Dive Brief:

• About half of workers said their employer penalizes them for not having the right skills, and about one-third said they've avoided asking for training for fear of seeming incompetent, research from Sitel revealed. Its Future of Work and Employee Learning report polled more than 1,000 employees to uncover how learning and development affects employee experience. 
• About a quarter of employees said they haven't attended any training because their manager didn't seem to think it was important, Sitel found. For Gen Z study participants, 88% said it's important that their employer to offer a formal training program.
• More than one-third of employees do not believe their employer understands their skills gaps and doesn't offer training to help them advance, Sitel found, and an equal portion said they'll leave their current job if not offered training to learn new skills. 

Dive Insight:

Employees may be afraid to ask for training, especially when managers downplay its importance. Perhaps for this reason, the majority of employers don't have a training plan in place. However, HR can help meet worker demand and boost retention by first educating leaders on the need for L&D. 

While L&D is important to ensure that workers have both the skills they need now and a path for advancement plotted for the future, learning that relies on antiquated tools or that merely "ticks the box" can frustrate workers.

Though employers have increased their learning spend overall, HR may need to talk with teams to figure out what training is most applicable to the work being performed before committing to any one program.

HR might also keep in mind that the most effective programming allows workers to learn from one another, whether formally or informally. Front-facing employees can be an organization's best ambassador, or its worst, and engaging L&D offerings can help employers create a strong company brand that piques the interest of prospective hires, too.