Training employees that are remotely working has become increasingly important as working from home has become more popular and feasible. This increasing tendency has accelerated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 74 percent of businesses now intend to make this way of working permanently. With more people than ever being classified as “remote employees,” now is the moment to utilise new technology and virtually train and develop your workforce.
Employee training programs are critical not just for achieving corporate objectives, but also for keeping happy employees. It’s been a proven fact that employees are more likely to stay with a firm that invested in their learning and development for a longer period of time than a firm that did nothing of that sort.
Training remote employees can however be a bit difficult of a task as you might face some common issues regarding virtual training programs such as;
- Technical problems like network issues, bad weather, power outages, noise etc.
- Lack of enthusiasm and focus from the trainees’ side
- Common distractions at home
Here are some tips to consider for a better training output when your trainees are far away!
Choosing the right virtual training model for your training program
The virtual training models can be broadly divided into three categories, i.e. synchronous learning, asynchronous learning and blended learning. Synchronous learning is a pretty popular model that includes live online meetings where the attendees learn things simultaneously while attending the meeting/class. Meanwhile, asynchronous learning is more flexible as it is a self paced model. Blended learning is the mix of both that can be customized according to the requirements. Now, the trick is to decide which model is the ideal one for your training program. While selecting the right model, it is important to understand the needs of your employees and choose a model that is the most suitable for the learners’ convenience.
Investing in the right tools and models
When we talk about virtual training programs, traditional training methods become completely ineffective. So It becomes pretty critical to use the proper technologies while investing in workforce optimization skills. Remote team training and development tools will improve productivity and employee happiness while lowering expenses. Among such tools, learning management systems or LMSs are pretty popular. LMS like the Cornerstone software provide a large variety of features to train people and track their progress as well.
Analyzing the ‘skill gaps’
To truly grow as a brand and get things on track, it is essential to pinpoint the skills that your employees are lacking. For remote employees, a lack of skills can lead to dissatisfaction and poor performance.
Be it the increasing digital customer service abilities or comprehending new supply chain planning tools, your employees can be feeling lost at any point and thus, it is important to find out where the problem is. This is called skill gap analysis and it is pretty important to actually overcome the shortcomings of your company’s working process.
Make things professional and presentable
Like any other talent, digital collaboration abilities must be exercised. To ensure a seamless delivery, make sure you’ve done a practise run of any training session. If you’re giving a presentation, be personable and show your face, as well as a professional background. A cluttered or disorganised environment might detract from the training information you’re presenting. In addition, for a seamless and distraction less experience, the trainer and the trainees can simply divert their calls or keep their phones on silent as well.
Conclusion:
Online training programmes are a duty that no business can continue to overlook as working remotely becomes the standard. When educating remote learners, remembering and applying some of these tips can assist you greatly to keep your team engaged and your documentation updated.
