustrating this can be. 

Often, money is tight, so we hear a lot about the cost of investing in digital learning. However, we believe it’s time to flip this scenario on its head and ask, what is the cost of not investing in digital learning? 

With that in mind, here are three reasons you can’t afford to not invest in digital learning. 

1. The more you put in, the more you get out

While many teams still cite a lack of budget as a roadblock, the overall outlook for L&D budgets is positive. Currently, the global L&D market is worth $367 billion, with estimates saying this will surpass $400 billion by 2025. According to Training Magazine, this equates to $1,111 per employee per year on learning and development. Further, 57% of L&D teams are planning to increase their online budgets in 2021. 

The reason for this spending is simple: the more you invest in L&D, the more you will be rewarded. Companies that provide comprehensive training programs have a 218% higher income per employee, according to the Association for Talent Development. What’s more, companies that invest in L&D have a 24% higher profit margin than those that spend less on training. 

Additionally, 42% of companies experience an increase in profits after investing in eLearning. A study by IBM puts this into perspective, finding that every dollar invested in online training results in $30 worth of productivity. IBM also found that well-trained teams can increase productivity by 10%. 

Given these numbers, it should come as no surprise that 72% of organisations believe that their business gains a competitive advantage by investing in digital learning. With figures like these, not investing in digital learning can be costly, leaving your team under-resourced in important areas. 

For further insights on the cost of not investing in digital learning, be sure to read our articles on maximising your L&D budget in 2021 and showcasing L&D’s value.

2. The cost of onboarding, engagement, and retention 

When analysing the costs of digital learning, it’s important to remember that it costs significantly more to onboard a new employee than to upskill a current employee. 

According to SHRM, the average cost-per-hire for companies in 2021 is $4,129. In other words, replacing an employee can be expensive, costing companies 50-60% of that employee’s salary on average. As Toggl Hire explains, “an average company loses anywhere between 1% and 2.5% of their total revenue on the time it takes to bring a new hire up to speed.” 

Given the average turnover rate for all companies is 19% per year, these costs add up quickly. On the other hand, companies with lower turnover rates bring in four times higher profits on average.

In general, most of this turnover is preventable, particularly if teams are willing to invest in digital learning. Work Institute's 2018 Retention Report found that nearly one-third of all turnover was due to either unsupportive management or a lack of development opportunities.

Given this, companies that invest in digital learning can reduce onboarding costs by increasing employee engagement and retention. According to LinkedIn, a massive 94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development. For most employees, this was a more decisive factor than receiving a raise. 56% of employees say that career growth and opportunity is more important than salary, according to Forbes. This statistic alone shows how vital a robust and well-funded L&D program can be in retaining employees. 

Similarly, 64% of Millennials say that they chose their current jobs because of personal and professional development opportunities, while 68% of employees say training and development is a company’s most important policy. 

What’s more, employees who are not engaged in learning are twice as likely to leave a company before they have worked there for three years. 40% of employees who receive poor training opportunities will leave a company within the first year. Given what we know about the costs of turnover, this is an alarming statistic. 

In terms of engagement, Gallup finds that only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged. In other words, 87% of employees are disengaged at work and are most likely dreaming about a more engaging opportunity elsewhere. Learning and development opportunities are crucial to re-engage these employees and keep them on board.

Adding to this, 74% of employees feel they aren’t fulfilling their full potential due to a lack of learning and development opportunities. Accordingly, Rapt Media finds that more than $500 billion is lost every year due to employee disengagement.

On the flip side, 42% of workplaces where employees are engaged with L&D also say their employees are also highly engaged overall. Companies with more engaged employees outperform those with disengaged employees by up to 202%. 

As such, the answer is simple: a robust L&D program leads to better engagement, higher retention, and lower turnover costs.

Finally, it is important to analyse how much time employees allocate to digital learning. Currently, two-thirds of employees say that they barely have enough time to do their jobs, let alone engage in professional development. Moreover, 49% of people say they don’t have time to learn at work, according to LinkedIn. This should come as little surprise, given one study finds that the average company provides just 55.4 hours of training per employee per year.

Given what we know about the cost of disengaged employees, this can have significant ramifications. For example, Emerald Works’ 2020 Back to the Future report found that 45% of managers were reluctant to make time for learning within their teams. However, among high-impact learning cultures (the top 10% of surveyed organisations), this more than halved to just 21%. Therefore, giving your employees more time to learn can have business-wide benefits. 

