The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook. This week: Learning debt, weak manager support, shadow workforces and after-hours pressure expose growing workplace risks, while Gen Z productivity, compliance evidence, skills investment, business literacy, government transitions and DevLearn’s keynotes shape the wider agenda.
Learning debt: The hidden cost of slow learning in a fast-moving workplace
New TalentLMS research uncovers the rise of learning debt and its consequences: Employees falling behind on learning are nearly 6x more likely to make preventable mistakes. Discover what’s driving learning debt and how organisations can spot and reduce this hidden liability.
- 41% of employees say their role has evolved faster than their company’s ability to train them
- 37% of employees say AI tools have made them appear more competent at work than they actually are
- 47% of employees say they have stayed quiet about not knowing how to do something related to their job
New AMA research reveals a critical talent development gap: Employees want to grow, but many managers are not equipped to support them
Employees remain optimistic and eager to build new skills, but many organisations may be missing a major opportunity to turn that ambition into employee development, leadership development and workforce performance, according to new research released today by the American Management Association (AMA), a global leader in professional development.
The findings point to a clear paradox: Employees are not disengaged from growth. In fact, they are actively seeking it. Yet many say they lack the professional development opportunities needed to fully succeed.
The rise of the shadow workforce
A growing layer of workers, technologies, and third parties is operating behind the scenes, often outside traditional visibility and verification. New data from GCheck, based on a national survey of 1,500 employed U.S. adults, shows that employees are firsthand witnesses to the rise of what is best described as a Shadow Workforce: a growing layer of workers, technologies, and third parties operating behind the scenes, often outside traditional visibility and verification processes.
- 71% have worked with a colleague who turned out not to be what they claimed professionally
- 81% have worked for an employer that hired someone who could not do the job they were hired for
- 33% have either heard of or personally know of situations where someone was offered money to let another person use their identity or work authorization to obtain employment
UK managers are rewarding after-hours replies over merit, Careerminds research finds
The UK government’s promised “right to switch off” was dropped from the Employment Rights Bill in 2025, with no replacement expected before 2027. Meanwhile, almost a quarter of workers already say they feel expected to answer emails in their own time.
However, Careerminds UK‘s survey of 600 UK employees shows that employees’ response times are closely linked to how often they’ve been promoted, excluding the 16.0% who say they are never contacted outside working hours.
Key findings:
- UK employees who reply immediately to out-of-hours messages are 1.3x more likely to be promoted than those who wait (70.8% vs 55.1%).
- Promotion rates fall the longer employees take to reply: 70.8% for instant repliers, 68.2% within the hour and 55.1% for those who wait.
- Men who reply instantly to after-hours messages are promoted more often than women who do the same (79.0% vs 60.8%).
More than half of Gen Z workers say they’re more productive at home, as 1 in 3 struggle to focus in the office
More than half of Gen Z workers (53%) say they feel more productive working from home, while one in three (34%) believe their workplace design does not allow them to focus effectively, according to new research from Diamond Interiors.
The survey, conducted with YouGov, highlights a growing disconnect between what younger employees need to perform at their best and what many office environments currently provide. While the office remains an important place for collaboration and team interaction, the findings suggest that a significant proportion of Gen Z workers are finding it easier to concentrate when working remotely.
Nine in ten HR leaders confident on ‘all reasonable steps’ compliance but fewer can evidence it
New research has found that while the vast majority of HR professionals are confident that their organisation could demonstrate compliance with tightening sexual harassment prevention regulations, many currently lack the practical foundations to evidence it.
A survey of 300 senior UK HR professionals by Culture Shift found that 91% are confident their organisation could evidence taking “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment if challenged today. However, when asked which specific measures they could demonstrate having in place, audit-ready evidence was lacking for many.
Health and wellbeing more important than salary in recruitment and retention for 44% of companies
Supporting the health and wellbeing of staff is the most important factor for recruitment and retention of talent, according to new figures released by the employee benefits experts at Everywhen.
Health and wellbeing support was classed as the most important factor by 44% of employers, similar to, and indeed slightly above, salary levels (43%), revealing the magnitude of the value placed on workplace health and wellbeing.
Forty-five organisations commit to Skills Compact
45 organisations have already pledged their commitment to the Financial Services Skills Compact. Backed by HM Treasury, the Skills Compact is the most significant agreement on skills between government and employers in a generation.
The Skills Compact is a shared commitment between government, the Financial Services Skills Commission, and firms in the sector to work together to close skills gaps. Those who sign the Skills Compact commit to invest in their own people, develop talent pipelines and collaborate to close the sector’s skills gaps.
52% of business owners and directors said they don’t feel confident in their understanding of business terms and acronyms
Just 13% would describe themselves as being ‘very confident’. This is especially relevant in today’s growing small business landscape. Between 2024 and 2025, the number of small businesses (0-49 employees) in the UK increased by 3.5%, rising from 5,452,990 to 5,643,4951(external link). As more people start and scale businesses, the ability to navigate core terminology becomes increasingly important. Test your knowledge of business terms with the interactive quiz.
Why do we leave the most important handover in public life to chance?
The UK needs an effective formal transition machinery that permits serious preparation for government. Britain has no coherent machinery for preparing the main opposition parties to govern, and transitions are usually improvised from scratch. How well they go depends almost entirely on the efforts of whoever happens to be around the incoming leader.
The Institute for Government was founded in part to be exactly the body to support oppositions through the transition to power, and its work to support opposition parties is serious and widely available. The gap is not the absence of an institution. It is that everything we have is advisory and voluntary.
Read more on our sister website Civil Service World.
DevLearn announces 2026 keynote speakers exploring AI, leadership, and workplace resilience
The Learning Guild announced the keynote speakers for DevLearn Conference & Expo 2026, its annual conference for learning professionals, taking place November 4 – 6, 2026, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The 2026 keynote speakers are Dan Pontefract, Dr. Luke Hobson and Dr. Tasha Eurich. The keynote lineup brings together leading voices in business, learning, technology, and organisational psychology to explore the trends reshaping workplace learning. Through sessions focused on artificial intelligence, leadership, career adaptability, and resilience, attendees will gain practical strategies for leading through change and preparing for the future of work.
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