How to integrate remote training in your hybrid work habits
As companies hash out the practicalities of their hybrid work plans, they should consider ways to integrate training remotely.
Hybrid working is fast becoming the norm for most organizations these days. The coronavirus pandemic made sure that some organizations switched to remote working to encourage social distancing. This measure has revealed a lot of the advantages to not necessarily being present in the office to do your job. This has given rise to more hybrid working habits as more employees now blend work from different locations: on the go, in the office, at coworking places, or at home. As a company that goes with this style, and needs to do occasional training for employees, there are ways by which you can integrate the training remotely.
Choose a particular venue for your staff in a particular location
The main con of hybrid working is the possible difference in time zones of the employees. If your organization has employees that are scattered all over the globe, then meeting all or most of them at the same time will need very good planning. If you need to do some global training for your staff, you can incorporate coworking spaces into your remote training plans. Usually, some organizations already have their staff operating remotely from different coworking spaces and it is easier to train them remotely this way. Incorporating the coworking spaces idea to remotely train a number of your staff at the same time makes things more organized.
Choose the right platform
The learning platform you choose as an organization for your remote training will affect the success of the training. This is because your staff members are in different locations and every one of them has to be able to use this platform seamlessly. Remember that there is a possibility that there is no one to put them through. This platform should allow the trainee to create custom learning experiences with ease. Some examples of these learning platforms are:
- Bridge
- PiiQ
- Thought industries
Schedule an acceptable time for learning
Dealing with the issue of different time zones for your hybrid workers is already a demanding task let alone cutting across employee work hours who have pending assignments. A remote employee usually wants to be more serious so it won’t look like he is slacking because he has not been coming to the office. So most of your employees will always be busy throughout work hours. How do you now make remote training work here? You just have to notify them some days beforehand of a particular date and time period during which there will be some training. You can even remind them when the training day draws nearer. Also, choose periods of low work activities to fix the training for. The team definitely needs training from time to time and the organization has to encourage that in the right way.
Help your team practice what they learned
Just training your employees without giving them assignments to practice what they have learned is practically fruitless. Immediately after organizing and fulfilling a remote training, try to find a way for those employees to apply what they have learned to a company procedure as soon as possible. Also, ensure that it is something they continue to put into practice from time to time so they don’t forget. Practicing immediately after training will make what was taught stick in the long-term memories of your employees.
Choose a great collaboration tool
The aim of training your staff is to make sure that they use what they have learned to improve their productivity at work. Therefore, the aim will be defeated if this is not the case. One of the ways you can make the training points part of work activities is by using collaboration tools to make the training relevant, easy to apply, and relatable. This will help your staff put the theory of the training into practice. Examples of collaboration tools are:
- Trello: This involves using digital cards to organize your workflow and deadlines.
- Microsoft teams: This works well on windows-enabled machines and staff members looking to use this tool must sign up for a Microsoft account.
- Asana: It can be used to design simple workflows and assign tasks to group members.
There are other tools that come in handy on integrating remote training in your hybrid work habits easier. They include:
- Loop which helps to create a digital learning space for your workplace,
- iSpring helps you create interactive learning material,
- InterpretCloud with remote interpreting for online sessions,
- WiziQ helps in creating a virtual classroom to engage the employees.
Final word
Continuing education with the necessary training is a significant aspect of winning and retaining your top talents in the organization. There are a lot of hitches to training your staff if your organization embraces hybrid working habits. Remote training is the best option for this work style, and these tips can guide you on how to go about it and not impede your staff’s relevant work hours.
Hanah Payne is an HR specialist with three years of experience in creating, implementing, and evaluating all human resource department policies, procedures, and structures.
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