Bosses fearing worker burnout due to extra duties

More than two thirds of employers fear that their workforces are struggling to cope with expanded roles following job cuts made as a result of the recession.

But 52% are attributing at least partial blame to their learning and development (L&D) functions for being slow to respond to changing business requirements, with just over four fifths lacking confidence that their firm’s L&D strategy is aligned to operational business strategy.

These are the findings of a survey undertaken among senior decision makers at 100 of the UK’s largest companies by outsourcing provider, Capita Learning and Development.

The study revealed that two out of five managers were worried that at least half of their employees’ skill sets could end up becoming obsolete, while seven out of 10 were afraid that inadequate in-house expertise could pose a threat to their ability to exploit tentative economic recovery.