Recognising the Invisible: Why Informal Learning Is Key to Professional Development

Introduction

If the workplace had a status update, we would read: constantly under revision. The only constant in work right now is the need to keep learning. New technologies, hybrid workplaces, and shifting employee expectations are pushing organisations to rethink how they support professional development and learning culture. For years, structured training programs have been the gold standard for building skills. Yet, research increasingly shows that what happens outside the training rooms may matter even more (Eraut, 2004; Jeon & Kim, 2012; Decius, Schaper, & Seifert, 2019).

This is the heart of my doctoral research, which examined how informal learning contributes to the development of human resources professionals in Quebec. I focused on this group because they hold a protected professional title that requires them to maintain their certification on an ongoing basis with the help of mandatory continuous training, while at the same time playing a key role in organisations by fostering learning cultures, designing development plans, and leading training initiatives. The findings highlight both the power of informal learning and the need for organisations to recognise, promote and evaluate it.

Informal Learning: The Missing Piece

Informal learning refers to all those learning activities that occur outside formal programs or structures: observing a colleague, seeking feedback, mentoring relationships, reading articles, or simply experimenting with a new approach. Unlike formal training, these activities are self-directed, embedded in daily work, and often invisible to traditional training evaluation models (Marsick & Watkins, 1990; Decius, Schaper, & Seifert, 2019; Noe, Clarke, & Klein, 2013).

Economists like to remind us that employees are not just people or a commodity, they are “human capital”. In other words, investing in learning is not only a cost, it’s the workplace equivalent of upgrading your software before the system crashes (Becker, 2009; Crook et al., 2011). But if we only evaluate the impact of structured training, we miss the broader picture. Models like Kirkpatrick’s (1996) have long dominated training evaluation, focusing mainly on outcomes of formal training programs. In practice, most organisations stop at the first two levels with satisfaction and knowledge acquisition. Yet, satisfaction is no guarantee of actual transfer into the workplace (level 3), nor of measurable organisational results (level 4) (Holton, 1996; Alliger & Janak, 1989). This leaves a blind spot, specifically when it comes to capturing the impact of the numerous informal learning activities that fuel continuous professional growth (Marsick & Watkins, 1990; Noe, Clarke, & Klein, 2013; Decius, Schaper, & Seifert, 2019).

HR professionals are at the very heart of fostering a learning culture within organisations. They design development plans, support talent growth, and create conditions that encourage continuous learning. At the same time, they must keep their own competencies up to date to deliver on this mission. This dual role places them at the centre of evaluating the impact of learning, formal and informal, both on their own professional development and on the people they support.

What the Research Shows

To better understand these dynamics, I conducted a mixed-method study, gathering survey responses from HR professionals along with insights from interviews and focus groups. The goal was to map how, when, and why informal learning occurs and how it contributes to competence development.

The study highlighted several key findings.

• Informal learning is ubiquitous. Almost all respondents reported engaging in strategies like asking colleagues for advice or feedback, reading specialised resources, or learning by doing in their day-to-day work.
• It significantly boosts professional competence. Respondents consistently linked informal learning to better problem-solving, credibility with colleagues and clients, and more confidence in advisory roles.
• Learning culture matters. Work environments that foster collaboration, grant flexibility, and create psychological safety (including the right to make mistakes) are far more conducive to informal learning.
• Evaluation is lacking. Despite its impact, informal learning is rarely tracked or recognised in professional development frameworks. This leaves a major gap, particularly in regulated professions where maintaining competence is a matter of public trust and safety.
  
  

Why It Matters for Organisations and Professional Orders

For most organisations, the issue is not ignoring informal learning, but figuring out how to make it visible, support it, and assess its value. Creating a learning culture does not always require major budgets; it often starts with recognising and supporting what employees already do to learn at work (Marsick & Watkins, 1990, 2001, 2015; Manuti et al., 2015). Encouraging peer-to-peer exchange, feedback loops, and collaborative projects has been shown to strengthen motivation and foster professional growth (Lohman, 2005; Noe, Tews, & Marand, 2013). Such practices not only enhance engagement and retention, but also contribute to organisational resilience by embedding learning into everyday work (Lohman, 2005; Cerasoli et al., 2018; Manuti et al., 2015). Importantly, psychological safety is a key condition for these exchanges to thrive, as employees must feel free to experiment and learn from mistakes (Maillet & Marcoux, 2023).

For professional orders like the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés du Québec (OCRHA), the stakes are even higher. Their mission is not only to support members but also to protect the public. Members are required to complete 60 hours of continuing education over a three-year cycle, distributed across specific categories. Only a small fraction of these hours can be attributed to informal learning activities, and no proof of actual learning is required. In fact, reporting is based solely on the number of hours declared in eligible categories. As a result, a disproportionate weight is given to structured, formal activities such as university courses or accredited workshops.

This issue mirrors what happens in many organisations in Quebec, where reimbursed training is usually limited to formal programs. Paradoxically, these activities are rarely evaluated in terms of impact, while informal learning remains largely invisible even though it is central to everyday competence development.

