糖心原创

You may be applying microlearning without even realizing it. Whether it鈥檚 through short how-to videos, quick reference guides or reinforcement scenarios, microlearning has become a standard approach for enabling employees in focused, non-disruptive ways. 

If you鈥檙e still trying to figure out if microlearning will work in your organization鈥攐r making the case for a strategy change with your stakeholders鈥攖hese compelling statistics will help you justify its place in your workplace learning strategy.

1. Time is the #1 barrier to learning at work

As previously noted, microlearning is on the rise鈥攁nd in a big way. In 2017, The greatest challenge to building new skills in the workplace isn鈥檛 a lack of motivation. It鈥檚 certainly not a lack of content鈥擫MS catalogs are chock full of online courses and videos. The problem isn鈥檛 finding something to learn. It鈥檚 finding the time to do it. According to Cornerstone’s report, 61% of employees cite time as a barrier to their development. This comes as no surprise in organizations where productivity is king, and the focus on short-term priorities often overshadows long-term growth.

Of course, people are constantly learning on the job as they solve problems and navigate everyday challenges. But are they learning the right things – skills that will open the doors to future opportunities? When the mandate is 鈥渄o more with less,鈥� organizations must adapt their learning strategies to fit the nonstop nature of the workplace. 
Enter microlearning. Focused, short-form training activities offer a means to make purposeful learning part of the job, no matter how hectic the workflow. It鈥檚 not just about providing shorter content. Microlearning provides development opportunities in a way that respects both employees鈥� time and organizations’ priorities.

2. Microlearning use increased by 40% during the pandemic

The pandemic was an unfortunate and challenging time. It also taught us invaluable lessons about resilience, adaptability and how to support people through rapid change. Companies figured out how to evolve their operations overnight, shifting priorities, adopting innovative business models and finding new ways to get the job done. Flexible and efficient learning solutions were critical in enabling employees to meet the demands of the moment.

It鈥檚 no surprise microlearning emerged as a go-to strategy for organizations during the pandemic. According to Brandon Hall Group, the use of microlearning during this period. Businesses had to get training and support into the operation as quickly as possible. They turned to microlearning as a key strategy for helping employees keep pace. 

We certainly hope to avoid such widespread disruption in the future. Nonetheless, the workplace will continue to evolve, and employees will need help learning new things along the way. Microlearning offers a flexible, scalable way to get people the support they need to thrive in an ever-changing environment.

3. Microlearning helped large companies offer 3x as much training time 

As more organizations adopted microlearning, training time per employee spiked. In 2017, employees at large organizations (those with 10,000 or more employees) averaged 42.2 hours of training per year. By 2020, that number skyrocketed to 102.6 hours according to an email survey from . Scaling training in organizations of this size is no small feat. It requires strategies that can efficiently reach thousands of employees without disrupting operations or overloading resources.

By delivering targeted content that fits seamlessly into the workday, microlearning makes it possible to expand training without the logistical challenges of classroom sessions or lengthy courses. Shorter learning activities don鈥檛 result in less training time. As this research shows, microlearning boosts development opportunities. Five minutes per day doesn鈥檛 sound like much, but it quickly adds up, often resulting in more overall time focused on learning.

4. You forget 50% of what you learn within 20 minutes

Here鈥檚 the thing: the idea that you forget 50% of what you learn within 20 minutes isn鈥檛 exact science. Psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted some of the earliest research on memory in the late 1800s, resulting in the popular 鈥�.鈥� Simply stated, people are built to forget. How quickly we forget varies based on a variety of factors. Workplace training often conflicts with human nature, overwhelming employees with more information than they can retain. 

Microlearning would undoubtedly earn Ebbinghaus’ seal of approval (or so I鈥檇 like to think). By embedding short training activities into the workflow, organizations can continuously reinforce critical employee knowledge and behaviors. It doesn鈥檛 matter how visually engaging an eLearning module is or how interactive your online session might be 鈥� people won鈥檛 remember most of the information presented. Microlearning addresses this challenge by breaking content into digestible chunks and working with our natural memory processes to ensure the most important information sticks.

Also read: How adaptive microlearning can revolutionize your company training

Try it out for yourself 

Still not decided? These stats offer a compelling case for microlearning as a strategy to tackle some of the biggest challenges in workplace learning – time constraints, information retention and scalability. It鈥檚 clear that microlearning is more than a buzzword. It鈥檚 a practical, proven approach to supporting employees in ways that align with how they work and learn.

The best way to see if microlearning is the right fit for your organization is to try it. Address your next performance challenge using short-form assets. For example, you could break the topic apart into a series of snackable videos rather than offering a lengthier course. Collect feedback from employees to see which approach they prefer. Measure how your microlearning assets impact people鈥檚 on-the-job performance. 

Let your teams experience the difference, and you鈥檒l see why microlearning has become a go-to strategy for organizations big and small over the past few years.