The Lone Learner? A case study of employees' ability to learn informally while working remotely

Abstract: Informal learning at work has received great attention over the past few years in both academia and practice. Scholarly literature has largely focused on investigating informal learning in physical work settings, but has disregarded that other contexts, such as working remotely, have become more prevalent in society. This study therefore aims to investigate how employees' ability to learn informally is influenced by the context of working remotely, as well as identifying contextual factors that may facilitate or inhibit informal learning. To accomplish this, a qualitative case study using semi-structured interviews was conducted to capture individual perceptions of informal learning and thereby ensure a deep, yet initial understanding of how this type of learning occurs in a remote working environment. The findings of the study suggest that while informal learning activities are still prevalent in remote working environments, activities related to interactions and those of more spontaneous nature seem to be hindered. Instead, informal learning becomes more individually driven and requires employees to take deliberate initiatives. The findings further suggest that the ability to learn informally is facilitated by contextual factors such as more time, autonomy, accessibility, leadership support, learning culture and digital tools. At the same time, informal learning seems to be inhibited by the lack of physical presence, task orientation, lack of structural enablers, social isolation, deficiencies of digital tools and shortcomings in learning culture. This study extends the dimensional framework presented by Jeong et al. (2018) and the theoretical understanding of informal learning in different contexts, thus yielding valuable insights for practitioners concerning how learning practices can be adapted to suit the modern workplace.