Towards a New Approach to Evaluation

The findings point to a simple but challenging truth: evaluation models must evolve. Instead of relying exclusively on quantitative measures of hours or credits, evaluation frameworks should integrate qualitative and participative approaches that capture the richness of informal learning.

Several promising strategies emerged from the study:

• Introduce reflective tools. Portfolios or structured self-assessments can help professionals document what they learn informally and how it translates into practice.
• Value collaborative methods. Approaches like peer coaching and co-development groups not only support learning but also provide tangible evidence of professional growth.
• Focus on environments, not just individuals. Inspectors and managers alike emphasised that cultures of collaboration, flexibility, and feedback directly influence whether informal learning occurs. Evaluations should therefore consider both individual competencies and organisational conditions.
• Recognise diversity in learning. A balanced framework should acknowledge the full spectrum of learning activities. This includes recognising that professionals may also acquire knowledge and skills outside their immediate job tasks, sometimes in areas completely unrelated to their current responsibilities. These experiences can later prove valuable. Organisations should not be afraid to look beyond job-related training and should create conditions that encourage learning in all its forms.
• Acknowledge the role of motivation. Motivation is a critical driver. The more individuals are motivated to learn, regardless of the subject, the greater the likelihood of transfer into practice and long-term retention of what they have learned (Cerasoli et al., 2018). Therefore, supporting motivation becomes a key responsibility for organisations and professional bodies that want to sustain competence development.
  
  

A Call to Action

If there is one message to retain from this research, it is that informal learning is not an optional extra. It is at the core of how professionals stay competent, credible, and effective in a rapidly changing world.

For organisations, the challenge is to create conditions where employees feel empowered to learn every day, not just during training sessions.

Conclusion

We often say that the best learning happens on the job, in the flow of work. My research confirms this, but it also reveals a blind spot: without recognition, these powerful learning moments remain invisible.

The future of professional development depends on shining a light on the invisible. By acknowledging, supporting, and evaluating informal learning, we can build systems that truly reflect how people grow.

Written for OEB 2025 by Mélissa Lemaire, MBA, MEd, PhD – Consultant in Competencies Evaluation, Université de Montréal and FARD Consultants.

Join Mélissa for her How To at OEB25 titled: “Recognising the Invisible: How to Integrate Informal Learning into Training Evaluation and Professional Development.”

References

Alliger, G. M., & Janak, E. A. (1989). Kirkpatrick’s levels of training criteria: Thirty years later. Personnel Psychology, 42(2), 331–342. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1989.tb00661.x

Becker, G. S. (2009). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education (3rd ed.). University of Chicago Press.

Cerasoli, C. P., Alliger, G. M., Donsbach, J. S., Mathieu, J. E., Tannenbaum, S. I., & Orvis, K. A. (2018). Antecedents and outcomes of informal learning behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Business and Psychology, 33(2), 203–230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-017-9492-y

Crook, T. R., Todd, S. Y., Combs, J. G., Woehr, D. J., & Ketchen, D. J. (2011). Does human capital matter? A meta-analysis of the relationship between human capital and firm performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(3), 443–456. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022147

Decius, J., Schaper, N., & Seifert, A. (2019). Informal workplace learning: Development and validation of a measure. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 30(4), 495–535. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21368

Eraut, M. (2004). Informal learning in the workplace. Studies in Continuing Education, 26(2), 247–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/158037042000225245

Holton, E. F. (1996). The flawed four-level evaluation model. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 7(1), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.3920070103

Jeon, K. S., & Kim, K. N. (2012). How do organizational and task factors influence informal learning in the workplace?. Human Resource Development International, 15(2), 209-226. https://doi.org/10.1108/13665621211250315

Lohman, M. C. (2005). A survey of factors influencing the engagement of two professional groups in informal workplace learning activities. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 16(4), 501–527. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.1153

Maillet, C., & Marcoux, C. (2023). La sécurité psychologique au travail : Un levier de performance et d’innovation. Presses de l’Université du Québec.

Manuti, A., Pastore, S., Scardigno, A. F., Giancaspro, M. L., & Morciano, D. (2015). Formal and informal learning in the workplace: A research review. International Journal of Training and Development, 19(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijtd.12044

Marsick, V. J., & Watkins, K. E. (1990). Informal and incidental learning in the workplace. Routledge.

Marsick, V. J., & Watkins, K. E. (2001). Informal and incidental learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2001(89), 25–34. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.5

Marsick, V. J., & Watkins, K. E. (2015). Informal and incidental learning in the workplace (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Noe, R. A., Clarke, A. D. M., & Klein, H. J. (2013). Learning in the twenty-first-century workplace. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1(1), 245–275. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091321

Noe, R. A., Tews, M. J., & Marand, A. D. (2013). Individual differences and informal learning in the workplace. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83(3), 327–335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2013.06.009