Employees still use tools managers think have been replaced

Only 41% consistently use a new way of working after training. A further 52% use the new approach but sometimes revert to old habits, while 8% continue working as before. Percentages are rounded.

Employees’ explanations extend beyond habit. Among those who revert or continue using the old approach, 55% say it feels more familiar and 48% say it is faster. Tight deadlines or high workloads and a lack of practice or guidance after training were each cited by 30%.

The survey of 1,500 US full-time employees was conducted online in September 2026 for TalentLMS. All respondents had received training on a new tool, technology, process or way of working within the previous 12 months.

Sixty per cent of respondents say getting results matters more at their company than using the new way of working. Almost half, 48%, feel rushed to adopt new approaches, while 41% say they are given room to be less productive while learning.

Managers’ own behaviour was associated with more consistent adoption. Among employees whose managers use the new approaches they expect their teams to follow, 49% report consistent use themselves, compared with 22% where managers do not. The survey does not establish that managers’ behaviour caused the difference.

Employees also report limited visibility after training. While 41% say their company tracks completion, 36% say it checks whether they are using what they learned. These are employees’ accounts of company practices, rather than an audit of employers’ measurement systems.

Half of respondents say making the new approach part of their everyday workflow would help them use it more consistently. More opportunities to practise were cited by 49%, and seeing how it makes work easier or better by 47%.

The responses also raise questions about whether employees feel able to challenge changes that are not working. Forty-five per cent say they have avoided questioning a new way of working that was not working well because they did not want to appear resistant.

The survey measures employees’ reported behaviour and perceptions, rather than the effectiveness of individual training programmes or the relative performance of old and new approaches. Respondents were aged 25–64 and based in the US. The published methodology does not detail recruitment, weighting or the sector breakdown.

Training adoption in practice

• 42% still use tools or processes their manager thinks have been replaced
• 41% consistently use the new approach after training
• 52% use the new approach but sometimes revert
• 48% of those reverting or continuing with the old approach say it is faster
• 49% report consistent adoption when managers use the new approach, versus 22% when managers do not
• 50% say building the new approach into everyday workflow would help

Source: TalentLMS survey of 1,500 US full-time employees, September 2026. Bases vary as indicated.

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Habit hugging: When old habits block new ways of working