Learning at work week - what are your plans?
Hello,
Perhaps slightly early, but does anyone have any plans for learning at work week? I see the theme hasn't been announced yet, but would be interested to hear anyone's plans/ ideas. Kallidus did some sessions last year on learning at work week ideas, coffee chat roulette stood out for me :)
Jayne
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Hi Jayne,
Great question! I've just scheduled in a live peer to peer event on exactly this topic. Really excited to hear what everyone has planned and if you've not got anything planned yet, it will be a great chance to hear what's worked well in other organisations.
Register here:
https://academy.kallidus-suite.com/learn/#/course/b9e8ae2a-d593-432f-b120-83053bb0ba1c
We don't record peer to peer events, however I'll definitely share a summary of the ideas shared in the community afterwards for anyone who can't attend.
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We're structuring the week so it focuses of one of our values each day as we've just refreshed them so this week will be us launching them. As the national theme is may ways to learn we're wanting to have many different lesson types across the week so we'll have an ‘headline’ instructor led session each day, elearning and podcasts that are skill mapped against each value and we're hoping to develop some ebooks as post module learning and try a gaming element for the first time using StudyFetch
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Last year, we received a ‘Highly Commended’ award for our Learning at Work Week Activities - (we did a group wide Ted Talk style online conference, using experts and employees from across the business to decide on the topics and lead the sessions).
We haven't confirmed our plans for 2026 yet, but the Campaign for Learning team reached out to me yesterday for some practical advice around some key questions that they can share with other employers. Thought I would share my thoughts here as well, in case this is of interest for anyone:
1. My advice for organisations running it for the first time:
- Keep it simple and purposeful – you don’t need a packed schedule. A small number of well‑designed activities with a clear theme works far better than trying to do everything.
- Link it to real work – focus on learning that helps people do their jobs better, feel safer, or grow their confidence.
- Think “week as a launchpad” – use it to spotlight learning that will continue beyond the week itself.
2. One simple activity that works well:-
Bite‑sized digital learning challenges
Short, accessible activities (10–15 minutes) work brilliantly – for example:- A “spot the hazard” learning game
- A microlearning module with a quick reflection question
These are easy to join, inclusive for different roles, and create great conversation. - Everyone is busy, and there are often conflicting priorities and lots of communications coming at people, so think about how you can grab attention and highlight ‘what is in it for them’.
3. Getting leadership buy‑in and visibility:- Ask leaders to sponsor, not just endorse
We’ve had great impact when leaders:- Record a short video message
- Share what they’re learning themselves
- Actively signpost learning during the week
When leaders show curiosity and participation, it gives everyone permission to engage.
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Be clear and specific about how you want leaders to support/ what tasks or things you would like them to do to support
- Buy‑in can be harder to achieve if the ask is vague. We’ve found it’s far more effective to be prescriptive about what “good support” looks like.
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Give leaders clear, manageable roles. For example:
- One leader records a short launch video
- Another sponsors a key theme or activity
- Others share a personal learning reflection or recommendation
- Clear ownership helps leaders feel confident and avoids decision paralysis.
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Provide structure and support:
- Supplying prompts, templates or talking points makes it easy for leaders to take part — and increases the quality and consistency of engagement.
- If you can, start your planning early. This gives you plenty of time to talk to leadership teams and managers and get them excited about what could be achieved, and time for them to prepare how they will support.
4. Keeping learning engaging and inclusive:-
Design for everyone, not just office‑based roles
- Offer digital, on‑demand learning alongside live moments
- Use plain language and practical scenarios
- Make it easy to join on any device, at any time
- Add a creative twist – storytelling, games, or themed activities help learning feel energising rather than “another task” and supports different learning styles.
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Don’t just plan for the week itself. It can be easy to lose momentum after Learning at Work Week has happened. It isn’t just a yearly event, it is a springboard for creating a strong learning culture across your business, so as part of your planning think now about how you will follow up and create a plan for after the week itself. For example:
- Add one monthly learning focus linked to themes from the week
- Introduce a short “Learning Moment” in team meetings for the next quarter
- Create recommended learning pathways based on activities people engaged with
- Share a simple “If you liked this, try this next” list
- Keep Learning at Work Week content pinned or spotlighted for several weeks after
- Activate leaders after the event: Share one thing they learned and how they’ll apply it. Set one learning goal for their area. Revisit the learning theme in team updates. Rotate responsibility so different leaders champion learning each month. Building on the week will also keep them engaged and more likely to provide buy in for your next LAW activities.
- Capture and share learning stories.
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Thanks for the note on the event Katherine, I have signed up :)
Nicola, we have done this in the past. I think its a really great way to bring the values to life! Katy thats amazing, what a result! Great tips, you have really got me inspired for LAWW, looking forward to the Kallidus session to hear others thoughts :)
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