3 ways to make time for learning

3 ways to make time for learning

Fact: Training pays. Invest in your employees and that investment comes right back to you.
In one survey, 85 percent of workers indicated that employer-provided training increased their own
workplace loyalty. The same survey showed that workers who trained just one hour per week saved
1.8 hours per weekor 83.7 hours per yearthrough productivity gains.1
So if the return on training is so high, why did nearly one-third of IT staffers in 2014 report they
didn't receive workplace training?2
More often than not, its a matter of time and how workplaces find the way to make more of it for
training. In a survey of 300 enterprises, 69% said the lack of time to set aside hours for training was
the biggest challenging preventing their teams from staying relevant.3

training pays | 2

DO WORKERS HAVE ENOUGH TIME?

Key #1: Make learning and development an integral

DOES THE WORKPLACE?

part of the organizational and team culture

The time-for-training dilemma is two fold: both employer

A dedication to providing and emphasizing training

and worker grapple with what needs to give in order

sends a powerful signal to team members that the

to allow training to happen. From the employers

company is committed to their job success, career

perspective, training can seem like one more initiative

development and general well-being. It also sends a

that doesnt fit into an already full project roadmap. And

signal that the benefits of ongoing training are critical

for workers who are continually being asked to do more

to the growth and development of the organization and

with less in both their personal and professional lives,

its people.

how does stopping everything to learn ever pay off?

How it's done: Show you mean it. Beyond investing

The reality, however, is that tech training represents

in professional training programs for workers, take

a crucial investment in teams and their members.

other small steps to help the company live and breathe

Savvy companies use training as a key differentiator

learning. Write it into the companys or teams core

for attracting, retaining and developing top talent, and

value statement and launch a monthly lunchtime

savvy workers recognize effective training as an essential

learning initiative run by guest teachers from within

investment in their growth, value and earning capacity.

the organization. Develop job-swapping opportunities

Finding time for training becomes a two-way street:

in order to make learning successful, both employer
and worker have to respect and embrace its value. The
process starts with management and three primary keys
to creating a successful training experience for a team:

and mentoring programs, both of which expand

understanding, knowledge and relationships. On the
team level, set aside 15 minutes each week for someone
to share a skill with the groupwhether its related to a
tech task or not, it perpetuates a culture of learning.

do workers have enough time | 3

When subscribers access training:

WHEN DO EMPLOYEES REALLY LEARN ANYWAY?
A 2015 CEB, Inc. survey of nearly 2,000 Pluralsight
subscribers found that workers actually trained more
off-the-clock than on.

88%

80%

25%

Note the overlap between "during work and after" means

most employees take advantage of Pluralsight both for solving
problems in real-time and learning on their free time.

Outside work hours

During work

During commute/travel

Key #2: Reward and recognize the investment the

theyve learned, without necessarily calling out individual

How it's done: We saved the bestand hardestfor

team and its members are making

workers. Bring in a cake or go out for coffee to mark

last. Because no matter how much you embrace

the occasion. It doesnt matter what you do, just that

training or reward it, if workers dont have time to train,

you recognize and appreciate your team members

theyre not going to do it. So where should that time

commitment to ongoing learning.

come from? The key is to give a little, take a little and

Systems for calling attention to and rewarding the

training efforts of the team and its individual members
address a number of fundamental human needs for
affirmation and connection.
How it's done: Training, when a worker is already

Key #3: Block out specific times for team members

to concentrate on training

find a training system that works for your workers.

For example, could a weekly meeting be cut from 60
minutes to 40? If so, the remaining 20 minutes could be

juggling the demands of 9-to-5, takes dedication. So

To establish and maintain effective ongoing training and

used for online learning. Online training providers like

reward a job well done. Display completion certificates

development, good intentions are not enough. Team

Pluralsight structure courses so they can be consumed

in a centralized/team location where everyone can see

leaders need to find ways to set aside time for these

in bite-sized segments. Another bonus to online

them along with progress charts targeting team-specific

activities. This reinforces the reality that training and

training: it can fit the workers schedule. Attending a

goals. Send out an email or put an announcement in

development are an integral part of the work, the team

seminar for three days may be more disruptive than

an internal newsletter congratulating teams on what

and its members.

tuning into an online course, which allows workers to

take the class at their own pace and even dive in at
lunch or on the train ride home.

do workers have enough time | 4

FINDING PERSONAL TIME FOR TRAINING

High impact training doesn't have to take long. This
chart compares the length of a Pluralsight training
module to common tasks that are ripe for multi-tasking.

Following through by supporting the cause

25

minutes

hour

Pluralsight short
training module

Average daily commute for

public transportation4

Theres one more component to success: leaders should always

provide active, ongoing guidance for each member of the team.
Help employees determine what specific training areas will be most
beneficial to their development, both personally and as part of the
organization. Meet monthly or quarterly to discuss goals and structure
a training plan accordingly.

20

49%

minutes

Americans with a lunch break

longer than 30 minutes5

halftime of a college
football game

Training = time well spent

Quality training is an indispensable element of success, both for
organizations and the people who make them run. Still, finding the
timeand making training a prioritycan be a challenge to workers
and leaders alike. But workplaces that publicly embrace learning as
part of their culture and remove barriers that workers face associated
with training will come out on top. Its a result that makes finding the

79

time worthwhile for everyone.

minutes

47%

Average time to hand wash

a load of dishes6

Americans who workout for

30 minutes or more per day7

when do employees really learn | 5

Powerful training you can

trust to keep your
organization competitive.

Get started today and request a free pilot for your entire team.
Contact us:
sales@pluralsight.com
1.888.368.1240 | 1.801.784.9007

Sources
1 2016 Pluralsight Report
2 Information Week IT Salary Survey 2014
3 Pluralsight BAO 2015 survey of 300 enterprises
4 US census bureau
5 http://officeteam.rhi.mediaroom.com/lunchbreaks
6 A European Comparison of Cleaning Dishes by Hand, Rainer STAMMINGER, Ricarda BADURA, Gereon
BROIL, Susanne DRR, Anja ELSCHENBROICH University of Bonn, Germany. 2004

0852-15

7 http://www.shape.com/blogs/shape-your-life/do-you-exercise-more-average-american