How many times have you attended a training session, returned to the office full of great ideas, and then promptly lost that knowledge or new skill because you weren’t able to apply it immediately? I can’t even begin to list how often that’s happened to me. Especially when it’s a focused skill.
For me, the biggest challenges that I encountered in my professional services career were learning wonderful data analytics and visualization tools – think, ACL (yes, I’m an ex-auditor), Tableau, PowerBI. I would get so excited about all the things I could do with it, but if I didn’t have an immediate need, I found the skills I learned in class quickly disappeared and when I tried to use the tool later on a project, I had to repeat training, but was pressed for time because I had to complete the project work.
Does this scenario sound familiar? You could say it lines up well with Lie #9 from our guest blogger, Josh LeFebvre. Ultimately, these were the results:
- I quickly lost the benefit of the training as the Forgetting Curve took over and felt pressured when I had difficulty recalling what I’d learned and unable to apply it as easily as it had seemed during training.
- My company didn’t receive the full intended ROI on their training investment because I had to spend additional time relearning the skills I’d learned at the course.
This Research Changed Everything
Enter Josh Bersin. In 2018, he partnered with LinkedIn to survey approximately 2,400 professionals about how they spend their time.1 This groundbreaking research revealed something both surprising and intuitive: time is the most significant barrier to learning.
The findings painted a clear picture:
- Two-thirds of professionals work more than 40 hours per week
- Only 7% spend more than five hours weekly on learning
- Nearly half (46%) squeeze in less than one hour of learning each week
But here’s the kicker: those who did make time for learning—the 7% “heavy learners” as Bersin called them—reported being:
- 74% more likely to know where they want to go in their career
- 47% less likely to be stressed
- 39% more likely to feel productive and successful
- 21% more likely to feel confident and happy
Even more telling, professionals indicated their ability to learn and grow was almost twice as important as salary when considering whether to stay with a company.
The conclusion was clear: learning is critically important, but employees simply don’t have time for it—unless it becomes part of their workflow rather than separate from it.
So…how can we maximize the benefits of learning seen by “heavy learners” without the downsides I experience when training in my ‘past life’? By introducing “learning in the flow of work”.
What Exactly IS Learning in the Flow of Work?
Learning in the flow of work means embedding learning opportunities directly into daily tasks and processes, making knowledge acquisition seamless rather than disruptive. Instead of pulling employees away from their work to learn, learning comes to them exactly when and where they need it.
This approach is characterized by:
- Contextual relevance: Learning that relates directly to the task at hand
- Minimal disruption: Learning that doesn’t interrupt productivity
- Integration: Content that appears in systems employees already use
- Immediacy: Knowledge available precisely when needed
The beauty of this approach is that it addresses the primary barrier to learning—lack of time—by removing the separation between working and learning. They become one integrated activity.
Making it Work: Practical Strategies
1 – Make it Brief
Microlearning delivers focused content in brief, digestible units—typically under 10 minutes—designed to achieve specific learning objectives. These bite-sized learning bursts are perfect for learning in the flow of work because they:
- Can be completed during natural breaks
- Focus on one concept at a time
- Require minimal context-switching
- Are easily accessible on any device
Imagine a sales representative who needs a quick refresher on handling objections right before a client call. A 3-minute video tutorial accessible from their CRM system provides just-in-time support without disrupting their workflow.
2 – Make it Easy to Access
The most effective learning experiences are those that appear directly within the tools employees already use. This might include:
- Knowledge bases embedded within company intranets
- Training modules accessible from CRM or project management tools
- Tooltips and guides built into software applications
- QR codes on equipment linking to operational instructions
By integrating learning resources into existing workflows, you eliminate the friction of context-switching and make learning a natural part of getting work done.
3 – Make it Targeted
Performance support tools provide immediate, targeted information precisely when learners need it to perform specific tasks. These include:
- Digital job aids and step-by-step guides
- Searchable knowledge bases
- Embedded help systems
- Chatbots that provide instant answers to questions
These tools serve as digital coaches that stand ready to assist when employees encounter challenges, providing support without requiring them to step away from their work.
Getting Started: The Building Blocks
Creating effective learning in the flow of work requires three key components:
1 – The Right Content
For learning to fit into the flow of work, content must be:
- Brief and focused
- Immediately applicable
- Easily digestible
- Mobile-friendly
- Searchable and accessible
2 – The Right Context
Learning resources must be:
- Relevant to specific tasks
- Available at the moment of need
- Integrated into existing systems
- Personalized to the learner’s role
3 – The Right Technology
Supporting technology should:
- Connect seamlessly with work systems
- Deliver content without disruption
- Recommend relevant resources
- Track usage and effectiveness
Learning in the flow of work isn’t just a trend—it’s a fundamental shift in how organizations approach employee development. By meeting your people where they are with the right resources at the right time, you can create a culture of continuous learning that drives both engagement and performance.
How Smartfirm Can Help
At Smartfirm, we understand the challenges of creating learning experiences that fit seamlessly into your employees’ workflow. Our 25 years of experience in instructional design has taught us that the most effective learning doesn’t always happen in a classroom or through a formal course.
Our team can partner with you to create custom microlearning content that delivers exactly what your employees need, when they need it. Whether it’s bite-sized videos, interactive job aids, or animated explainers that break down complex concepts, we design learning experiences that support performance without disrupting productivity.
Ready to explore how learning in the flow of work can transform your organization’s approach to training? Let’s talk about your specific needs and how we can help your employees learn without missing a beat in their daily work.
