{"id":24497,"date":"2025-09-11T10:18:59","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T09:18:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=24497"},"modified":"2025-09-11T10:19:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T09:19:02","slug":"what-good-learning-and-development-looks-like-microlearning-means-better-roi-and-happier-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-good-learning-and-development-looks-like-microlearning-means-better-roi-and-happier-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"What good Learning and Development looks like: Microlearning means better ROI and happier employees"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat good Learning and Development looks like: Microlearning means better ROI and happier employees\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-09-11T10:18:59+01:00\">11 September, 2025<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"What good Learning and Development looks like: Microlearning means better ROI and happier employees\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-good-learning-and-development-looks-like-microlearning-means-better-roi-and-happier-employees\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/keirthomasbryant\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair.jpg 760w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Keir Thomas-Bryant<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>HR teams face <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/hr-strategies-future-of-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">many challenges<\/a> in our modern world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lifelong learning, development, and wellbeing are notable examples that have a significant impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, reskilling of employees ranked as the second biggest pain point in the <a href=\"https:\/\/my.idc.com\/getdoc.jsp?containerId=EUR153133425\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IDC HR Leaders&#8217; Road Map for 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Add-in compulsory <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/create-employee-development-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">learning and development (L&amp;D)<\/a> for compliance and the tip of a large iceberg comes into view. Ensuring adherence to regulations can\u2019t be sidelined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we look at how to identify the core L&amp;D issues your organisation may be facing\u2014and what you can do to solve them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what we cover:<\/p>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#h-why-learning-amp-development-struggles-to-win-today\" data-level=\"2\">Why Learning &amp; Development struggles to win today<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-meeting-learning-amp-development-challenges-head-on\" data-level=\"2\">Meeting Learning &amp; Development challenges head-on<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-how-microlearning-is-solving-the-l-amp-d-challenge\" data-level=\"2\">How microlearning is solving the L&amp;D challenge<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-what-to-consider-when-choosing-the-right-l-amp-d-platform\" data-level=\"2\">What to consider when choosing the right L&amp;D platform<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-final-thoughts\" data-level=\"2\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-learning-amp-development-struggles-to-win-today\">Why Learning &amp; Development struggles to win today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fosway.com\/research\/next-gen-learning\/digital-learning-realities-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Digital Learning Realities 2024<\/a> research report from HR industry analysts Fosway Group, 74% of L&amp;D teams say building skills is becoming a high priority to the future success of the organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drilling down into this ambition, many professionals suggest employee-led learning is a way forward. Indeed, according to Gartner\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/en\/human-resources\/trends\/leadership-vision-talent-management\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leadership Vision for 2025<\/a>, 61% of L&amp;D leaders agree this is critical to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, this determination isn\u2019t reflected in reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/learning.linkedin.com\/content\/dam\/me\/business\/en-us\/amp\/learning-solutions\/images\/wlr-2024\/LinkedIn-Workplace-Learning-Report-2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2024<\/a>, for example, highlights struggles around measuring return on investment (ROI) that may sound familiar: only 16% of L&amp;D professionals measure specific business improvements that are tied to learning for new skills (per learner).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elsewhere, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shrm.org\/content\/dam\/en\/shrm\/research\/2022-Workplace-Learning-and-Development-Trends-Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">research from the Society for Human Resource Management<\/a> (SHRM) suggests 25% of training materials are forgotten immediately by employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SHRM\u2019s research adds that, from an organisational perspective, 35% of HR managers struggle to find the right training content to fit their needs, while 32% report difficulty in keeping content that\u2019s up to date amid always-on workplace transformations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This highlights a key issue facing HR teams and L&amp;D: the pace of change continues to accelerate, requiring every working person to continuously improve their skills and meet compliance goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But catering to this can seem like pie in the sky if teams are struggling with even the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is your L&amp;D team truly capable of being a strategic partner while being held back by legacy technology deployments?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-meeting-learning-amp-development-challenges-head-on\">Meeting Learning &amp; Development challenges head-on<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What challenges exist and where do they originate?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Low engagement<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Legacy top-tier learning management systems (LMS) or Learning Experience Platforms (LXP) are flooded with outdated content, difficult to navigate, and can be so complex and cumbersome that it takes employees minutes just to even start a course.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Return on investment for training expenditure: <\/strong>L&amp;D managers face challenges when trying to measure the ROI of their training spend, such as poor data availability, and having multiple learning technology solutions and delivery methods. As such, it can be difficult if not impossible to ensure alignment with business goals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Multiple and disparate solutions:<\/strong> Research has shown that the average number of solutions businesses have for learning, career development and wellbeing is just over 16, with half of organisations using multiple platforms to deliver training. Not only is managing and maintaining disparate solutions effectively creating extra work, there\u2019s also no unified view of data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Compliance knowledge<\/strong><strong>: <\/strong>L&amp;D teams need to constantly produce and maintain several types of compliance training to ensure employees understand and adhere to relevant laws, regulations, and company policies. Yet some employees perceive the content as boring, irrelevant, and filled with jargon, leading to low engagement. Finding or creating content in a timely manner is also a challenge for L&amp;D teams.