Confident employees create better experiences
40% of employees report being unsure about their specific job expectations.
(Gallup, State of the Global Workplace)
Let that sink in for a moment.
Most companies aren’t failing to train their teams.
They’re failing to support them when the work is actually happening.
I learned this firsthand when I ran my café.
We did everything “right”: handbooks, recipe guides, in-person training, shadow shifts, open communication. We were a tight-knit team, and people felt comfortable asking questions.
And yet, uncertainty still showed up, especially in fast, high-pressure moments.
So how does that happen?
Training Isn’t the Problem. Timing Is.
Modern learning research points to the same conclusion again and again.
The 70–20–10 learning model shows that:
• 70% of learning happens on the job
• 20% happens socially (asking, observing, mentoring)
• Only 10% comes from formal training
(Center for Creative Leadership; Harvard Business Review)
But most organizations still invest almost all of their effort into the 10%.
They create:
• PDFs
• Handbooks
• LMS courses
• One-time onboarding sessions
These tools document knowledge, but they don’t deliver it when it’s needed most.
Why PDFs Don’t Work in Real Life
PDFs assume a calm, controlled environment.
Work rarely is.
When someone is mid-shift, mid-task, or mid-problem:
• They don’t have time to search a folder
• They don’t know which document is current
• They don’t want to scroll through 40 pages
• They don’t want to ask the same question twice
• They don’t want to look unsure in front of peers
So they guess.
Or copy what someone else does.
Or rely on tribal knowledge.
According to Gallup, unclear expectations are one of the strongest predictors of disengagement, errors, and poor performance.
(Gallup, State of the Global Workplace)
That’s how small mistakes compound into bigger problems.
Traditional Training Apps Miss the Moment
Most training platforms are built for scheduled learning, not real work.
They work before the job:
• Courses
• Quizzes
• Certifications
• Completion tracking
But they disappear during the job.
They aren’t designed for:
• Live troubleshooting
• In-the-moment questions
• Shift-based work
• Fast decisions
• Real-time uncertainty
In other words, they train people for work, but they don’t support them while working.
According to Deloitte, employees retain knowledge far better when it’s delivered in context and at the moment of need, rather than in isolated training sessions.
(Deloitte, Human Capital Trends)
What On-the-Job Training Actually Looks Like
On-the-job learning isn’t another course.
It’s:
• Getting a clear answer at the exact moment of uncertainty
• Without breaking flow
• Without fear of judgment
• With confidence that the answer is correct
The Association for Talent Development (ATD) has found that learning in the flow of work leads to higher retention, faster skill development, and stronger performance outcomes.
(ATD Research)
That’s where most tools fall short.
How Budi Supports Training in the Flow of Work
Budi doesn’t replace your SOPs, manuals, or training content.
It makes them usable in real time.
Instead of asking employees to remember everything or search PDFs, Budi allows them to:
• Ask questions in plain language
• Get accurate answers instantly
• See exactly where the information came from
• Learn while continuing to work
This turns static documentation into live, accessible knowledge.
PDFs store information.
Budi delivers it at the moment it matters.
Why This Saves Companies Real Money
When training only happens upfront, businesses pay for the same problems over and over again.
Budi helps reduce:
• Downtime caused by hesitation or mistakes
• Long ramp-up times for new hires
• Errors and rework from misunderstood procedures
• Over-reliance on senior employees
• Tribal knowledge loss when experienced workers leave
According to IBM, replacing an employee can cost 30–50% of their annual salary, and ineffective training is a major contributor to turnover.
(IBM Workforce Analytics)
Even small improvements add up:
• Faster onboarding reduces labor costs
• Fewer mistakes reduce waste and rework
• Faster answers reduce line stoppages
• Better confidence reduces turnover
For many teams, reducing uncertainty by even a small percentage pays for itself quickly.
Confidence Comes From Access, Not Memorization
Confident employees aren’t the ones who memorized a handbook.
They’re the ones who know:
• Where to get answers
• That the answers are accurate
• And that asking is easy
When people feel supported in the moment, performance improves naturally.
Not because they trained harder, but because training finally met them where the work happens.
Closing Thought
The future of training isn’t more content.
It’s better access to the knowledge teams already have
at the exact moment they need it.
That’s the gap Budi was built to fill.