Remote Workplace Learning – How To Make The Shift

Let us begin by stating the obvious! COVID19 has forced many organizations to quickly adopt new technology systems and adapt existing processes and procedures to enable employees to work from home. Piling on top of this seismic shift is the emerging idea of Remote Workplace Learning that now must quickly become a reality – and both content providers and consumers of workplace learning have had to make the shift quiet rapidly in the face of COVID19.

Without delving into the data around the emerging phenomenon of remote workplaces and workers prior to COVID19 many of us find ourselves in a place we never expected – either needing to deliver workplace learning remotely or procuring remote workplace learning content, classes and programs. Bottom line is that the same workplace principles apply to the remote workplace learning environment – that includes the need to plan, prepare, deploy, support, survey, assess and follow-up. Or for those of you familiar with the DMAIC acronym (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) which refers to a data-driven improvement cycle used for improving, optimizing, and stabilizing business processes. With only minor modification you can employ this same improvement cycle to deploy a successful transition to your remote workplace learning program.

The sudden need to deliver remote workplace learning can be a boon for many organizations as it offers many inherent advantages. It can lead to increased employee engagement and productivity, significant savings in terms of time and cost, as well as happier and safer employees who may have access to training that they otherwise may never have had the opportunity to attend. A variety of new and emerging tools and technology make it easier than ever to connect and collaborate from geographically dispersed areas; tools which include GoToTraining, Zoom and MS Teams. Deploying a digital training program offers a flexible, scalable and sustainable solution that can keep your remote employees engaged, productive, and continuously learning both in the face of the current mission demands, as well as in support of skill enhancements needed for emerging challenges and opportunities.

As an instructor, facilitator and content provider myself (www.DrTinaTalksWork.com) I am very aware of the magic that can be created in the classroom between the facilitator and a highly engaged group of delegates or learners. And yes, re-creating the experience of facilitator-led sessions in a digital classroom can be challenging, although it is not impossible. Here are five issues to consider before you deploy your remote workplace learning program (they are not intended to be all inclusive – but will serve as a starting point to help you move forward):

1. Clarity Of Ability And Capability

Understanding your current workforce development and training infrastructure, capabilities, and resources is a critical first step. What combination of equipment, tools, expertise, and solutions do you have available to deliver, manage, and track your current training programs – and how adaptable and flexible are they? What do I mean? Well this can include both the Learning Management System and brick and mortar real estate you use, the structure and format of your learning content and the capabilities of your learning content providers, as well as your platforms for communication, storage and connectivity.

As a workforce development and training provider you already understand that from the delegate or learners’ perspective both engagement and dynamic content that is relevant to the attendee and their role in the organization is critical to success – regardless of the training venue. So, one question you must answer is whether your workforce development and training infrastructure has the capability and capacity to convert to the unique needs of remote learning. Is your content platform adaptable and accessible, and are your facilitators flexible and capable of engaging with your learners remotely? 

2. Clarity of Purpose

In addition to the importance of both adaptable infrastructure and the availability of dynamic content to the success of your workforce development and training program, you will have to establish a clarity around who and why you are providing training. As you venture into remote workplace training it is probably a good time to revisit your WHY? This is more than a navel gazing activity. Why do you provide training? Who needs to be trained? What training do they need? For what purpose are they being trained? What is the mission of your training organization? What is the vision? What are your goals and objectives and how does the sudden move (either elective of forced) to remote workplace learning serve these requirements? For example, successful onboarding has been a cornerstone of your organizations’ commitment to new employees – has this changed with the move to remote learning? Regulatory certification or compliance requirements are an element of your brand equity – has this changed? Extensive facilitator-led workshops to build trust or teamwork for certain dysfunctional departments was a common expectation for your leadership teams- is this still a reasonable expectation? And can your current menu of services reasonably and successfully transition to an online environment?

Your key to delivering effective workplace learning has always been to deliver programs based upon the distinctive needs of your organization and the employees within the organization. Providing training to your remote workforce and being a provider of remote workplace learning opportunities does not change the reason for your WHY! Once you have established or reaffirmed your clarity of purpose around the who and what of your training mission your new digital content will begin to take shape with greater ease as you have simply changed the way you provide training – not the WHY of why you provide training.

