Slack staffers are 'gaming' the company's training platform to speed through tasks so they can return to regular duties, sources say

• Workers at Salesforce's Slack have been asked to set aside some regular duties to focus on training.
• This has caused frustration and creative attempts to speed through sessions, sources told Fortune.
• A Slack spokesperson said the firm experimented with ways to help workers focus on their priorities.

Some workers at Salesforce's Slack have been frustrated at being asked to set aside regular meetings to ensure they complete internal training sessions.

This has led to workers "gaming" the company's training platform to speed through the sessions, Fortune reported, citing sources.

Slack is expecting staff to complete the training on Salesforce's Trailhead platform by January 2024. The platform provides gamified-learning opportunities to complete modules and some topics include the Fourth Industrial Revolution and healthy eating, Fortune reported. 

The training is self-guided and staff can choose the courses most relevant to their career advancement.

Two sources told Fortune that Slack engineers and other staff were trying to find ways to speed up the tasks, including building codes that could automate tasks and click through modules for them. 

"Salesforce is committed to the ongoing learning and development of its employees and the broader talent ecosystem, especially with the rapid acceleration of generative AI," A Slack spokesperson told Insider in a statement.

"This year, the entire company is working to reach Ranger status on Trailhead, Salesforce's free online learning program, that empowers anyone to upskill in areas relevant to their roles and career goals," the spokesperson said.

Achieving Ranger status requires workers to spend around 40 hours on the platform, Fortune reported.

The Slack spokesperson said the company regularly experimented with ways to give its employees time to focus on company and team priorities, like reaching Ranger status.

Providing the best on-the-job training is a challenge for many companies. Bridgitt Haarsgaard, founder and CEO of the corporate-leadership consulting firm The GAARD Group, previously told Insider, that companies could better retain employees and prevent job hopping by providing training that will enable workers to upskill.

"When employees' visions of themselves are nurtured, they feel supported and safe and can see a future for themselves in a company," Haarsgaard said. "They work better and companies see better outcomes."