Everyone is affected by procrastination in some form or another. But why does it happen? It can’t be just a product of laziness, because adept procrastinators may become the hardest workers of all in the hours leading up to a deadline. What, then, can explain a process that is so irredeemably unpleasant and inconvenient for all involved?

Just as there are many approaches to workplace training and delivery, adults respond to training in different ways for different reasons. People vary generationally in the way they absorb and process information, and they also vary in naturally predisposed learning styles. Efficiency demands that training satisfy each of these more or less equally, but actually designing it to this effect can be a nightmare mess of conflicting elements that inclines many to ignore these distinctions altogether. Learning proficiencies can be divided and described in any number of ways; Presented below are two of the most useful and widely-implemented models of learning styles, followed by advice on how to address them both directly and indirectly. The process need not be as complicated as it first appears, as long as the differences and basic characteristics of these styles are understood and kept at the back of the mind.

As Baby Boomers continue to retire at an accelerating rate, their immediate successors within Generation X will only be able to fill half of their positions, leaving the remainder open to less-experienced Millennials.

You should not overlook technology training as a way to both reduce wasted time and maximize the return on investment for that technology. While employees may use applications like Excel on a daily basis, incomplete training leaves many unaware of some of their more advanced features. When otherwise simple tasks are performed the hard way again and again, the time wasted is a direct consequence of undervaluing employee training.