A study by LinkedIn corroborates these findings, explaining that compared to employees who spend less than one hour per week on digital learning, “employees who spend over five hours per week learning are more likely to know where they want to go in their careers, find greater purpose, and feel less stressed.” 

In 2019, during their annual ‘Learning Challenge Week’, LinkedIn also doubled their employees’ daily learning goal from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. This increase in learning time led to 44% more engaged learners and 50% more course views. If these numbers can be achieved from 30 minutes of digital learning every day for a week, imagine what organisations could achieve with a long-term commitment to make time for digital learning.

4 reasons not investing in digital learning can cost you

With that in mind, here is a wrap up of 4 reasons not investing in digital learning can cost you, so that next time someone asks you 'how much will it cost?', you can hit back with 'what is the cost of not investing in digital learning?' 

We believe it’s time to ask, what is the cost of not investing in digital learning? With that in mind, here are three reasons you can’t afford to not invest in digital learning. 

What is the cost of not investing in digital learning?

We believe it’s time to ask, what is the cost of not investing in digital learning? With that in mind, here are three reasons you can’t afford to not invest in digital learning.

Which content partner should you check out?

UL Puresafety is one of the most globally recognized content providers for health and safety training. UL Puresafety provides the content you need to transform your workplace into a culture of safety and help your organization achieve increased productivity, a better informed and prepared workforce, and fewer accidents and injuries.  

With over 1,300 courses in 17 different languages in our library, UL Puresafety covers everything from basic first aid to machine guarding. 

Check out their courses to help expand your safety training curriculum and help your employees stay injury-free.

What’s new from our current content partners?

BiteSize – Additional courses on Microsoft 365, including collaborative working, SharePoint, and using Office Online Apps

Intellezy - Updated Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Tableau Content

Simon Sez IT - Microsoft Teams 2021 Update

Skillshub - Over 40 new sales courses from call preparation to consultative selling

Stone River eLearning – Additional courses on HTML5, Wix Web Development, PHP (and more)

What’s Shannon’s favorite course right now?

Curating content allows me to look at a lot of our content and see how different courses connect to our customers' values. During a recent curation, I came across The Art of Saying No by ej4. This quick 6-minute video, accompanied by a participant guide, was a great reminder of how saying "yes" to things too quickly can lead to unnecessary stress and guilt. This was 6 minutes well spent.  

We have lots of exciting content news coming over the next few months, so keep an eye out for more updates.

The Go1 Content Insider is your first stop for all things new in the Go1 Content Hub. In this July update, find out the latest and greatest in the world of content!

The Go1 Content Insider — July 2021 edition

Shaping the future of L&D has been a hot topic of discussion at Go1. In light of this, we took the opportunity to dive deeper into the topic over on our Learning with Go1 podcast.

In Episode 12, Head of Learning & Development at Vitality, Seb Tindall joined Go1 co-hosts Craig Hamill and Nick Ramsay to discuss the skills L&D teams need to deliver high performing L&D programmes in 2021 and beyond.

🎧 Make sure you listen to hear Seb's thoughts on: 

Growing and retaining L&D professionals 

Here are some of our favourite highlights from the episode below.  

How is technology shaping the modern workforce? 

The increased adoption of digital ecosystems has forever changed the learning environment for L&D teams, as well as learners. This opens a new world of opportunities for L&D, especially when it comes to growing and retaining L&D teams. 

According to Seb, one of the key benefits of technology in the modern workforce is its power to provide a seamless integration from start to finish. This traceability is extremely valuable in helping L&D identify areas for improvement and enhance the delivery of L&D within their organisations.   

How is technology shaping the modern workforce?

Are your team’s L&D skills still relevant? 

With the evolution of technology, organisations are starting to diverge in the way they operate. The skills that were once needed may not be as relevant anymore, and we’re seeing a shift of focus onto developing future ready skills so that L&D teams can stay up-to-date. 

For those L&D teams who have a long way to go towards maturity, who are just starting out – what skills should they focus on to add the greatest value?  

Are your team's L&D skills still relevant?

Adding value by getting closer to stakeholders 

Every organisation is different, and every L&D team is different. What may work for one team may be a disaster for another.  

Seb believes the best thing L&D can do is to take a step back and reflect: “Look at your team, look at your organisation, look at your culture, and think about what is the best fit in terms of obviously moving forward.” 

Add value by getting closer to stakeholders

Research suggests that the L&D profession has become one in which you need to be able to add value outside of your own expertise as well.  