Learning is not a process that ends as we leave formal education – we recognise that it continues throughout our lives. Organisations that accommodate and encourage learning in the workplace not only enable individuals to continue to grow their personal capability but they also ensure that the organisation itself, and the society within which it operates, is enriched through the continued opportunities for learning made available to employees. The emergence of knowledge work and knowledge workers is further evidence that workplace learning is not only active but that it is positively thriving. However, enabling and managing knowledge workers brings with it some particular challenges. E-learning has been held up as a panacea for facilitating both workplace learning and knowledge work and yet it has so far failed to live up to expectations. In reviewing this situation, the author suggests that it is only through an examination of the characteristics and needs of knowledge workers that the most effective applications of all types of workplace learning can be identified – especially given a context of generational shifts in both learning approaches (Net Generations) and the newer technology-enabled tools that support that learning (Web 2.0 and emerging applications). Such an examination requires not only a new research agenda but, more significantly, a new approach to research itself in order to effectively address these issues which extend beyond a limited subject matter focus to a cross-discipline and systemic approach – in practice as well as in research. Partnerships between learning solutions providers and research organisations are needed to ensure that integrative and relevant outcomes from such research are achieved.