Over the past two years, how we work has changed almost beyond recognition. With remote work becoming the new normal for many companies, leaders struggle to keep employees motivated with their typical day-to-day workloads. So what can companies do to provide appropriate and beneficial training opportunities for remote employees?
We look at some common issues you may face when trying to offer training to those working remotely and how you can navigate any problems to provide your staff with growth and development opportunities.
Accept that everyone learns differently.
While your employees are performing well at their job, you might notice that they also seem withdrawn and don’t have the same level of commitment to training. Even though many states that training and development is one of the most important things a company can offer, not having employees onsite means you could miss out on understanding their learning style. And if your training does not appeal to how they learn, this lack of supervision could lead to disengagement.
Take the time to set up a meeting and understand preferred learning styles in more depth so that you can look at programs that work for your employees. This will make them far more likely to engage and learn more effectively.
Make access easy
Accessibility, especially for newer remote employees, can be very challenging. If you don’t have relevant documents, information, and training available in a centralized location, this can lead to employees spending precious time searching for what they need. It can also mean you or another staff member will need to be on hand to assist them, which might provide a roadblock to training.
Ensure all your essential information and training is centralized and easy to access for all employees. A dedicated learning platform is a great way to do this, and this will increase the level of autonomy your employees have – resulting in more efficient training.
Iron out technical issues
We’ve all been on a Zoom call where the speaker was mute – technology can be challenging to navigate at the best of times! If your staff doesn’t have the correct software and access to IT support, they can miss out on learning opportunities.
Making training available on multiple devices, with IT support available, is a great way to ensure that staff won’t be held back if one of their devices isn’t working. This can prevent unexpected pauses, which could slow down the amount your team can do in a day, ultimately hindering their productivity.
Provide a supportive environment
Employees working in isolation are more likely to work around gaps in their knowledge or fall behind. If there is no one to check in with and collaborate with, training can suffer as a result. You can combat this by arranging virtual learning groups for co-training, which not only highlights gaps in knowledge in a neutral and supportive environment, it can also encourage positive collaboration between employees in the future.
Understand that distractions happen
Working remotely often means working in a busy home environment. This can be distracting even when someone isn’t trying to learn, and if you combine this with a steady workflow and constant flood of calls and emails, it isn’t a surprise remote employees struggle to find time to train.
Openly encourage your employees to carve out protected time away from their usual workflow without expecting them to complete training in their time. Offering flexible training options that can work around their life and work, rather than a set-in-stone time, will let employees know they can do a little training here and there. This flexible learning style automatically feels like less of a time commitment. It can encourage more training to be completed, as it is less pressurized – resulting in higher quality learning.
To sum up
Remote working can provide all kinds of difficulties for even established employees looking for further development and training. Understanding that everyone is different is the core of finding training that works. With these solutions, it might be a little easier to navigate new challenges and support excellent opportunities for every employee.
