This article will explore ten common L&D mistakes organisations encounter, offering valuable tips and solutions to help you avoid them. By understanding and addressing these pitfalls, organisations can create a more impactful and successful L&D strategy, and empower employees with the necessary skills to drive the business forward. Furthermore, this article will also address the importance of employee onboarding and the most common mistakes that can occur in that critical part of the employee journey.

Foundational Errors in L&D

Lack of Alignment with Business Objectives

• A critical mistake is failing to align L&D initiatives with the organisation’s strategic goals. Training efforts must be closely tied to the specific needs and skills required for business success. This alignment ensures that L&D initiatives are strategically focused and contribute directly to the organisation’s overall objectives. Without this alignment, training programs can become irrelevant and fail to deliver the desired results.
• To avoid this, organisations need to collaborate with leaders and stakeholders to understand current and future needs of the business. They must design customised training programs that directly address those needs and contribute to achieving organisational goals. As Jane Stevens, L&D Director at a global manufacturing company, notes, “L&D efforts must be closely tied to the organization’s strategic goals”.

Insufficient Training Needs Analysis (TNA)

• A thorough needs analysis is the foundation of an effective L&D strategy. It involves identifying skill gaps and training requirements within the workforce by conducting surveys, assessments, and interviews. Organisations must take a step back and analyse the current situation before they begin to create a training program. By gaining a comprehensive insight into employees’ competencies, organisations can determine necessary training interventions and ensure training is targeted and impactful
• A robust needs analysis ensures that training is focused on areas where it is most needed and helps to avoid wasted resources. Skipping the analysis stage is a bad idea and preparation will reap rewards in the future.

Failing to Set Clear Learning Objectives

• Clear and measurable learning objectives are essential for guiding training efforts and tracking progress. Well-defined objectives provide learners with a clear understanding of what they must achieve and how their training will contribute to their development. These objectives must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART). This approach provides direction and motivation for employees and will help them develop targeted skills, leading to improved performance.
• A learning goal is what the learner will be able to do once the course has been completed and is broad, whereas a learning objective is a specific element that the learner will have mastered by completing the course.
• A goal is made up of a series of objectives and needs should dictate the goals, goals should dictate the objectives and objectives should dictate the assessment.

Design and Delivery Mistakes

Inadequate Design and Development of Learning Programs

• The design and development of learning programs significantly impacts their effectiveness. Training programs should be engaging and interactive, catering to different learning styles and preferences. Effective program design creates impactful learning environments that resonate with employees, maximise knowledge retention, and promote skill development.
• Organisations should allocate resources towards tailored programs that align with and contribute to business objectives. They should utilise varied instructional methods and resources, incorporating interactive activities, real-world examples, case studies, and practical exercises to enhance knowledge retention.
• It is important to consider if instructor-led training or e-learning is most appropriate for the content and the learners.

Neglecting Different Learning Styles and Preferences

• Recognising diverse learning styles and preferences is crucial for effective training. Accommodating auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners through various instructional methods ensures that each employee receives an optimal learning experience. Customising training delivery based on learning styles improves knowledge absorption and enhances skill development.
• Organisations should offer a variety of training formats such as instructor-led sessions, e-learning modules, videos or hands-on workshops, and provide options for self-paced learning.

Lack of Engaging Learning Experiences

• Engagement is key to effective learning, and organisations must create dynamic and immersive learning experiences that go beyond traditional training methods. Techniques such as storytelling, gamification, and interactive technologies can captivate learners’ attention and make learning enjoyable. Engaged employees are more motivated to apply their newfound knowledge, leading to increased business outcomes.
• Organisations should utilise multimedia elements and interactive technologies to make learning content compelling and relevant, incorporating opportunities for active participation and collaboration among learners.

