Supervisor support strengthens learning and the meaningfulness of work

Working life is changing perhaps faster than ever before, requiring continuous learning and the updating of skills. At its best, learning, development, creating new things, and ideation are rewarding, motivating, and meaningful. Through the exchange of ideas, observations, and experiences in workplace collaboration, insights emerge that advance the skills of both individual employees and entire teams.

However, this is not always the case. Learning at work can also be burdensome. Increasing work intensity, externally imposed learning requirements, time pressure, stress, and a poor work climate may lead to a lack of motivation for learning or simply a lack of resources to engage in it. Learning demands arising from multiple directions (personal, employer, supervisor, or society) without adequate resources or support can cause cognitive overload and reduce employee well-being. For this reason, it is worth asking: how can we ensure in Finnish working life that the demands of learning, the conditions for learning, and individual well-being remain in balance?

The importance of informal learning at work

Research shows that the vast majority, about 80–90%, of learning at work is informal. It happens in everyday tasks, in conversations with colleagues, through reflecting on one’s own work, and by trying out new ideas. Informal learning is often highly meaningful to individuals, as it directly connects to their work, skills, and professional identity.

According to our recent study (Väänänen & Lemmetty, 2025) on learning at work among Finnish adults, experiences of informal workplace learning explained about 19.8% of the experiences of meaningfulness at work. The relationship is also inverse: the less informal learning takes place at work, the less meaningful the work is perceived to be. This relationship was found in all the examined sub-areas of informal learning. Reflection on one’s own learning explained about 17% of experiences of meaningfulness, the desire to learn new things about 11%, and peer learning about 12.5%.

Experiences of meaningfulness have been shown to be linked to work engagement, job satisfaction, motivation, and creativity—broadly speaking to employee well-being. This, in turn, influences work outcomes and organizational productivity.

Supervisor support strengthens learning

Informal, self-directed, and on-the-job learning does not necessarily appear as something systematically guided or pedagogically supported. Supervisors may find it difficult to identify learning processes, let alone support them. This is reflected in employees’ experiences: more than half of Finnish employees feel that their supervisors do not sufficiently support their learning (JOTPA, 2023).

Our research shows that supervisor support is crucial for promoting informal learning. Supervisor support for learning new things explained about 18.8% of informal workplace learning. This link was especially visible in peer learning (14.6%), but also in reflection on one’s own learning (12.1%) and in the desire to learn new things (10.2%). The relationship also works the other way around: the less supervisors are perceived to support employee learning, the less informal learning occurs in the workplace.

When employees feel supported, they report more peer learning, deeper reflection, and a greater willingness to learn new things. Informal learning is best promoted in organizations where learning is understood from individual, group, and organizational perspectives alike.

Supervisor support for learning creates a positive cycle

Supervisor support for learning does not only foster learning but also strengthens the experience of meaningful work. According to our study, supervisor support for learning explained 19.8% of the experiences of meaningfulness at work.

This creates a positive cycle: support for learning promotes learning, which increases meaningfulness. Experiences of meaningfulness, in turn, further support learning. Good fosters more good.

What does this mean for organizations?

If organizations want to support employee learning and well-being, they should pay particular attention to supervisory practices. At its best, supervisory work is based on coaching leadership—making use of everyday situations and opportunities to support employees as individuals and as a group in continuous learning, development, and effective performance.

In practice, this can mean articulating and making learning visible, supporting the setting of learning goals, providing constructive feedback and opportunities for joint reflection, encouraging the trial of new ideas, enabling peer learning in the workplace, and identifying and addressing work-related challenges.

Often even small actions are enough. When a supervisor shows genuine interest in an employee’s learning, they simultaneously support motivation, well-being, and the experience of meaningful work—sometimes even without realizing it. Coaching leadership has been found to be associated not only with employee learning but also with job satisfaction. Both learning and meaningfulness at work can be supported through leadership.

Learning is a necessity in today’s working life, but it should also be inspiring and meaningful. Supervisors play a decisive role here, as through their actions they can create an atmosphere where learning is not an externally imposed requirement but a natural part of everyday work and its meaning. By supporting learning, supervisors simultaneously foster the sustainable well-being and development of the entire work community.

Emilia Väänänen, Doctoral Researcher, JATKOT-research group

This text is based on the study: Väänänen, E., & Lemmetty, S. (2025). Esihenkilön työntekijälle osoittaman tuen yhteys työikäisten informaaliin työssä oppimiseen ja työn merkityksellisyyden kokemukseen. Aikuiskasvatus, 45(3), 184–199. https://doi.org/10.33336/aik.149521-