3. How To Make the Shift

There is very often a silver lining in every cloud – and COVID19 has accelerated the shift to eLearning. Obviously, there were many lessons learned by those organizations who already made the switch – and these include; 1) Delegate engagement and Content Retention are a frequent argument against on-site training, whereas eLearning can offer microlearning opportunities specific to the delegates or learners immediate need. Employees frequently only learn what they know they need, so they are far more likely to focus their attention and engage in a more meaningful way. 2) Schedule Flexibility of eLearning is a huge plus – as the challenges of the on-site workplace include exhausting commutes, workday scheduling, and the constraints of our personal lives. eLearning offers Just-In-Time flexibility and emerging concepts such as the Flipped Classroom[1] offers the advantage of delegates or learners completing pre-work at their own pace, and within their own schedule. 3) eLearning reduces the barrier to participation and offers ease of participation to both the live and recorded microlearning[2] resources. 4) more easily accommodates both different learning preferences[3] and thinking styles[4].   

4. Preparing Your WD&T Team For The Shift

Your WD&T team may struggle to quickly adapt to the sudden change in the way they have to work… which may lead to a loss in productivity. Problems and perhaps resistance are bound to come up when using a new system or trying different approaches. When it comes to new technology systems for your WD&T team, there are two problems that tend to surface. One is the problems arising from working through deploying and becoming familiar with new technologies and the associated technical problem, which should be handled by your IT department and the provider (MS Teams, ZOOM, GoToTraining etc.). The other part are the emotions that arise from change in general and technical problems in particular… which you can prepare for in advance through an effective change management strategy.

As with every change, you will have to set the right expectations for all your people… and especially for your WD&T team. You will have to remind them frequently of the organizations’ WHY as well as their individual WHY. With system changes you will have to focus on managing expectations… and help your team prepare to ruffle feathers and perhaps even turn over some rice bowels. And also help them to understand that if they face resistance, it is not personal – it is just other people resisting change. Even if it is a good change - or necessary change - people will still resist. 

Your organization may lack the bandwidth or expertise to rapidly build and maintain an effective eLearning program.  So, as you make the transition to remote workplace learning, do the legwork to make sure that your IT team as well as your eLearning administrators and facilitators are fully supported and resourced to deliver their training products. While you may not be ready yet – this change is going to force you into the conversation about additional levels of support – such as employing a Learning Management System (LMS) to help capture the administrative burden of remote workplace learning.

5. Planning For The Long Game!

As one client lamented – in the era of COVID19 the gathering of students or delegates or learners in the schoolhouse or the auditorium is an unnecessary risk – and certainly not one to be undertaken before a vaccine is found. Consequently, planning for a remote workplace learning program means you are now planning for the long game. With a bumpy transition to the remote workplace the workforce development and training managers can offer a smooth transition to a digital learning environment all-the-while continuing to meet their WHY. While your WD&T team continue to sustain and scale their commitment to a culture of learning, they are also serving a higher purpose within the organization, which is to enable the the delegates or learners and students to stay informed, engaged, connected, and productive.

Conclusion

COVID19 has caused a seismic shift in our workplaces and our work lives. However, the emerging idea of Remote Workplace Learning offers a salve to a workforce that is in shock, and whose performance and productivity may be compromised. The sudden need to deliver remote workplace learning can be a boon for many organizations as it offers many inherent advantages. It can lead to increased employee engagement and productivity, significant savings in terms of time and cost, as well as happier and safer employees who may have access to training that they otherwise may never have had the opportunity to attend.

Understandably desiring to re-create the magical experience of facilitator-led sessions in a digital classroom can be wishful thinking, although it is not impossible. The above five issues are worth considering before you deploy your remote workplace learning program – mind you they are not intended to be all inclusive – but simply to serve as a starting point to help you move forward.

FINAL NOTE

In case you are wondering what workshop topics you can offer through your Remote Workplace learning program I invite you to view Dr Tina Talks Work here at Master List Of Soft Skills Workshop Topics, which are suitable for various delegate or learner groups, including junior, senior, supervisors, and workforce development trainers. The aim of the Soft Skill Series Of Workshops is to introduce the skills needed to effectively address current work life and workplace issues. 

.... they are very interactive and a lot of fun... each workshop is designed to help build the skill on an individual level and also to help leaders, managers, and supervisors teach and coach the skill to their subordinates...

What our society seems to be gaining in terms of both knowledge and technological advancement, we are losing out on basic soft skills that directly impact the bottom line of your business. Dr Tina brings to your workplace/can work in partnership with your HR sponsor to customize and refine both course content and duration to suit organizational goals and individual learner requirements. If customization is required, then consider the course outlines as a guide.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipped_classroom

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microlearning

[3] https://wikieducator.org/Learning_and_Teaching_in_Practice/Knowing_the_Learner/Learning_Preferences

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_style