Why Over 70% of Employees Are Disengaged With Mandatory Digital Training

Why Over 70% of Employees Are Disengaged With Mandatory Digital Training

Why Over 70% of Employees Are Disengaged With Mandatory Digital Training

Organisations invest heavily in digital learning platforms, compliance modules, and mandatory training programmes. Yet despite widespread adoption, many leaders report little evidence of lasting behaviour change, confidence improvement, or on-the-job performance impact. Completion rates may look healthy, but engagement and retention often tell a very different story.

Traditional digital training is largely passive. Slide decks, recorded videos, and linear e-learning modules encourage employees to consume information rather than apply it. Over time, training becomes a “tick-box” exercise — something to complete, not something to learn from.

Independent research consistently supports this challenge:

• Global workforce studies by Gallup show that only around 23% of employees are actively engaged at work, meaning over 70% are disengaged or only passively participating in organisational initiatives.

• UK research from CIPD highlights that mandatory training often prioritises compliance over competence, with limited long-term impact on behaviour.

• Learning science research based on the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve suggests that up to 75% of passively consumed information is forgotten within days if it is not reinforced or applied in context.

Why Traditional Training Fails

Common issues include:
• Passive consumption rather than participation
• Measuring completion instead of understanding
• Generic, one-size-fits-all content
• No connection to real-world decision-making
• Minimal insight into confidence gaps or capability risk

Leading organisations are now moving away from content-heavy training towards experience-led learning. Instead of asking employees to watch or read, they are creating opportunities to practise decisions, experience consequences, and build confidence in realistic scenarios — without increasing overall training time.

Top 5 Practical Solutions

Immersive Scenario-Based Training
Realistic, role-specific scenarios that mirror real workplace situations, allowing employees to practise decisions in a safe environment.

Interactive Video Learning
Video content with embedded decision points, branching paths, and contextual questions that require active participation.

Role-Specific Learning Journeys
Training experiences tailored by role, seniority, or responsibility, ensuring relevance and reducing wasted time.

Behaviour & Confidence Insight Capture
Moving beyond “completed / not completed” metrics to capture where learners hesitate, struggle, or lack confidence.

Continuous Reinforcement, Not One-Off Modules
Short, repeatable learning experiences delivered over time to reinforce behaviour and improve long-term retention.

Organisations seeing the strongest return on learning investment are those that treat training as an experience, not content. When employees are asked to decide, respond, and practise — rather than simply watch — engagement, recall, and real-world performance improve measurably.

Explore how experience-led, scenario-based learning is reshaping workforce performance.