COVID-19 has forced companies to become agile at the drop of a hat. Business leaders have seen their new and pre-existing employees effectively work from home as the new work environment has largely transitioned to a hybrid format. As a result of this rapid change, HR pros have found themselves asking: how can we manage a constant workplace evolution?
Moving forward, employee training needs to adapt and it’s time for HR teams to get creative. Adjusting your training methods to a hybrid model will help employees stay engaged and motivated. Let’s discuss a few effective ways HR teams can train a remote workforce.
Re-thinking and reinvigorating training
Employee engagement will likely be the biggest challenge when implementing a learning and development program into your organization. So, how can you tailor your training to captivate the attention of your employees? If you are considering training videos as a component, it’s important they are not entirely formal. A roster of only formal videos will cause attention spans to slip. Instead, utilize a mix of roundtable-style sessions with recorded webinars and self-guided content to have a stabilized training program.
Allowing flexibility within training schedules will empower employees to transition seamlessly into the new workplace while giving them time to focus on digital collaboration with their team.
Choosing a training mode
Should training be asynchronous or synchronous moving forward? There are pros and cons to both, but a solid mix can be beneficial to your team.
Offering asynchronous training through recorded videos can allow employees to consume training content at their own pace. This can be beneficial for employees to further delve into the content independently. It also allows them to look back on information if they need to refresh.
Synchronous training is vital when training covers information the team needs immediately or as a collective. Within this mode of training, everyone can benefit from hearing questions and insights from peers.
Find ways to better interact
In the new hybrid work environment, some employees may work from home, the office or both. When onboarding new employees, a challenge remains to get all employees together at once for each session.
Using Zoom can help bridge this gap and boost interactions between remote and in-person employees. This way the same information is learned within one session and engagement becomes streamlined. You can further boost interaction by creating polls, interactive quizzes and engaging videos.
Emphasis on well-being and support
The pandemic has shed focus on the importance of well-being and balance, especially in the workplace. HR pros and managers should consider frequent check-ins for newly hired remote or hybrid employees to deliver any additional support and become familiar with them.
The Deloitte 2021 Human Capital Trends Report highlighted the need for incorporating well-being into evolving work and training. HR pros can consider wellness training to encourage positive workplace practices, such as mindfulness. Incorporating mental health and wellness training initiatives early on can help your workforce have a healthy mindset, which leads to a productive team.
Set attainable goals that yield strong results
Setting goals is a key piece in any robust training plan. Within the first round of hybrid training, you may want to set smaller goals and ask for feedback to gauge what’s working with your new training program. Continue asking managers what they want to see from their teams and ask employees what knowledge they hope to gain through hybrid training.
Measuring results based on attainable goals and team feedback will yield strong growth. While results won’t happen overnight, working towards tangible objectives will set a clear path toward success.
Recent Comments