LEARNING IS NOT A LUXURY. IT’S AN ESSENTIAL.

And just like that… the training session ended, and nothing changed.

Let me set the scene: You’ve planned a big training day. Everyone’s there. There’s a glossy PowerPoint, a motivational speaker, maybe even pastries. And for a moment, a brief moment, it feels like progress.

But then the day ends. The group photo gets posted. And… nothing.

No follow-up. No pulse check. No time carved out to reflect or implement. Just business as usual, back on the floor.

If I sound a little too familiar with this cycle, it’s because I’ve lived it. I’ve worked in retail leadership and now partner with brands across the industry, and I see it happen constantly. The intent is there. But the embedding and continued learning is often missing in action.

Relier Team Member: Cassie

What does training have to do with agency recruitment? Well, sweet readers, your training strategy doubles as your attraction and retention strategy for your staff and if you’re not taking it seriously, you’re stuck in 2019.

From an HR lens, the issue with training often comes down to a lack of structure. Learning & Development shouldn’t be a moment in someone’s career, it should be a thread. Something embedded, revisited, reinforced.

Information retention requires repetition, application, feedback. And yet in practice? We get busy. We’re understaffed. We’re on the floor. And that thing that helps people grow quietly gets forgotten *enter quiet quitting.*

Here's what I truly believe: time for learning must be protected.

Store leaders need dedicated time each week off the floor. Even just an hour. Time to reflect, to check in on what they’ve applied, to course correct if needed, to think and most importantly to grow.

When we don’t allow that space, we’re not just failing our team, we’re failing our future leaders. The next Area Manager, the next State Manager, the next General Manager… they’re already in your business. But if they’re not being developed, they’ll go somewhere else to be.

And I know the retail turnover rates. Trust me, I know. But that doesn’t mean we give up on true investment. It means we double down on building a culture where growth is expected, not exceptional. Where development isn’t a luxury, but a necessity.

So next time you plan a training day, ask yourself: what happens after? Who’s checking in? Who’s applying it? Who’s holding space for learning? Because if no one’s tracking it, it’s just a box ticked, but if you embed it into your rhythm, well, that’s when real transformation begins.

Up next on my Recruiter with an HR lens series: Recognition, Rewards and Reality. The perks that really matter.

See you on the next blog,

Cassie x