Poor Media Choice

• Choosing the right media for courses is important. Some trainers fall into the trap of defaulting to their favoured media type. Organisations need to evaluate the types of media they are using to give the learner the best chance of taking in the information. Each media choice has its own strengths and weaknesses, and also varying levels of difficulty to create.
• Text is dense but excellent in providing context. Imagery communicates a lot of information in a short amount of time, but can lack context. Video is rich media, high in information and context, but is more difficult to create. Presentations are slide-based content, usually containing a combination of text, imagery, and video. Live sessions or webinars are excellent for creating a feedback loop and allow you to answer questions on the fly.
• It is recommended to use richer media if possible.

Cognitive Overload

• Overloading learners can have a negative effect on engagement, completion and the uptake of future courses. Organisations should not waste learners’ goodwill by providing impenetrable courses. They should consider that many courses are done when a learner has a free moment and split content into manageable chunks to help with completion and retention.
• Courses should match the attention span and availability of the user and organisations should try to keep courses to a maximum of 15 – 20 minutes. When content is split into chunks, it is important to provide reminders of the significance of the content from a high level, which could also contain a recap of what was covered in the previous section.

Not Considering Practicalities

• Organisations should ensure that their training plans are feasible by considering the time frame, budget, and resources at their disposal. They should be pragmatic and not let perfect get in the way of great.
• Organisations should think about how many courses they can create, whether they can produce video-based courses, and how many instructor-led sessions they can run.

Poor User Experience

• Creating a positive and frustration-free experience for the learner should be a top priority. Learner engagement depends on an easy and enjoyable experience. Organisations should use a learning management system (LMS) that is easy for the learner to use.
• Organisations should think from the perspective of their learners and make it easy for them to engage with the LMS and find their way around. This can be achieved through a campaign-based approach. Emails with screenshots of the user interface can be sent so that learners know what to expect, and the basics such as how to log in, reset passwords, and find courses can be covered. This will streamline the experience for the learner.

Neglecting Continuous Improvement

Insufficient Focus on Continuous Learning

• Continuous learning is crucial for both individual and organisational growth in today’s fast-paced business environment. Organisations must foster a culture of continuous learning by providing post-training support, access to online resources, and personalised learning paths.
• Organisations should offer a variety of learning opportunities beyond initial training programs such as workshops, webinars, conferences, online courses, mentoring programs and access to relevant learning resources. They should encourage employees to take ownership of their development and promote knowledge sharing.
  • LinkedIn reports a 25% change in job skill requirements since 2015, which is projected to double by 2027. With rapidly evolving requirements, organisational performance depends on effective adaptation.

Not Measuring Learning Effectiveness

• Measuring the effectiveness of training initiatives is essential to assess their impact and make informed decisions. A comprehensive evaluation framework and tools will enable organisations to track learning outcomes, gather feedback, assess performance, and measure skill progression. This data will help organisations gauge the return on investment (ROI) of training efforts and make data-driven decisions for future training programs.
• Organisations should implement evaluation methods and use assessments, quizzes, surveys and feedback mechanisms to gather data on knowledge acquisition, soft skills improvement and learner satisfaction.

Inadequate Follow-up and Support

• Effective learning extends beyond the training program itself, and organisations must provide ongoing coaching, mentoring, and reinforcement activities to ensure that employees can apply their new skills in real-world scenarios. This support will facilitate the practical application of knowledge and skills and lead to tangible business results.
• Organisations should offer post-training resources, such as job aids, reference materials or online communities, where learners can access information and seek guidance. They should also schedule follow-up sessions or coaching to address questions and challenges.
• 
  Failing to Gather Feedback
  
  • If organisations are not listening to learners, they are ignoring the views of the most important people in the process. Failing to gauge their views means that the analysis is missing an integral part.
  • Organisations must create a way to gather feedback and set aside time to analyse it. They should add surveys and ratings to courses to capture learner feedback and then see what works and what doesn’t, implementing changes in the next iteration of their courses.

No Post-Mortem

• Organisations must look at the performance of each training course to learn from their efforts. They should identify areas that need improvement, asking if learners interacted with the content in a timely fashion, if a large percentage of learners failed, or if the LMS is being adopted.
• Each post-mortem will arm the organisation with the information they need to make informed changes in the next iteration.

