"Work changes fast. New tools arrive, roles grow, and processes shift. Often, the training just doesn't keep up. That gap is learning debt. It builds up quietly and shows up in small ways. Like a normal week turning into a scramble because one key person is on vacation. Let's look at what this looks like in daily work, why we ignore it, and how to start paying it down."
"Simply put, learning debt is the gap between what people need to know to do their job vs. what they actually know. According to the TalentLMS 2026 Annual L&D Benchmark Report, "half of learning leaders and 53% of employees say high workloads leave little room for training, even when it's needed." When the daily workload is heavy, learning is often pushed aside to focus on more immediate tasks."
Learning debt is the gap between what people need to know to do their job and what they actually know. Rapid change — new tools, roles, and processes — outpaces training, and heavy workloads often push learning aside. That gap accumulates and produces repeated mistakes, falling quality, longer onboarding, and managers spending time fixing work instead of coaching. Other symptoms include single-person bottlenecks, slow new-hire ramp, and a gradual performance drift. Paying down learning debt requires identifying knowledge gaps, making time for targeted training, spreading expertise, and shifting managerial focus from rework to development.
Read at TalentLMS Blog
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