Purpose: Several studies have pointed out the importance of work-family enrichment (WFE) for individuals' well-being and organizations and for this reason, it seems important to understand how organizations may promote it. This study attempts to understand the role of organizational resources and, particularly, of opportunities for professional…

Purpose: While the professional learning of high-qualified employees has received a lot of attention, research that focuses on low-qualified employees is limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate the learning intention of low-qualified employees as a proximal determinant of their actual participation in learning activities.…

Purpose: This study aims to improve the understanding of the learning and development that occurs during initial and subsequent role transitions within knowledge intensive workplaces. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 knowledge workers in a multinational company and the learning experiences of new…

Purpose: This study aims to outline an approach to improving the effectiveness of work-based learning through knowledge creation and enhancing self-regulated learning. The paper presents a case example of a novel approach to learning through knowledge creation in the workplace. This case example is based on empirical data collected through a study…

Purpose: Work-place learning takes place in many settings and in different ways, resulting in knowledge and skills of different kinds. The recognition process in the work place is however often implicit and seldom discussed in terms of recognition of prior learning (RPL). The aim of this paper is to give examples of how the knowledge/skills of…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to look at workplace learning through research into sociology of work. It explores the "learning discourse" at work place level looking for possibilities to oppose learning. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on case studies conducted at six workplaces. The data on the cases include interviews…

Purpose: This article seeks to review the current state of workplace learning evaluation, to set out the rationale for evaluation along with the barriers that practitioners face when seeking to assess the effectiveness of training and development. Finally, it aims to propose a scientifically robust and practitioner friendly approach to evaluation.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate individuals' learning and propensity for changing their job situation during downsizing in a company. Design/methodology/approach: A case study was carried out in an industrial company that had undergone major downsizing to adapt to changes in production. Approximately 100 employees retrained at…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of limited English proficiency on employee performance in manufacturing companies to help explain the degree to which employers are willing to invest in ESL or other initiatives designed to overcome language barriers. Design/methodology/approach: While the primary emphasis of this study…

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate some factors that have an influence on employee retention. Based on the literature and previous research, both employee and organisational factors are taken into account. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected by means of a questionnaire that was distributed on a voluntary basis in…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate employees' and managers' accounts of interactive learning and what might encourage or inhibit emergent learning. Design/methodology/approach: The approach taken was a constructivist/social constructivist ontology, interpretive epistemology and qualitative methodology, using grounded theory…

Purpose: This paper analyses and discusses the "learning activities" that comprise obligatory learning at work by employees each month. The management strategy is to use these learning activities to spread knowledge, exchange experience and implement new skills within the organisation. The purpose of this paper is to answer the question: to what…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show how a typology of participating patterns is developed to deepen understanding of participation in formal adult education and the relationship between current workplace and educational programmes. Design/methodology/approach: The approach takes the form of conceptual work based on a qualitative analysis…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of "learning" through what we have termed "integrated development practices". These are common organisational practices that both enhance organisational effectiveness and contribute to organisational and employee learning. Design/methodology/approach: The paper analyses the ways in which…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to characterize learning from asynchronous sources among research and development (R&D) personnel. It aims to examine four aspects of asynchronous source learning: employee preferences regarding self-learning; extent of source usage; employee satisfaction with these sources and the effect of the sources on the…