Integration and Alignment

Lack of Integration with Performance Management

• Integrating L&D initiatives with performance management processes maximises their impact. By aligning training outcomes with performance goals, organisations can create a cohesive ecosystem that drives employee growth and engagement. Providing targeted development opportunities based on performance evaluations helps employees apply their skills in their roles, leading to improved performance and overall business success.
• Organisations should tie performance evaluations and recognition to the successful application of learned skills.

Failure to Align with Organisational Goals

• For a training program to be successful, it must align with the broader goals and objectives of the organisation. A disconnection between the training content and organisational strategy can render the program irrelevant.
• For example, if an organisation invests heavily in training employees on technologies that do not align with its long-term business strategy, the skills acquired may become obsolete. It is essential that training programs are directly linked to organisational goals and address current and future needs.

How to Overcome L&D Mistakes

Identify Learner Preferences

• To engage most of the workforce, organisations must identify and cater to different learning styles preferred by modern learners. Understanding their preferences and reshaping training around them will instigate a more effective learning culture within the organisation.
• Organisations should consider three types of content to match the preferences of the modern workforce; visual content such as graphs, charts, and infographics, incorporating instructor-led training, microlearning modules with videos, content slides, and flashcards. Auditory content can include virtual instructor-led training (VILT), audiobooks and podcasts. Kinesthetic content can utilise augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices to create interactive experiences.

Mix and Match Different Training Formats

• To accommodate diverse preferences, organisations must create a blended learning program that combines multiple training formats. Blended learning ensures everyone finds something useful and engaging, whilst also being exposed to other learning methods. By providing equal opportunities for learning in preferred ways, knowledge retention improves collectively, leading to enhanced productivity and performance.

Analyze and Minimize Employee Skill Gaps

• Organisations need to identify employee skill gaps using advanced learning analytics and detailed knowledge-gap analysis reports. To minimise these gaps, they can revise training goals to align them with business objectives, design learner-centric eLearning courses, and organise remedial training sessions for employees who lag.
• Organisations should define key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress, personalise employee assessments to maximise knowledge retention, and encourage employee reviews and feedback to continuously improve.
• A platform with a competency matrix for skill gap analysis, such as Edstellar, can assist organisations in this process.

Use Technology

• Platforms such as Edstellar provide tools such as a competency matrix for skill gap analysis, training completion reports, certificate administration and attendance management which can assist organisations in transforming their L&D strategies.

Employee Handbook Mistakes

• The employee handbook is an essential document that helps define a company’s policies, procedures and culture. It strengthens the onboarding process and makes it simple for new hires to feel at home from day one. However, many employees do not read them because of simple mistakes that companies make.

Common mistakes in creating employee handbooks include:

• Copy-pasting old content
  – fresh content is the way to go and this means updating everything from how it looks to how key policies work.
• Getting stuck in the detail
  – companies should avoid legislating for every behaviour as this makes employees feel small. It is important to stick to the important things and make do’s and don’ts as brief as possible.
• Using too much technical jargon
  – in the age of memes and 120-character posts, employees do not want to wade through pages of technical lingo. Companies should write in their brand voice and make handbooks entertaining.
• Forgetting to update it
  – keeping the employee handbook updated is more important than ever and organisations must create an updating process that includes regular updates and notifications for employees.
• Creating rigid policies
  – rigid policies are not helpful.
• Writing in formal language
  – formal language is not engaging.
• Not sharing the handbook
  – not sharing the handbook means that employees will not know the policies.
• Failing to review the handbook
  – it is important to review the material annually.
• Making the handbook long and boring
  – a long and boring handbook will not be read.

Tips on how to improve employee handbooks include:

• Use a knowledge platform
  – such as Whale to make sure the handbook looks as good as possible.
• Use micro-learning
  – to avoid 1000-page manuals and instead create bite-sized content.
• Integrate multimedia
  – use a knowledge platform to integrate gifs, images and video into the handbook.
• Be human
  – simplify technical terms, add humour, use human focused content and engage employees.

