Opinion
What if the biggest workplace risks are hiding in plain sight?
Employee disengagement rarely happens overnight, yet organisations often miss the subtle behavioural changes that signal much trouble ahead. Laura Brennan explores why traditional performance measures fail to capture emerging problems, and how recognising withdrawal, mistrust and declining collaboration could help leaders prevent costly consequences before they become impossible to ignore. In 2024, the drop in global employee engagement cost the world economy $438 billion in lost productivity. This wasn’t through redundancy or restructure, but through the quiet, cumulative effect of…
Resistance to your capability framework is almost always rational
Ben Satchwell argues that pushback on capability frameworks is usually rational feedback, not irrational resistance. Drawing on established research, Ben shows common objections often signal solvable issues: weak co-design, unclear data use, ignored history, time burden, or a missing personal why. Instead, ask what would need to change for support. When people push back on a new capability framework, the project team tends to file it under “resistance to change”, as though resistance were an irrational reflex to be managed,…
The one-page brief that could save your next training video
Creating effective training videos takes more than just good filming and editing. Liam Mead shares five essential questions L&D teams should answer before production begins, from defining learning objectives and understanding audiences to managing approvals and deliverables, helping organisations avoid costly mistakes and create videos that genuinely support workplace learning. What if your training video is destined to fail before anyone even picks up a camera? Organisations can spend considerable time and money producing polished, professional learning videos, only to…
Why financial literacy training belongs in the workplace
Financial awareness is high, yet many employees struggle to turn knowledge into meaningful action. Thomas Drury argues that workplace financial education needs a rethink, exploring how L&D teams can remove barriers, personalise support and connect learning to real financial decisions, while measuring success through behaviour change rather than course completion. The case for workplace financial education has been made before, but it’s usually made the wrong way. The framing tends to be “people don’t know about ISAs, pensions or fraud…
Change doesn’t need more intensity, it needs more precision
Organisations often respond to mounting pressure by adding more activity, yet execution suffers when people are overwhelmed. Dr Ravinder Tulsiani argues that effective change depends on precision, consistency and reinforcing a small number of critical behaviours in real work, helping leaders turn urgency into sustainable performance rather than organisational noise. AI is making many CEOs feel that slow adaptation is no longer a strategic inconvenience: It’s a survival risk. Move fast or fall behind. Therefore, responses become predictable. More investment,…
Corporate training is broken and immersive learning could fix it
What if better workplace learning meant less instruction and more experience? Jo Living challenges traditional approaches to L&D, arguing that meaningful behaviour change comes through practice, reflection and real decision-making. From poker simulations to immersive experiences, she explores how organisations can bridge the gap between knowledge delivery and workplace performance. Companies invest billions each year on learning and development, yet much of it fails to change behaviour in any meaningful way. The issue is not resources or intent, it’s that…
Gen Z doesn’t want another training course
Gen Z is taking control of its professional development, but traditional training approaches risk holding young workers back. Trent Cotton explores why self-directed learning is reshaping expectations and how L&D teams can respond with personalised pathways, meaningful mentorship and opportunities that build on existing skills rather than starting from scratch. Think about an athlete who shows up to pre-season already in shape. They have done the work before competition time, studied the playbook and built their conditioning on their own…
Is your learning video leaving people behind?
Accessible video is about more than meeting compliance requirements. It creates better learning experiences for everyone. Jayne Davids explores how thoughtful design, accurate captions, clear visuals and meaningful testing can remove barriers, build trust and help L&D teams create content that truly empowers people to learn and succeed. What if someone in your organisation cannot hear the audio track, see the visuals clearly or read the words on screen of your content? For some people, these may seem like minor…
The sound of authority is changing. Are our assumptions keeping pace?
The way we speak can shape how others perceive our intelligence, credibility and leadership potential. But should it? Cath Baxter challenges the everyday assumptions behind accent bias, explores its damaging impact on careers and confidence, and explains why being understood matters far more than sounding like someone else at work. For the first time in more than a decade, the UK is being led by a voice that sounds unmistakably like where it’s from. Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s voice is…
The business of training: What gives training providers the right to exist?
AI, changing customer expectations and increasing pressure to demonstrate value are challenging traditional training business models. Reflecting on the Business of Training Conference 2026, Jo Cook explores the importance of understanding customer needs, designing learning for workplace performance and identifying what makes training providers genuinely distinctive in a competitive market. What gives your training business the right to exist? It’s a provocative question, but it’s one that stayed with me after attending the Business of Training Conference in London on…
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