The End of the Commodity Mindset: Why Training ROI is a Broken Metric
- Pedro Peixoto
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
For decades, corporate training has been treated like a commodity—bought in bulk, measured by the hour, and squeezed for the lowest possible "price per head." We have been taught to look at the invoice as the primary metric of success.
At Glorick, we believe this mindset is the single greatest hidden drain on corporate capital.
When you choose "cheap" training, you aren't saving money. You are paying a silent tax on quality, human potential, and—most importantly—time. To reclaim this lost value, we must move from measuring Cost to measuring Time-to-Impact (TTI).
We call this framework the Talent Acceleration Coefficient (TAC).
The Master Formula for TAC
TAC = [ ( (B × Q) + S + F + O ) × (L + Delta-L) ] + R-saved
M + (T-inv × W)
The New Pillars of Human Capital
Stop Ignoring the Denominator (The Cost of Distraction)
The invoice (M) is the tip of the iceberg. The true investment is the thousands of hours your employees spend training (T-inv) multiplied by their wages (W). If your team spends a year on a low-impact automated platform, you haven't "saved" on the provider; you’ve subsidized a year of unproductive salary. True ROI requires high-impact learning that protects the value of the employee's time.
The Fallacy of "Almost" (The Delay Tax)
In a global economy, speed is a weapon. Cheap, slow-burn methods (like large group classes) create a massive T-ramp (Time-to-Impact). Every month an employee is "almost" ready to lead a negotiation is a month you lose to the Delay Tax. You aren't just paying for lessons; you are losing the Opportunity Gate (O)—the markets you can’t enter because your team is still "loading."
The Human Multiplier vs. Automated Slop
Technology should scale human potential, not replace human connections. Low-quality, automated content results in low Quality (Q) output that lacks empathy, cultural IQ, and trust. Furthermore, 1-on-1 human mentoring creates a Loyalty Premium (Delta-L). People don't stay at companies that give them a login; they stay at companies that invest in their identity. This avoids the catastrophic Replacement Cost (R-saved) of talent churn.
What is your company's TTI?
The era of "checking the box" for training is over. At Glorick, we don't sell hours; we sell Talent Acceleration. We are here to help HR and Finance align on a simple truth: the most expensive training in the world is the one that takes too long to work.
This is the first in a 4-part series where we will deconstruct the TAC formula variable by variable. We will show you how to identify the "Shadow Costs" eating your budget and how to turn language training into a high-yield financial asset.
Ready to stop paying the "Delay Tax"?
Follow us as we dive into Part 1: The Financial Illusion of "Cheap" Training. We’ll show you why saving a few hundred euros on the invoice can cost you tens of thousands in hidden overhead.