Examples of companies that have succeeded in creating engaging employee handbooks include:

• Nordstrom
  – who have a two page handbook with one rule.
• Netflix
  – who use simple wording, easy-read storytelling, and focus on company culture.
• Zappos
  – who use comics and The Culture Book to create a creative handbook.

Onboarding Mistakes

Effective employee onboarding is essential for integrating new hires and boosting their productivity from day one. However, many companies make common onboarding mistakes that can diminish the overall employee experience.

Common onboarding mistakes include:

• Lack of preparation before day one
  – without a clear and structured plan, new hires may feel unwelcome. To avoid this, companies must ensure all resources are prepared and that the team is ready to welcome the new colleague. A pre-onboarding checklist should be developed.
  • Essentials include a “welcome to the company” email, documents for e-signature, a swag package, and the employee handbook.
• Overly generic onboarding programs
  – these fail to address the specific needs of the new hire or their role. Companies should tailor programs to fit specific roles by creating customised training plans and assigning a mentor or buddy.
• Inefficient communication during the onboarding process
  – a lack of clear and effective communication can lead to misunderstandings. Organisations should establish open communication channels, provide a detailed welcome handbook, and keep an open line of communication for questions. New hires should also be considered as a source of feedback.
• Not assigning a mentor or buddy
  – this can slow down integration and make it harder for new hires to adapt. A mentor can answer questions, provide feedback, and help the new hire to integrate into the team.
• Limiting onboarding to just one week
  – effective onboarding can extend up to 90 days or even a year. During this period, companies must continue to integrate new hires into the company’s culture, resolve issues, offer training, review performance, and gather feedback.
• Failing to provide continuous feedback
  – without regular feedback, new employees may not know if they are meeting expectations. Companies should establish a regular feedback loop to discuss progress, provide constructive feedback, and set clear expectations.
• Not clarifying expectations
  – employees need to clearly understand what is expected of them. Organisations must define and communicate their expectations from the start and conduct regular performance evaluations to ensure their work aligns with these.
• Remote onboarding challenges
  include creating a structured and engaging experience and a lack of peer-to-peer interaction and centralised resources. These challenges can be addressed by designing a comprehensive onboarding plan, using digital tools to create centralised resources, incorporating interactive training sessions, encouraging peer-to-peer communication through virtual platforms, and creating regular feedback loops and mentorship programs.
• Onboarding software
  can assist in overcoming onboarding challenges by having a systematized process, providing a central resource for team members to access information and automating workflows.
• A good onboarding program can last 90 days or even a year.

Case Study

McKinsey Academy is a corporate learning arm of McKinsey & Company which provides learning programs to develop the skills and capabilities of professionals across industries. McKinsey Academy recognised the common L&D mistakes that were prevalent in organisations and aimed to offer effective learning programs that avoided these pitfalls.

• They addressed the common L&D mistakes by aligning their learning programs with business objectives, conducting a thorough training needs analysis, setting clear learning objectives, creating engaging learning experiences, and offering personalised learning paths and modules. They also provided ongoing support and resources for continuous learning. As a result, participants demonstrated improved performance and increased engagement. McKinsey Academy has positioned itself as a leader in the field of learning and development.

Conclusion

Avoiding common learning and development (L&D) mistakes is crucial for organisations looking to upskill their employees and drive business growth. By addressing these mistakes and implementing the provided solutions, organisations can create a culture of continuous learning, align L&D initiatives with business objectives, and enhance the effectiveness of training programs.

It is important to remember that making mistakes is a learning opportunity, and organisations should use post-mortems to learn from their mistakes and to improve future courses. Furthermore, it is essential to create effective employee handbooks and onboarding programs so that new hires can integrate successfully into the company.

We encourage you to share your experiences and insights in the comments section below. To further explore solutions, consider investigating resources such as Whale, which offer tools designed to streamline learning and development, employee handbooks, and onboarding. Download our guides and try free trial to see how Whale can help you transform your training and onboarding programs.