Why time has become the biggest barrier to workforce transformation
89% of CHROs identify time away from everyday responsibilities as the biggest barrier to learning and development participation.
Workforce development remains high on the agenda, but learning is competing with packed calendars, increasing workloads, and the pressure to deliver. As a result, many organizations who can’t spare their employees for longer than a few hours a day, are looking for new ways to build capability.
The demand for skills has never been higher
The pressure to build new capabilities is real. 57% of UK learning and talent professionals say executives are concerned employees don’t have the skills needed to execute their business strategy, according to LinkedIn's 2025 Workplace Learning Report.
Learning and development teams understand the challenge, with 91% of learning professionals believing that continuous learning is more important than ever.
The question is how can businesses make time for learning while navigating the reality of everyday work.
Time is as important as budget
When organizations evaluate training options, cost will always matter. Budgets remain under scrutiny and every learning investment must demonstrate value.
But time is now an equally important consideration.
A study by Gallup found that 41% of employees view workload demands as their biggest barrier to learning, while the same report found that 37% of managers say time away from day-to-day responsibilities makes it difficult to support employee development.
Finding the time for learning isn’t just an employee or a management challenge. It’s a business-wide hurdle recognized at every level of the organization.
Most employers see the value in training their people. The difficulty comes when learning competes with project deadlines, customer commitments, operational demands, and productivity targets.
Every hour spent learning is an hour not spent elsewhere, making time one of the most valuable resources in any workforce development strategy.
Traditional learning models can create difficult trade-offs
Instructor-led training remains one of the most effective ways to develop capability. Learners benefit from expert guidance, interaction with peers, opportunities to ask questions, and practical application. For complex technical skills, professional certifications, and deep capability development that investment is essential.
But not every organization has the resources to dedicate multiple days to employee development. Self-paced learning addresses part of that challenge by giving learners flexibility. Training can happen at a time that suits the learner and can be rolled out across large audiences quickly. However, many organizations still want the value of human-to-human teaching.
As skills demands increase, employers are looking for approaches that combine flexibility, engagement, expert guidance, and practical outcomes.
Learning needs to fit the flow of work
The future of workforce development is closely tied to the future of work.
People need access to learning that feels achievable alongside their day job. They need opportunities to develop skills without losing momentum on the work that matters most.
That means creating learning experiences that are:
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Focused on a specific outcome
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Easy to attend
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Practical and relevant
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Guided by experts
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Applicable immediately
The goal is not always deep specialization.
Sometimes organizations need managers to develop a leadership skill. Sometimes teams need to understand how to use AI more effectively. And sometimes employees need practical knowledge they can apply the same day.
These focused needs require focused learning experiences.
Building skills in smaller, more accessible ways
Shorter learning experiences are becoming an increasingly important part of the workforce development toolkit.
That doesn’t diminish the value of longer programs. Certifications and multi-day courses remain critical for building deep expertise, supporting career progression, and developing specialist capabilities.
At the same time, there is growing demand for learning that addresses immediate challenges and delivers targeted outcomes.
A two-hour course focused on a specific workplace skill can often be easier to schedule, easier to scale, and easier to apply than a longer program. It allows employees to develop new capabilities without stepping away from work for days at a time.
For organizations facing persistent time pressures, that accessibility can make a huge difference.
The more achievable learning feels, the more likely people are to engage with it.
Creating a culture of continuous learning
Making learning part of everyday work rather than an activity that happens outside it will be a defining feature of successful organizations.
That requires giving people opportunities to build skills in different ways, for different outcomes, and at different stages of their careers.
Some learning journeys will lead to certifications and deep expertise. Others will focus on targeted capability building and immediate application. Both have a role to play in a skilled workforce that’s ready to create value for its organization.