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-microlearning-is-solving-the-l-amp-d-challenge\">How microlearning is solving the L&amp;D challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Microlearning is transforming the way L&amp;D teams deliver training, offering a flexible and engaging alternative to traditional, long-form programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of requiring employees to block out hours for classroom sessions or lengthy e-learning modules, microlearning breaks content into short, focused lessons\u2014often just five to 10 minutes each\u2014that can be accessed on demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Information is also better retained by learners in this format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Add in a mobile-first approach, which ensures the bite-sized content is available 24\/7 for the employee\u2014whether on a mobile phone during a commute or in between meetings\u2014and this approach directly aligns with how we all consume information today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It balances better with busy work schedules. Engagement is dramatically improved, as employees can control when and how they learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Microlearning also encourages a culture of continuous learning. By delivering bite-sized lessons consistently, L&amp;D teams can reinforce a growth mindset and help employees build resilience in a fast-changing workplace. Staff can adapt quickly, stay current with new skills, and view learning as an ongoing journey rather than a one-time event\u2014strengthening both individual capabilities and organisational agility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, with the ease of creating such short snippets, it\u2019s easier to create bespoke training that helps bring your brand to life. You can celebrate a diverse culture and connect remote employees to your company purpose and brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-to-consider-when-choosing-the-right-l-amp-d-platform\">What to consider when choosing the right L&amp;D platform<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the above in mind, we can start to construct what an ideal L&amp;D platform looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Microlearning<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Examples of your content could include quick five-minute lessons and tips that help employees gain valuable insights from books, documentaries, and courses. As a result, speed-to-skill performance can be increased.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Translation and localisation<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> If your organisation works across borders, look to ensure seamless global scalability is built-in, to help localise your resources. With the use of AI, translations can be instant and of a high quality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>All-in-one solution<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Cut costs by dropping multiple vendors and streamlining the L&amp;D tech stack. Replace your complex array of tools\u2014from LMS and Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) to learning content and training providers. Look to ensure your L&amp;D microlearning is just one component of a powerful, broad people-management solution. This not only helps maximise ROI because there\u2019s no need to pay for costly disparate licenses, it also enables the easy generation and collection of metrics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>AI analytics and reporting<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> AI is changing everything, and in the world of people management, it\u2019s providing extraordinary insights into measures such as learner progress, compliance completions, and engagement levels\u2014not to mention other employee measures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-final-thoughts\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The path forward for L&amp;D isn\u2019t more complexity. It\u2019s to be smarter and to simplify. This is also a route to better ROI and per-employee cost savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Microlearning is a modern and effective route forward and when implemented as part of a broader, all-in-one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/people\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">people management solution<\/a>, it can bring meaningful change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next steps? Audit your current learning tools, identify content that can be repurposed into micro modules, and explore platforms that unify training, analytics, and wellbeing support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By starting small and scaling quickly, you\u2019ll lay the foundation for a culture of continuous growth and long-term workforce resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Sage People: an all-in-one HR and payroll solution<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Sage People is a global cloud system that features Uptime, a mobile-first, micro-learning content platform, alongside AI-powered HR and people analytics, payroll, people management, attendance and leave management, and talent acquisition.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/people\/interactive-product-tour\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"cta-id-24502\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-button-location=\"cta_box\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Take a product tour<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/09\/cta-box-template-keep-action-centred.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"A woman using Sage People&#039;s Uptime module\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/09\/cta-box-template-keep-action-centred.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HR leaders face fragmented training, low engagement, and compliance risks. Microlearning is an ideal way forward, and can deliver measurable employee satisfaction and learning levels. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":280,"featured_media":24498,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[240,234,44],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[669],"persona":[69],"imagine_tag":[92,217,218],"coauthors":[369],"class_list":["post-24497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses","tag-hr-payroll-benefits","tag-training","business_type-medium-sized-business","industry-hr-and-people-management"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Keir Thomas-Bryant","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/09\/sage-advice-header-2222x1250-1.jpg","imagine_tags":{"92":"HR and Payroll","217":"HR processes","218":"Top HR resources"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/24498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24497"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=24497"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=24497"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=24497"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=24497"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=24497"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=24497"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=24497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}