When it comes to boosting your team’s performance, improving English skills makes a big difference to effectiveness, efficiency and the impression people make on global clients. That’s why there’s a clear business case for offering English training.

But many companies are making a mistake with the training they provide. And as a result, they’re wasting 25% of their budget every year.

Here’s why.

The problem: Fitting English training into a busy schedule

Improving your English requires time and dedication, but time is in short supply for business professionals.

A Bersin by Deloitte study found that on average most professionals have just 24 minutes a week to focus on training and development.

There are just so many forces competing for attention – from meetings to inboxes to to-do lists to family. And although English may be high on their priority list, something has to be sacrificed – and often that means lessons are cancelled and homework isn’t done.

It’s a familiar story, and it comes both with an opportunity cost and a real cost:

• Opportunity cost – people’s careers and projects don’t progress as quickly or as well as they would have
• Real cost – training budget is spent but not used (money ‘down the drain’, as we say in English)

We did an analysis of typical English training spend, and as much as 25% of all money paid was wasted because people had to cancel lessons at the last minute or abandon courses because they didn’t fit with their busy lives.

And think about the long-term implications. If staff aren’t reaching their full potential because they don’t have time for essential professional development, your business misses out on global opportunities.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

The solution: A flexible yet effective approach to learning business English

We've always been realistic about the time constraints professional learners face, so over the past 10 years we’ve streamlined a flexible methodology to overcome this barrier.

Our flexible approach to lesson scheduling and innovative use of digital tools ensures students stay committed, even when their work-life balance is under pressure.

You get every hour of training you pay for. Period. Students can swap lessons at the last minute or change a face-to-face session to a video call if needed. And all without sending a single email, because our digital learning platform features a slick calendar tool enabling users to book and reschedule lessons in a couple of clicks. Plus we have so many experienced, native-speaker trainers, there’s always someone available to help (even outside of lessons, via the instant messaging function).

Both our platform and flipped learning model economize on study time. Instead of dedicating an entire evening to completing homework worksheets or textbook exercises, students quickly prepare for lessons using interactive digital tools whenever their schedule allows. The platform is available on desktop and as an app, so they can study on the sofa at home after work, at their desk during a lunch break, or on the train on the way to the airport.

The benefit: 100% success, guaranteed

No more cancelled lessons means no more wasted money, and a flexible approach makes for a more positive, productive learning experience.

After all, when people feel in control – and see their tangible progress – they get better ongoing results. Which benefits staff and the company as a whole.

Zoe Flaherty, Founding Director of The Language Grid

Discover how our business English courses help you with everything from pronunciation to presentations - with the flexibility you need for maximum return on investment.

Image: © Roberto De Riccardis