More workers want to work remotely. It makes it easier to spend time with family, and it makes travel a cinch, so it’s easy to see why many people are expecting this now. You’re smart and want to stay relevant, so you’re trying to train a remote workforce, which the following tips will help with.
Know Your Workforce
The first thing you want to do is learn as much as you can about your workforce. Many businesses owners put employees into one group, but that’s not a good idea. Each employee has a different way of learning.
You need to figure out what those ways are so that you can provide the right tools for each employee. If you can match employees to their learning styles, the training will be more effective. Send surveys to find out how employees prefer to learn. It might take longer to figure out how you’re going to train them, but it’ll be worth it if you take the time to do this.
Custom eLearning
The next thing you want to do is make sure you invest in a good learning tool. There are a number of them out there, but you have to be smart about the kind you choose. As mentioned earlier, it is of the utmost importance that you provide your team with material that matches their learning styles. You can’t do that without a good custom elearning solution.
This allows you to offer various learning solutions that match many styles. Maybe some of your team members are into virtual learning, while others learn better with video. Some may even learn more effectively through the experiential learning option. The more you can offer, the better it’s going to be for you.
Pace is Important
A remote workforce values their work-life balance. You need to understand this before moving on with employee training. Some employers don’t provide a strict structure, and that’s what you need to do. Your remote workers want freedom, so don’t create a strict schedule around their training.
It may not seem smart, but your employees are going to train at their own pace, and they will do it soon enough. People are more responsible than you think. If you don’t give them a free schedule, you’ll frustrate your team, and that won’t be a good thing. This could lead to some of your new employees looking for work elsewhere where they won’t be as strict. They’ll get the freedom they expect to have as remote workers.
Add Socialization
Remote workers sometimes deal with loneliness. This is a real problem that you have to address. You may not think this is your problem or a problem that would affect training, but the truth is that it can. If your team starts to feel too lonely, they could start having trouble concentrating on the training, and that’s not a good thing.
You want to integrate socialization into the training. You can do this by hosting group chats, group video meetings, or add a forum. What you’re trying to do is give your employees a chance to get to know each other while they work. Besides, you’ll be creating a more effective team if you teach them to work together and to get to know each other before the real work even starts.
Feedback Matters
Your team’s feedback is valuable. Even after you put in all that work, there may be something you missed or didn’t think about. That little thing could be making it hard for an employee to absorb the training. If you give your employees a chance, to be honest with you, they will be.
Be sure that you make this space feel safe. Maybe let your employees tell you things in private. Create a space to make sure you get to hear from all employees at all times. If they don’t like something or find something confusing, they’ll let you know. Use that information to make changes to your e-training program so that it’s more effective.
Now, these are some things you should keep in mind when you’re training your remote workforce. If you can, talk to an online training specialist to see if there’s more you can do for your workforce.
