Employees would rather ask Google than the boss

Employees really do want better training—to the extent that 24 percent of them have personally paid for a training program.

Thirty-five percent of employees say their company’s training tech is outdated and 15 percent of companies don’t offer training anyway. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Employees trust Google more than their employers when it comes to training, apparently.

A new report from AI-based learning technology firm Docebo finds that employees really want better training—to the extent that 24 percent of them have personally paid for a training program outside of work to improve their job performance.

That doesn’t bode all that well for employers, particularly since 59 percent of employees say that happiness in their job is tied to the availability of learning and development at work and 48 percent of millennials say they’d leave a job over a lack of training.

Related: Gen Z is ready to learn, if you’re ready to teach

And if you’re wondering where Google fits into the training question, consider this: 33 percent say they’re afraid that a boss or colleague sees them as unqualified for their jobs, and 16 percent of employees have been reprimanded for not knowing how to complete a task, so 31 percent won’t admit to their boss that they don’t understand an assignment or concept. As a result, more than a third of employees would rather use Google than ask a colleague for advice on how to complete a work task.

In addition, 35 percent of employees say their company’s training tech is outdated and 15 percent of companies don’t offer training anyway.

Employees aren’t all that confident to begin with, with 32 percent saying they’ve felt unqualified for their job and 52 percent saying they have a colleague they don’t think is qualified. That can cost employers, since 30 percent of workers admit they’ve made a bad decision or submitted poor quality work because they were afraid to admit they didn’t know how to complete a task.

That’s not the only problem with employees who aren’t sure of what they’re doing; a third won’t admit to their boss that they don’t understand an assignment or concept, but they’ll still try and complete it anyway.

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