Is the end of Workplace Learning in sight?

In the space of one week, I delivered wellbeing training at two different charities.

At one place, only 2 people showed up; at the other, 3 people showed up.

I felt terrible for both organisations at their poor turn out- the impact this has on the per person cost of training is devastating for already stretched L&D budgets.

I felt terrible also because the staff who need it the most, aren't attending the training. One organisation was a hospice, and the other was a supported housing service. The level of stress in both places is off the charts.

The impact of non-attendance is that the training just won’t be booked again. L&D Managers can’t take the financial hit if people don’t come. It’s so frustrating, because in both places, staff have expressed a real desire to engage with wellbeing initiatives, and cite their stress in staff surveys etc.

And that's just wellbeing training. In another organisation I work with, they’ll need to reduce their one day safeguarding training to half day because managers can’t afford the cost of agency staff covering a full day while team members are away on training. We all know this is short-termism at its finest- what's the actual cost of staff members NOT having even one full day’s worth of safeguarding training? I suspect the true cost will be borne by vulnerable service users who are supported by staff who don’t know how to keep them safe.

I think there is a complex set of factors at play in all of this.

We have the psychological- those most stressed and burnt out won’t necessarily feel they can take the time out of their already busy day to spend it on their wellbeing. It wont make sense to take time out of their working day to spend it on themselves, they’re too fully in their fight or flight response to make that decision. To be fair, many staff members won’t make the time to attend any other training either, even if it clearly relates to their role.

We also have the managers level of skill and ability at managing the very fine balancing act of budget vs return on investment (sending someone on wellbeing training won’t show an immediate reward, after all. Sending someone on safeguarding training is even harder to see an immediate reward from. Well trained staff can potentially prevent safeguarding concerns arising, and nobody measures things that don’t happen!)

We also need to consider the organisational culture- is there a culture of learning? Do leaders lead by example with their own learning? Are team members encouraged to take responsibility for their learning and development? Are they supported to take time out of their day to any pre-learning, post-learning, or attend training? What other options are there for learning and development? Is reflective practice available, for example? Coaching? Mentoring? Online learning?

Somewhere within this complex equation, training loses value. Not intrinsically, but in the ‘hearts and minds’ of staff and managers. Its a soft target. Something that can be dropped off the to-do list. Something that can be cut to save money. I wonder what the true cost of this is though.

That being said, you know that I’m not giving up on L&D!

Instead, I want to start having more meaningful conversations at the point of booking the training, to identify the challenges we may face in attendance. Some other practical ways we can increase engagement and embed a culture of learning may be through the following:

✅ Lead by Example: Empower leaders to model continuous learning.

☑️ Flexible Formats: Mix in-person, virtual, and bite-sized training to fit busy schedules.

✅ Smart Scheduling: Stagger sessions and protect dedicated learning time.

☑️ Measure Impact: Track outcomes to prove ROI and guide improvements.

✅ Engage Creatively: Use gamification and incentives to spark interest.

What am I missing? Let me know your thoughts.