With more and more people now prioritizing flexibility over stability, we are seeing the rise of a popular belief – remote gig economy. It is more a reality today and will be in the coming years than just a prediction. The number of remote workers is estimated to nearly double in the next 5 years and almost 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025. These two major changes will mean more and more workforces moving from office cabins to remote desks. While this could be a lot advantageous for companies to cut down costs, there arises another challenge. How to conduct training for remote employees? Especially since online classes have already been badmouthed for being ‘hard to grasp’ by many after the pandemic. Thus, for obvious reasons, companies will need to rethink their training solutions to suit remote employees sitting in different time zones.
In this blog, we will cover the best practices for training remote employees and gain the highest ROI from your training efforts.
Does Your Company Need Remote Training?
Ever since the pandemic introduced the new trend of work-from-home, more and more companies are now working to embrace remote training to stay efficient. Whether you run multiple teams from different locations or have people working in hybrid mode, effective training is crucial to keep all employees on the same page. Your organization would benefit significantly from remote training if:
- At least some employees work remotely
- There is low performance/engagement among remote teams
- You plan to expand remote hiring
- If you plan to transition to full remote work
- Have teams working in different locations
Remote Training Challenges
Remote training offers the flexibility and accessibility needed in a modern workplace. However, it’s not without its challenges, which can sometimes seem too difficult to manage. One of the primary challenges of remote training is that many people feel they are impersonal. Due to the lack of face-to-face interaction, many people feel disconnected from their trainers and peers. Additionally, communication gaps can arise too. This is something everyone will agree to. Online classes do make it harder to convey complex ideas. Moreover, attending training from home is not without distractions that aren’t usually present in traditional office settings.
8 Best Practices for Training Remote Employees
Launching a remote training program may seem challenging initially. But with the right strategies, it can be a resounding success. Here are some best practices for remote training to ensure a high ROI:
Provide Pre-Training Materials
Before starting remote training, share pre-training materials with your employees. This could include reading materials, short introduction videos, or pre-assessments. These help set clear expectations and give everyone a common base of knowledge. Pre-training resources also help in smoothing out the initial bumps. This, in turn, can make the actual training sessions more effective.
Use Remote Training Software
There should be a dedicated remote learning management system (LMS) to streamline the planning, implementation, and delivery of your training program. An LMS is an essential tool for managing large-scale training programs. The fact that remote training is even more challenging makes a good LMS irreplaceable. Choose a good remote training software that offers a centralized solution for all training needs and supports various online training benefits.
Start with Orientation Sessions
Even though the training is virtual, orientation sessions should not be skipped. This sets the stage for the training and explains basic online etiquette. You could use this time to address common issues like unstable internet or audio problems. Use this time to lay down some ground rules.
For example, ask participants to keep their microphones muted when not speaking and to wait for their turn to talk. This will avoid interruptions and everyone will get a chance to participate equally. An orientation session helps everyone feel more comfortable and prepared, leading to a more productive remote training session.
A Mix of Training Formats
Combining different training formats is key. Mix live, synchronous sessions with on-demand learning, microlearning modules, and interactive Q&A sessions. Try using different file types for better accessibility among all – audio, video, downloadable worksheets, checklists, and presentations.
Mobile-Friendliness
Remote employees often work from different time zones and devices. Almost 82% of remote staff sit with training modules outside regular hours. Hence, you need to make sure your training is mobile-friendly for easy accessibility from any device. Choose a remote corporate training software that supports this flexibility.
Create a Learner Community
Slack, Asana, Trello, or Monday.com are great tools to foster remote interaction within employees. Setting up a special space for discussions can help them feel connected and engaged. A strong learner community can also address communication issues and personalize the remote training experience.
Measure Training Effectiveness
Tracking how well your training works is key for improvement. Use simple methods like 1:1 discussions, surveys, quizzes, and exams to see if employees understand the material. Applying Kirkpatrick’s model can help measure training at different stages. This step is crucial to tweak and improve your training programs later.
Incorporate Self-Paced Learning
People love flexibility. Make their lives easier by making parts of the remote training program self-paced. Set an overall deadline but allow them to work through the material at their own speed. Encourage employees to set aside dedicated time for training so that everyone finishes around the same time. This approach helps accommodate different schedules and learning styles.
Gamification
Add gamification to make training more engaging and motivating. Features like points, badges, leaderboards, and certificates can make the experience interactive and fun. Gamification is the best way to foster healthy competition and offers positive reinforcement, which can drive better results.
Conclusion
We know that delivering training remotely can seem challenging compared to in-person sessions. But we are in a great era with a wide selection of corporate training software that lets us provide remote training that’s just as effective as face-to-face. With the right approach, you can achieve high-quality training and keep everyone engaged at the same time. EducationNest is a leading corporate training provider with a wide range of training solutions for all needs. Their expert-led courses with a proven track record of successful training workshops are the best choice if you are looking to train your remote employees.
