By Tessa Robertson, Senior Travel Recruitment Consultant at Ambitions Travel Recruitment, placing leisure travel professionals across the UK, South Africa, and North America. tessa@ambitionstravelrecruitment.com
Different Speeds, Same Finish Line — Why Learning at Work Isn’t a Race
Learning pace at work varies as naturally as it does in childhood — just as some children learn to ride a bike faster or slower than their siblings or friends, new employees settle into roles at different speeds, and organisations in the leisure travel industry that plan for this rather than pressure against it see significantly stronger retention and performance from their new hires.
I was reminded of this in a very simple way as a parent.
My son Matthew, learned to ride a bicycle without training wheels when he was just two years old. He climbed on, wobbled a little, and off he went.
My daughter Amy, on the other hand, only managed this at five. She needed more time, more encouragement, and those training wheels stayed on longer. But when she was ready, she rode just as confidently and just as freely.
Neither child was stronger or weaker. They were simply different.
Why Learning Pace Matters in the Workplace
The workplace is no different. Yet in many organisations, speed is quietly treated as a measure of competence. The person who learns fastest is often seen as the strongest, while those who take longer sometimes begin to doubt themselves. But, research tells a different story.
Studies in learning and development consistently show that:
- Around 4% of employees leave after their very first day, highlighting just how critical those early impressions are.
- Around 70% of workplace learning happens through experience, coaching and on-the-job practice rather than formal training alone (based on the widely referenced 70-20-10 learning model)
- According to LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report, over 90% of organisations say learning and development improves employee retention, but many employees report needing significantly longer than expected to feel fully confident in new roles or systems (https://learning.linkedin.com/resources/workplace-learning-report).
- SHRM research indicates that employees who receive structured onboarding are more likely to remain with a company for up to three years than those who do not (https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/effective-employee-onboarding.aspx).
- Gallup data shows that only about 12% of employees strongly agree their organisation does a great job onboarding new hires, highlighting a significant gap between expectation and reality.(https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236441/employee-onboarding.aspx)
In other words, needing time is not unusual. It is normal.
Training Wheels Are a Tool, Not a Weakness
In cycling, training wheels are not a sign of failure. They are a tool that builds balance, confidence and muscle memory.
At work, ‘training wheels’ take different forms:
Structured onboarding – A well-designed onboarding programme gives new hires a clear roadmap from day one. It reduces anxiety, sets expectations, and means people spend less time guessing and more time learning.
Mentoring and coaching – Having an experienced colleague to turn to makes an enormous difference. Mentoring gives new employees a safe space to ask questions, make sense of their environment, and build confidence without fear of judgement.
Shadowing experienced colleagues – Watching how skilled team members handle real situations such as calls, client meetings, and daily challenges.
Time to practise systems – Whether it’s a booking platform, a CRM, or an internal process, every system takes time to become second nature. Allowing space to practise without pressure means fewer errors and stronger long-term competency.
Clear processes and support – When expectations, workflows and escalation paths are clearly documented and communicated, new starters aren’t left to piece things together alone.
These are not signs that someone is struggling. They are signs that someone is learning properly.
Research from the Association for Talent Development (ATD) also shows that organisations that invest in continuous learning see higher productivity and stronger long-term performance, reinforcing the idea that development is a process, not an event (https://www.td.org/research-reports).
And often, the individuals who take a little longer at the beginning become some of the most reliable and consistent performers later, because their foundations are strong.
What Good Pre-Boarding Actually Looks Like
Support shouldn’t start on day one. It should start the moment someone signs their contract.
Pre-boarding, the period between a candidate accepting an offer and their first day, is one of the most overlooked stages of the entire hiring process. Yet it’s one of the most critical.
Research shows that 15-20% of new hires never show up for their first day. And when you consider that the average cost of recruiting and onboarding a new employee is around £4,000, before agency fees, the business case for getting this right is impossible to ignore.
At Ambitions Travel Recruitment, we see the impact of strong pre-boarding regularly. The candidates who feel connected, informed and genuinely welcomed before they start are far less likely to have second thoughts, accept a counteroffer, or simply disappear.
So what does good pre-boarding actually look like in practice?
It might be a personalised welcome email that reminds them why they chose you. A virtual tour of the office so the first day feels familiar rather than overwhelming. An introduction to a buddy — someone warm, knowledgeable and genuinely excited to help — who they can ask questions without fear of judgement. Or simply a one-page overview of their benefits, so they’re reminded of the value of what they’ve chosen.
