Workers Complete Training but Still Fail on the Job
Learning and Development professionals struggle to demonstrate the real-world impact of training programs. Companies often focus on completion rates and satisfaction scores, neglecting deeper evaluation methods like behavior change and ROI. This lack of robust measurement hinders the ability to justify training investments and improve program effectiveness.
SOURCES (60)
“live walkthrough + recording combo makes a lot of sense. The biggest problem with docs is usually not having the info, it’s actually getting people to use it when they need it. For the visual stuff, turn existing guides, release notes, or training PDFs into…”
“I totally get where you are coming from, but I do think that this is one of the most important focuses of our company as a whole so I would love to help out even if that expands beyond the traditional PM role. Such is the life at any sized startup!”
“I work at at a company with a relatively complex product that can change pretty quickly, so customer support is struggling to understand the changes and our basic flows. The customer support leads are also relatively new to the company, so a lot of the questions fall onto myself and the rest of the product team. I'm currently writing these relatively dense documents, but nobody has the time to read them or find it too complicated. I've also recorded videos which have helped, but they slo”
“I attended a training and part of the day was us breaking out, working together, to complete lessons integrating what we learned. The assistant to the assistant superintendent, but somehow has authority, was walking around and someone asked: hey, what do we do about kids who aren’t showing up. And she gave a canned answer. I asked: when we look at data, as per this training, how do we control for kids who aren’t showing. The lady just shrugged. 🤷♀️ Oh, okay. So we come back to site and the VPs”
“So today I had to join a training session to learn how another employee completes her tasks, basically because she is the only person in that role and she has no backup when she takes a day off or a vacation. I understand her wanting to have a backup so she doesn’t feel overwhelmed by work that she has to catch up on when she returns, but overall I’m not sure how to feel about it. I wasn’t offered any sort of raise or compensation for this additional training yet. I spoke to my bf about it and h”
“I have been in my role for 15 months. There is no written guide or training manual for my job. I was told to watch others and go from there. 6 months in, I was helping other areas and working on projects. Then I was told at 9 months I was going to temporarily cover two areas which turned into 6 months of working two positions. I was told no overtime and to do what I could. I busted my tail trying to keep up. Then my boss called me to say he noticed a few things and wanted to talk to me about the”
“i got offered to attend a purview training do you think its worth it? It is a week long training and idk what benefit it might have for me submitted by /u/Adiago4Strings1 [link] [comments]”
“What tools are people using for user awareness training? We currently use the training built into proofpoint but oh my is it awful to manage (can't filter and assign by licenced users, can't easily extend or notify for users who haven't completed training) Basically it requires too much maintenance / input. I want to set the training and leave it and send managers a report! submitted by /u/Longjumping-Time2076 [link] [comments]”
“masters without Any apprentices to train. any task will take 4x as long but after 3 months they won't need as much training”
“Hi all-I am putting together new onboarding/systems training and am creating video tutorials. We have used Loom but the price is going up more than the ROI allows for right now. Do you all use a system? I am looking for something that will record the screen with voiceover explaining each step. I prefer to have both happen at one time vs. record and add voice later. submitted by /u/Careless-Nature-8347 [link] [comments]”
“At your level, the job is not to never make mistakes. The job is to learn from mistakes. At a higher level, the job is to have policies in place that makes this kind of failure hard to accomplish. Solo dev going off on their own because nobody else was available is a red flag. Someone higher up should have fixed this.”
“I’d like to be a troubleshooting rockstar and I’m wondering if a Wireshark course will do that for me. Do hiring managers like seeing people who can use Wireshark or has AI basically taken over this role. Is the Wireshark course on CBT nuggets any good? I’m wanting a course that will not only teach me how to use Wireshark but also show examples on how to troubleshoot “the network is slow” and how to pinpoint where bottle necks are. Basically, a very hands on practice course with labs and such. D”
“What did staff, admin, or a company do during a training that hand you full paying attention or something that stuck with you because how it was presented?? I’m putting a training together but I want to make it as engaging (not ice breaker engaging) and less boring as possible submitted by /u/MasterAd452 [link] [comments]”
“I'm 100% on board with SOPs but the trick is both creating them and having the experienced people using them (not just the new people). When the seasoned employees are going to 'do the thing,' make sure they open the SOP and use it. It is more likely to be seen as 'how business gets done' and not 'what the new guy needs' and the gaps in procedure and reality will be caught and updated much faster.”
“I am a beginner trainer, just graduated and currently focusing on experience, experience and maybe gathering some experience here and there, but most importantly experience. I will definitely make mistakes, and i am sure we all do, so let it out, let me and others learn from yours! submitted by /u/redditkacsa [link] [comments]”
“Curious how other small business owners/managers deal with this — when a new employee has a question, where do they actually go? Is everything written down somewhere, or do they mostly just ask whoever's around? Also curious: is there a question you feel like you've answered a hundred times to different employees over the years? How do you usually handle repeat questions like that — do you write it down after the first time, or does it just stay something people ask? Not trying to sell a”
“Another thing that makes adoption harder is sometimes the people at the top but a software without really considering the employers who gonna use it. they excited with dashboards bc they give them reports but forget how the tool will make the others productive.”
