Purpose: The paper aims to examine the impact of the Greek economic recession on workplace learning. Specifically, it surveys the views of Greek business professionals regarding whether workplace learning could be used as a competitive advantage in achieving business success. Design/methodology/approach: The paper follows a qualitative research method and discusses the findings of semi-structured interviews with professionals in various industries in Greece. Findings: This study provides evidence of an overall reluctance to adopt formal learning strategies. Although hiring and retaining the best talent at work is seen as a competitive advantage, Greek professionals do not attribute success to formal workplace learning. Instead, digitalization of informal learning becomes essential for acquiring new knowledge. Social implications: In the first few years of Greece's economic recovery, companies aim to keep their budgets low in anything that seems luxurious and ultimately unnecessary. The paper discusses some implications of the implementation of digitalized informal learning in business. Originality/value: This study is the first to explore how Greek professionals from various business sectors and managerial levels view workplace learning during the initial years of the country's economic recovery.