None of these things are complicated. But together, they send a powerful message: we chose you, and we want you to feel that.
Research backs this up too. Organisations with a strong pre-boarding and onboarding process improve new hire retention by up to 82% and productivity by over 70%. A well-structured process can also reduce voluntary turnover by 50%.
So, to be really effective, ‘The training wheels’ can begin before day one and you’ll be guaranteed of greater engagement and results.
We’ve created a free Pre-Boarding Guide specifically for travel companies, covering everything from welcome emails and buddy systems to virtual events and benefit communication. You can download it Here.
What Employers and Leaders Sometimes Miss
At Ambitions Travel Recruitment, we see this pattern regularly. Some candidates step into a role and find their rhythm immediately. Others need time to build confidence, understand systems and settle into a new environment.
Both can become exceptional employees.
The risk comes when organisations expect immediate confidence without allowing space to learn. When people feel pressured to perform before they feel secure, mistakes increase, confidence drops, and retention suffers.
Gallup’s ‘State of the Global Workplace’ report continues to show that only around one in five employees worldwide feel truly engaged at work, and lack of support, clarity and development opportunities are among the most common drivers of disengagement and early turnover.
Good leaders understand that their role is not to make everyone move at the same speed. Their role is to make sure everyone gets there.
The Real Measure of Success
When my daughter finally rode her bike on her own, the smile on her face was no smaller than her brother’s. If anything, it was bigger because she had worked so hard to get there.
At work, the real question isn’t how quickly someone learns.
It’s whether they learn well, build confidence and go on to perform consistently.
Different speeds. Same finish line.
The Takeaway
People learn at different speeds, and that’s not a problem to fix; it’s a reality to plan for.
The organisations that thrive are those that build genuine support structures that begin before day one and continue well beyond the first week. Pre-boarding, structured onboarding, mentoring and ongoing training aren’t nice-to-haves. They are the difference between a new hire who flourishes and one who quietly disappears.
The goal isn’t to get everyone learning at the same pace. It’s to make sure everyone arrives at the same high standard, and that starts with making them feel valued, supported and genuinely excited from the very moment they say yes.
If you’re looking to strengthen your pre-boarding process, we’ve created a free guide for travel companies covering exactly how to do this. Download our ‘Mastering Pre-Boarding’ guide here.
For broader support with hiring, onboarding and developing your team, explore our full range of FREE resources here and our 12 eLearning courses written by industry experts for travel professionals at Ambitionstraveltraining.com.
Ready to attract exceptional travel talent?
Ambitions Travel Recruitment is a specialist leisure travel recruitment agency placing professionals across all areas of leisure travel, including, but not limited to, tour operators, tailor-made travel, safari companies, expedition and adventure travel, ocean and river cruise lines, ski operators, and UHNW concierge businesses in the UK, South Africa, GCC, Asia, and North America.
Looking to hire? Contact us at info@ambitionstravelrecruitment.com
Looking for your next role? Register your CV here.
FAQ’s
Not at all. Learning pace is not an indicator of potential or performance. Many people who take longer to build confidence in the early stages go on to become some of the most reliable and consistent members of a team, precisely because their foundations are solid.
There’s no universal timeline, and that’s the point. While some people find their rhythm quickly, research consistently shows that many employees need significantly longer than expected to feel fully confident. Pressure to perform before someone feels settled often increases mistakes and reduces retention.
Effective onboarding goes well beyond a first-week induction. It includes structured processes, mentoring, shadowing experienced colleagues, time to practise systems, and ongoing check-ins. Research from SHRM shows that structured onboarding significantly improves the likelihood of an employee staying with a company for three or more years.
Gallup data suggests that only around 12% of employees feel their organisation does a great job of onboarding them. The gap often comes from treating onboarding as a single event rather than an ongoing process, and from underestimating how long it genuinely takes to learn a new environment, team, and set of systems.
When people feel pressured to perform before they’re ready, confidence drops and errors increase. Gallup’s research shows that lack of support and development opportunity are among the leading drivers of early turnover, meaning that investing in proper learning support isn’t just kind, it’s commercially smart.
The most effective leaders adjust their expectations to the individual rather than applying a single standard of pace. Providing clear processes, a patient mentor, and regular encouragement allows slower starters to build the strong foundations that lead to long-term high performance, which is ultimately what every business needs.