“I think they are important (and get 100% every year on the test), but I've seen these same people act out the same scenes over and over. submitted by /u/Local_Indication9669 [link] [comments]”
Cross training is great but as others stated takes time. Worst, if the ones you train don't use it except when you are on PTO, they won't retain it. Honestly, I tell…
Business won’t pay for cert training, testing ? That’s not right…
“This is absolutely a delay tactic as someone mentioned. Every moment you spend trying to do certs is time you could be teaching yourself real-world skills and understanding your environment better. Setting up a home lab. At 220 people, with 5 locations you should be looking at a least a 4 or 5 person team. They want you as the everything guy, so they can blame you for everything and not pay outside vendors. My advice is don't mention the whole thing again, keep your head low, and look for a”
“I wont go into detail but it takes 12 months until they are properly trained up and are generally self sufficient and not asking questions ever 15 minutes. I have no issue with training people in general. My issue is training 4 of them, the amount of things I need to do is increased from the vacancy, AND the amount of work needed to be done has doubled die to an increase of production. I was asking manager for help since I was drowning back in April every week and got the standard "just dob”
“I work for a large corporation. They want me to create standardized introductory training plans for each role/department. The plans would ideally map out the key trainings, competencies, and learning objectives for the first 30-60-90 days. I’m thinking of creating a basic needs analysis worksheet for managers to fill out that helps me identify these key areas. Has anyone done something like this before? Could you please share any tools, resources, templates, best practices? submitted by &#”
“Thank you! Hoping if you ask for a Reader permissions or role you can watch them config as they build and learn. I have some coworkers that are likely in the same position and having the same question or uncertainty. That’s where I’m including tiered access and role delegation so that everyone is forced to learn and assist when required instead of just one or two other guys.”
“Is it meeting links or meeting recordings? If it’s the latter they may be looking towards AI and training models to begin RIFs.”
“I've previously managed training for a multi-site retail operation with heavy hourly turnover, so this one's familiar to me. Short answer- investing more in training does help, but only if you fix how it's delivered first most retail turnover happens in the first 30-60 days, and that's exactly when clunky onboarding kills people Failed experiment: we tried a full-day classroom onboarding before people's first shift. Attendance was inconsistent (shift workers, unreliable trans”
“Training helps, but research and most real-world experience suggest that the quality of onboarding in the first few weeks matters more than any training program you introduce later. Hourly retail turnover often happens early. Someone starts, feels lost or unsupported, and leaves within the first month before you've even had a chance to see whether they would have been a good fit. That said, ongoing training can still drive retention when it's tied to something employees actually want. A”
“As the title suggests, I inherited our company’s existing cybersecurity awareness training program. We are currently using KnowBe4 and are on the Diamond tier. I know KnowBe4 is considered the standard by many organizations, but I’d like to put together an updated list of alternatives and hear what others are using today. Our main requirements are: Regular phishing simulation campaigns with automatic remedial training for users who fail Current and frequently updated cybersecurity awareness cont”
“Yeah we want to make the training relevant to the job itself and to the skills that matters to the position”
“It costs money, time, and energy and it’s easier to let half of entry level staff drown than dedicate those three items to a lost cause. Those who can’t keep up get let go and those who can didn’t “need” the training anyways. Firms have no incentives to keep people long term and Employees have very little incentives to stay past a certain amount of time. Why spend the money, time, and energy into Human Capital when it will just leave in a few years for a better paying role? As for the title/scho”
“Is it possible to subtly recommend to whoever hired him that it might be useful for him to take some "refresher" courses on IT basics before jumping in properly? It's a way of saying it that sounds like you're trying to be helpful, without totally grassing him up for his incompetency.”
“We had an incident of abuse that also wasn’t reported properly a year or so ago and we got a shit-ton of training out of it. But what training doesn’t address is leadership culture, particularly in middle-level management. Ours is beyond dysfunctional.”
“I got hired at a part time accounting associate job by a Taiwanese company, they have step by step guides for how to do different procedures on SAP, but some of it is in Mandarin, and there are steps that are not like in the guide, For example one step on a guide for making a journal entry for an invoice involves looking up the vendor via vendor code, but the company's SAP only lets me lookup vendors by "class" whatever that is, I told my trainer about it and she said that the guid”
“We’re trying to improve how we handle employee training, and I’m realizing that choosing an LMS is harder than I expected. I don’t care about having a huge list of features. I’m more interested in what makes an LMS easy for employees and manageable for the people running the training. For those who have used an LMS for employee training, what being most important? Was it ease of use, simple reporting, integrations, mobile access, reminders, or something else? Would be great to hear what worked w”
“most of those certs are just a checkbox for management anyway, the real value is in the hands-on practice you can get from their cookbooks”
“It turns out attendings at my program have 0 time/energy/motivation to teach us. So all I am doing is putting the orders they want me to put and writing notes. I am not doing any "doctor thinking or learning." So please tell me the most effective and efficient way to gain knowledge during my shifts so i graduate as the best damn internist my future employer has ever seen. I don't think i can study after coming home because i am too exhausted from work + my daily commute is like 3 h”
“Anyone have any websites/courses/YouTube channels they recommend for learning BAS/Controls? I've started the role at my work, and I'm slowly learning, but I'd like to learn as much as possible. submitted by /u/JGoat2112 [link] [comments]”
“So we just have to say "I take the initiative and work things out. I make shit happen." instead of "I will continually learn as I go to make your company better".”
