Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic and related shutdowns were among the most transformative events to ever happen to the recent world of work. The traditional work model of many involved receiving in-person training and going to an office every day. But it was changed to an almost exclusively remote model for a time. Companies had to rapidly acquire and use web conferencing platforms and other technology for productivity to continue. They also had to create strategies for remote employee training.
In many cases, employees have returned to in-person work ‒ at least some of the time. But LinkedIn reports that nearly 13 percent of full-time employees still work entirely from home. More than a quarter work a hybrid schedule that combines time in the office with work from home.
An estimated 22 percent of the workforce will be remote within the next couple of years due to many factors, including the savings companies gain by not paying for an in-person office and the flexibility that job seekers are demanding to choose from day to day whether they work at home or in the office. However, getting remote workers trained can be difficult. Here is a look at the best practices for remote employee training in 2024.
Disclaimer: The information below is accurate as of August 28, 2024.
The challenges of remote employee training
Even though companies have had a few years to develop their remote work model, challenges in training a remote workforce remain. Those challenges can impact how effective your remote training is.
Synchronous learning offerings like in-person or instructor-led classes can be challenging. Your workforce may be spread out across a large area or even in different time zones. So, asynchronous learning methods, such as virtual training that includes online courses and quizzes, are typically better. But there are often hiccups with these methods as well, such as:
- Technology issues that can impact your ability to deliver the courses or the worker’s ability to access them.
- Communication issues that make it difficult for workers and their employers to receive immediate feedback.
- Distractions at home that can make it difficult for employees to absorb the remote employee training material.
Organizations can’t necessarily control all of the challenges remote workers face when receiving training. But a comprehensive learning management system (LMS) like Docebo can help minimize these issues by providing a hyper-personalized, mobile-friendly training platform that workers can access anywhere.
Choosing how to deliver remote training
According to the analytics company Gallup, one of the biggest challenges companies face when developing and training a remote workforce is keeping those workers engaged. It’s hard to verify this without face-to-face meetings or where such meetings are relegated to Zoom or other web conferencing software. Because synchronous training methods are dependent on the whole team being available for an instructor-led class at once, many organizations turn to asynchronous or blended learning to provide training through their LMS. To keep workers engaged, the training must provide:
- Purpose. Managers must be able to communicate to remote workers a perspective about why the training matters and the difference it will make in their ability to perform their jobs.
- Development. Managers must be able to develop remote talent through training, providing these workers with ample career growth opportunities.
- Support. Remote workers must feel supported in their goals and noticed for their strengths.
An LMS platform like Docebo can help organizations develop personalized learning opportunities for their remote workers that are varied in content and AI-driven so that they can create individual learning paths to suit users with different learning styles and training needs. Managers can use templates, calendars, and tracking tools to provide lessons on job-specific topics. They can even help workers develop soft skills such as communication, time management, or problem-solving.
Creating your learning materials
If you’ve opted to provide remote employee training through an LMS, your next step will be to create training content. Through Docebo’s integration capabilities, you can combine training sessions with other technologies your organization regularly uses, such as video conferencing apps like Zoom, as well as Google Workspace, Slack, Microsoft Teams, LinkedIn, and more.
One of the many benefits of remote employee training is the ability to provide varied content. You can use:
- Informative videos
- Gamification
- In-depth lessons
- Collaborative learning opportunities
- Microlearning
The variety will help keep the remote worker engaged in the training while avoiding burnout from the use of the technology.
By providing the lessons in a mobile-friendly format, your workers can access the lessons wherever they are, even if that is on the other side of the globe. There is no need to worry about time zones and distance impacting the learning experience, as all workers will have access to the same training tools.
Setting your training schedule
According to a report from Fortune, even during the pandemic and the confusion and panic that accompanied the sudden move to remote work for many companies, remote workers mostly report an improvement in work-life balance by not having to commute and report to an office. However, those who responded to survey questions by stating that their work-life balance had taken a hit from going remote were largely impacted by the inability to create boundaries that allow them to disconnect from the work environment.
Setting an effective training schedule is an important task when training remote workers, regardless of the type of training you use. Doing so respects the worker’s boundaries between work and life. It also gives them an expectation and time frame for completing the work. When you’re offering instructor-led remote or on-site training, this offering should occur during a time when most workers are generally logged in and working. Also, if you’re offering a self-paced employee training program, providing a specific length of time during which the training is completed can help your team members manage their schedules and help you know when to expect the training to be finished.
Docebo provides a calendar for users that includes all the elearning and instructor-led training courses they enroll in. Even better, it color codes the entries for differentiation. This calendar can be exported to other calendars that the worker uses, such as Outlook or Google calendars, to help workers manage their time effectively.
Ensuring your learners have access
One of the most difficult parts about managing a remote workforce and the online training that the workforce receives is communicating effectively about the courses offered. When a remote worker is engaging in training, perhaps for the first time, it is important for managers to air on the side of “more is better” regarding communication.
Emails announcing the training should be sent in advance. Let them know how to access the training and even provide them with a list of what to expect. If they are unfamiliar with the process, you can also provide a cheat sheet. Explain how to use the features enabled in the platform. These tips might include muting the microphone when the user is not speaking or closing out email and other windows.
Workers should receive information about who to contact if they have technical issues and cannot access the training. At least an hour before a scheduled instructor-led training begins, it is important to check all systems and platforms to ensure that users can easily log on.
With a learning platform like Docebo, you can establish a culture of continuous learning with your remote workforce. Keep them engaged with a variety of lesson types and ensure that they have the support and access they need.
Tracking your results
You’ve created your remote employee training program and set the training schedule for your remote team. You’ve ensured that they have access to the information and a firm understanding of how to use the technology. They’ve begun taking the courses. Now what?
Now it’s time to track your results and ensure your team gets the intended benefits from the training. To do so, you should have an understanding of what you hope to accomplish through the training. Identify the metrics needed to evaluate your workers’ progress toward those goals. Remote employee training software such as that offered by Docebo makes it easy for managers to evaluate key KPIs in the user dashboard. It gives them the tools needed to establish perimeters for analysis. Graphs of user performance can provide information about the success of your remote worker training program. Then, discussing the value with shareholders is a breeze.
Let Docebo help you train your remote employees
Shutdowns related to the pandemic created a need for companies to hire, train, and manage a remote workforce. Those shutdowns are in the rearview now. But the desire of many companies and workers to continue an all-remote or hybrid work model is growing. Remote work offers benefits that include cost savings for both the organization and the worker. It also gives the company access to top talent from beyond their geographic location. Workers simultaneously gain the ability to have a greater balance between their jobs and their lives.
Professional development, onboarding, reskilling, and upskilling are all part of the work experience, even for remote workers. A comprehensive and integrated LMS is a crucial tool to satisfy these needs. To learn more about how Docebo can help ensure your workers get the training they need, book a demo.