Learning at Work Week

Each year we have a “Learning At Work Week” where there’s usually a few optional meetings where people either do presentations about their department, or some “soft skills” like management advice, or some philosophy like Growth Mindset. Then you are encouraged to use resources like LinkedIn Learning.

I never get involved and just carry on doing my work as usual. This year, I received an email:

Good morning, We are in the process of putting together a social media campaign around Learning at Work Week, and we’ve seen that you’re a regular user of LinkedIn Learning. We wondered if you’d be happy to share your experience and answer the following questions for us to use as a quote in marketing (e.g on the website and on our socials)?

• What is your name and job title?
• How often do you use LinkedIn Learning and what do you use it for?
• Why is it important to you that you get the opportunity to continue learning and development at work?
• Feel free to add any further details you want to include!

If you are happy to be involved, please can you send me your written answers to the above questions by the end of the week, along with a photograph.

I watched some of the playlists they put together that were on the topic of our company values. I watched the playlists that were compiled by the Development department about Cloud Technologies. Then I watched some about woke issues they also told us to watch, like on Unconscious Bias. Our company is massive and I know there are plenty of people that will want any excuse to chill and not do work, so I was extremely surprised that I was one of the top users. I would say I have rarely used it, and often forget we are even signed up to it. If I am one of the top users, then that means we must waste loads of money on it and should probably just get rid of it.

So my answers would be:

• Senior Software Development Engineer
• Never really use it. Just watched a few courses on wokeness for the bants. Then a few on Cloud Technologies and Entity Framework.
• LinkedIn Learning is not important, and mainly for chillers.

 I asked Bing Copilot to write me a humorous response. This is what it came up with:

Good morning,

Thank you for considering me for your Learning at Work Week campaign. I’m flattered to be mistaken for a LinkedIn Learning aficionado! While I may not be the power user you envisioned, I’m all for learning and development. To be candid, my engagement with LinkedIn Learning has been more of a casual flirtation than a committed relationship. I dip in occasionally, like a cat circling a fishbowl, pondering whether to take the plunge.

As for my job title, let’s go with ‘Aspiring Knowledge Sponge’ – it has a certain ring to it, don’t you think? The truth is, if I’m one of your top users, it might be time to audit those subscription numbers. It seems there’s more ‘linked out’ than ‘LinkedIn’ in our company’s learning stats!

Nevertheless, I believe in the power of continuous learning. It keeps the brain nimble and the skills sharp, like a Swiss Army knife in a world of plastic sporks. And who knows, maybe this email will spark a renewed zeal for e-learning in me. I’ll aim to send you a more detailed response, along with a headshot that hopefully doesn’t break your camera, by the deadline.

Warm regards,

[Your Name]

Aspiring Knowledge Sponge