COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life. One of the biggest changes organizations had to make is how they address learning and development during the current pandemic. With travel crippled and social gatherings restricted, sending employees to training sessions is almost impossible.

However, there’s an alternative that can ensure companies’ L&D efforts don’t come to a halt despite the current situation – Online Training.

Why Online Training for Remote Employees

Remote learning is essential for improving employee performance, boosting employee satisfaction and morale, and increasing productivity. It helps companies address gaps in workplace skills, reduce employee turnover, and encourage creativity for new strategies and products.

Online training offers the benefits above as well as additional advantages such as:

• Cost-effective Training – Conventional training can be too expensive for some organizations. Traveling expenses, venue of training, etc. further add to the cost billed to employers. Virtual training, on the other hand, can be a more economical solution. Especially since it means employees get less or no time away from work.
• Custom-made Materials – By opting for virtual instructor-led training or online corporate training, the training you receive can be customized according to current needs. That way, your organization can better achieve business goals.
• Gamification – Online training can have elements of gaming incorporated to ensure higher engagement. In addition to quizzes, there are leaderboards and scores which make training more fun. That way, your employees will remain passionate and motivated throughout the program.

Work from Home Employee Training Tips

If you’re planning online training for your remote workers, here are some tips to help both of you get the most value.

Determine the Type of Learners Your Employees Belong to

Before selecting your upcoming online training session, you should understand the types of learners you have at your organization. There are six main types based on their proficiency in online learning, and those are:

1. The Novice – Employees of this type are quite new to the concept of learning online. As a result, companies are bound to spend more time ensuring their familiarity with e-learning first.
2. The Sporadic User – Trainees of this category are a step ahead of Novice learners. They may have some experience learning online but are yet to master it.
3. The Developing User – Learners from this category tend to achieve their learning goals. You can also rely on them to help promote the use of e-learning to the first two types of learners as well.
4. The Established User – A trainee of this type successfully gain the advantages of the sessions they enroll in with much ease.
5. The Embedded User – Embedded users effectively implement what they’ve learned during their sessions. This can be easily seen in the way they handle their day to day responsibilities.
6. The Innovator – In addition to being experienced in attending online training, learners of this type make the most of what they learn to give companies an edge over the competition.

Assess your employees against each of these types to determine where they fit. You can then share your assessment with the training provider to help them design the right course for your team.

Help Your Employees Commit to Your Training

Committing fully to training at home can be a challenge. Especially while your employees work remotely and juggle with more than just daily tasks.

So, take a step back and determine which is more important for your company’s goals: having a trained, up-to-date workforce, or completing your current list of tasks.

If you determine the first is a priority, try creating flexible targets for your workers to achieve. Consider easing on deadlines and setting the priorities of your tasks accordingly. That way, your employees’ performance isn’t compromised while they add to their knowledge and skills.

Emphasize the Need to Better Manage Stress

Work from home burnout is real. With the pandemic and subsequent economic fallout, workers have a lot going through their minds. As a result, their stress levels are higher than ever.

Stress is known to affect the brain’s learning and memory region. So, you need to proactively do something about this or else your training will go to waste.

In addition to providing schedules and work structures beforehand, here are some tips to help you prevent burnout and maximize learning.

• Make sure your staff maintains physical and social boundaries. For instance, have them switch on their cameras. That way, they’ll change into work clothes and be mentally in ‘work mode’.
• Have employees use tools that enable them to communicate regularly. For instance, they can coordinate via Slack on a task. While this isn’t as quick as walking to someone’s desk, it’ll help maintain regular communication.
• Don’t forget to give your staff their lunch break. In addition to maintaining a routine, it gives them a window to unwind and maybe even have some virtual watercooler talk with one another.

Set up an Incentive Program for Trainees

One of the powerful ways to motivate employees to complete online training is by offering them rewards. If they pass any assessments or begin using their newly developed skills, the least you could do is offer them praise.

You can also set up a system where they earn credits or points for every training they complete. Not only will this gamify the process, it’ll ensure everyone completes the training your company invested in.

Ready to Start Training Your Employees Online?

Selecting the right people to train your workforce is an important factor for successful training. That’s why LearningCert has accredited trainers with years of industry experience delivering its courses. Whether you require virtual instructor-led sessions or corporate training, we’re just a message away from upskilling your workforce.

So, get in touch and let us help you train your workforce.