“Exactly, certifications can show that someone understands the terminology and framework, but they don't guarantee they can actually apply it. You find out pretty quickly when they're put in charge of a real project.”
“I work as a clinical research coordinator and started a few months ago. When I was interviewing for the role, they asked me if I knew how to do phlebotomy and they said they’d teach me how (I.e enrol me in the phlebotomy course at the local college) when I said no. When I started, the other research coordinators had already completed their phlebotomy course, or were in the process of completing the course. I got hired at around the same time as our research assistant, and technically as a CRC, i”
“I started a contract IT role about a month ago, and I’m having a hard time figuring out whether I should bring some concerns up to my recruiter. The biggest issue is that the training has been very limited and informal. My manager is extremely experienced and knowledgeable, but things are often mentioned briefly and then later I’m expected to remember them as if they were fully taught. When I don’t know something, the response can sometimes come across as frustrated, dismissive, or condescending”
“Can anyone recommend some good security training for older Systems Administrators (50+) who need to rewire their brains to be suspicious of everything? Been on the job for 30+ years and my worst character defect is that I don't see things as suspicious. My understanding is younger generations have been taught to assume everything is the enemy, but I grew up in a world where you assumed everything was legit. This is now getting me in trouble as I'm failing phishing simulation tests at the”
“A while ago, my manager asked me to think about a course or training program I’d like to take. I came back with an "leadership without formal authority" program that costs around €5,400 / $6,250 and seemed like a really good fit for both me and the work I do. Unfortunately, it turns out they won’t approve it without a training repayment agreement. Basically, if I take the course and leave the company within three years, I’d have to repay part of the cost. I’m reasonably OK where I am,”
“Partners -- anything you wish associates just *knew before you started working with them? anything you're just tired of having to teach every new incoming year? submitted by /u/Less_Dealer4145 [link] [comments]”
“Companies have "forgotten" what figuring it from first principles, foundational knowledge, means. They reject the mathematician whom can not immediately tell them what 325202550676254456 + 69830355668238459656 from the top of his head, and refuse to believe that he has the knowledge to work it out, that such knowledge even exists. How can you just work it out? You either know it or you do not. They refuse to give him his tools, a pencil and a paper, or actually look at his past work. T”
“Definitely a hiring lesson for me. My newest employee lacks the most basic of computer skills after describing themselves as very comfortable working with computers. Didn't know what Chrome or Firefox are, unaware of what tabs in the Internet browser are, never heard of Spotify, keep trying to click things that clearly aren't clickable, didn't know you could pause a training video by clicking anywhere on the video, etc. I'm guessing that they are comfortable using the one softwar”
“Are you suggesting that you weren't good at learning and that you needed more time to process? You can make it up with upskilling and develop projects around your strength rather than weakness.”
“Most companies try to place people internally based on skills and experience but the way they actually vet and verify those skills is weak, inefficient, and often inaccurate. Sometimes, the whole process is just painful for all parties. HR and resource managers carry the heaviest burden in this process. They get flooded with requests from multiple hiring managers at once, chase people for updated info that are often incomplete or outdated, and coordinate endless back and forth between candidates”
“I heard that as well when I got my certification. We have a small PMO team and I often have to run small projects myself”
“I've experienced the same thing. Took a job last year, I wasn't trained on anything, now they want me to create a tutorial on how to do my job 😐.”
“Yep, my company behaves the same way. They expect me to create my own training program while I'm trying to do a full-time job that I haven't been properly trained for. What happened to training departments at larger organizations?”
“And this is why the IT department i work in does a full month of training for any new helpdesk tech or supervisor (and the supes do the same training as the techs plus extra). It's great. Week 1 is just learn how to access systems and shadow people, week 2 is dispatched tickets to appropriate techs, week 3 is email tickets only, then week 4 is you are priority receiver on the phones. All of this is done in-office so you have someone sitting with you for assistance and questions, and only if”
“What are you trying to accomplish with this education? What skill do you feel you are lacking, or what step are you trying to take? Without that, you're just spending money for no reason.”
“Before enacting consequences you want to make sure that the team has not been setup for failure, or consequences will mean very little. And what I mean by that is that typically the root cause for failure will either be embedded in the building blocks of the project or the people. Sometimes it may be a mixture of both. A project-based failure recipe typically looks like: Unreasonable goals Moving goal-posts and changing goals Unreasonable timeline Missing Points in the Process for Project Succes”