In so many of our conversations with L&D folks lately, one phrase has come up a lot – They tell us that everyone is too busy for learning; that they are so time poor, lurching from one meeting to the next, that they need learning to be shorter.
This is despite companies emphasising the importance of a learning culture, and highlighting how much upskilling and reskilling is required.
L&D leaders frequently hear complaints about time constraints, but is it really just a matter of being too busy, or is there something deeper going on? But is the issue really about time, or is it more about how we convey the value of learning? Or how well the business actually ensures the right conditions for a learning culture?
Many organisations claim to prioritise a learning culture, yet when it comes to engaging employees in development programs, participation often falls short. Employees may say they’re too busy, skip sessions altogether, request shorter formats, or attend but remain distracted by other work. These behaviours suggest that the problem isn’t just about time. The underlying issue could be a failure to communicate the value of learning or to create the conditions where learning is truly seen as a priority.
Is It Really About Time?
The reality is, people make time for what they consider important.
Firstly, if learning is seen as low priority compared to immediate work tasks, it’s natural that employees will push it aside. But this reveals a deeper issue – a lack of perceived value. When they don’t understand the tangible benefits of learning, they’re unlikely to invest their time in it, right?
Secondly, companies do talk a lot about having a learning culture, but if it has become normal to de-prioritise learning initiatives, it suggests that culture isn’t as strong as it seems. Employees need to feel that their time spent learning is valuable, impactful, and necessary for their personal and professional growth. If they don’t, the default excuse will always be, “I’m too busy.”
L&D Leaders: Take the Lead
L&D practitioners have to take ownership of this challenge. We need to foster stakeholder buy-in by demonstrating the clear benefits of learning programmes, both to individuals and to the organisation as a whole. Too often, learning programs are launched without the full backing of key stakeholders, resulting in poor engagement.
And the quality of the learning experience itself plays an obvious role. If the content feels irrelevant or the delivery method is unengaging, participants will quickly tune out. Whether through live, in-person sessions, virtual formats, or asynchronous, on-demand content, we’ve got to make sure it’s compelling and applicable.As one friend of Cognitive Union recently said “we’ve started putting on sessions tailored to them, and the numbers have gone through the roof. So people aren’t time poor. It’s just, I think, you’re not delivering what they need”
Rethinking the Delivery of Learning
One other factor on this issue is the modes of delivery. We’ve written on this topic before that, as a profession, we are choosing learning modes for all the wrong reasons, and that could just as easily be having an impact on the ‘busy-ness” issue.
To illustrate, one programme we’re involved in currently is a programme that runs over a few months that offers two streams for participants to sign up for – one is entirely virtual, and the other is part virtual and part F2F.
Guess what… sign ups for the part virtual; part F2F stream are MUCH lower than those for the virtual only stream. Now… some folks will tell you that’s because people don’t have the time for travelling to and from physical locations, etc. BUT – guess what was one of the most consistent pieces of post-learning feedback from participants who followed the virtual stream?…. I really wish I could have done this in person, with my fellow learners – it would have been so much more valuable…
So, the participants are recognising something about the value of their time in relation to this programme (by the way, they loved the programme, but the feedback was unprompted requests for a version that was blended)…
Moving Past “I Don’t Have Time for This”
The statement “I don’t have time” is often a mask for deeper concerns about relevance and value. If employees genuinely believe that what they’re learning will help them succeed, they’ll make time for it. It’s up to L&D leaders to create programmes that not only fit into the busy schedules of employees but also capture their attention and show them why learning is essential.
The next time you hear “I’m too busy,” dig a little deeper. The solution likely lies in making learning a more valuable and visible part of the organisational culture, not in finding more hours in the day.
Cognitive Union is a progressive, boutique learning and performance consultancy. We work with forward-thinking businesses. Transforming their people. Shaping their culture. Helping them embrace change and take on the world. Find this blog useful? Sign up to our email newsletter (bottom of this page) where you can receive articles like this and other insights (not publically published), and you can also follow us on LinkedIn.