Supporting remote learning and development

First posted?21 April 2021 on Access blog : https://www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/blog/dlc-supporting-remote-learning-and-development/

Whether or not your company currently supports regular working from home and hires remote talent, the recent global pandemic means we’re now in an age where remote working is becoming the norm.

Employees no longer expect to work from ‘the office’ 5-days a week, which provides numerous benefits to both employer and employees alike.?But with that flexibility, so too comes the expectation that there are robust processes in place to support the ongoing learning and development of these workers, no matter where they are located.

The absolute minimum requirement that remote employees (both existing and prospective) will expect, is a Remote Working Policy. In fact, if you don’t have one, then you may be endangering your workers and failing to fulfil your?remote working compliance?requirements.

But a remote working policy isn’t enough. For your business to really thrive in a remote working world, you’ll need to ensure your remote learning practices are up to scratch too. And for that, you’ll need to account for a number of additional considerations, emerging trends and employee expectations - which we’ll explore below.

Ensuring there are no losers in the learning “Generation Game”

Online learning has long been used as a cost-effective way of delivering training to large/dispersed workforces.?And as the workforce becomes even more dispersed and non-office based, so the need for an effective,?user-friendly learning management system (LMS)?and engaging learning content becomes yet greater still.

However, for less tech-savvy employees a digital-centric approach can actually be the biggest blocker to their learning and development. This issue is compounded if they aren’t in the office or have access to suitable tech support when they need it. If you don’t already have a wider digital transformation initiative that addresses this issue, it is imperative that digital skills training is made available - if not prioritised.

Digital natives embrace online learning opportunities

Digitally native Millennials and Generation Z-ers on the other hand are far less likely to have issues adapting to online learning - whether or not they are working remotely. In fact, they seem to thrive on it.

For example,?LinkedIn’s 2021 Workplace Learning Report?found that 67% of Gen Z learners spent more time learning in 2020 than the previous year, and watched an average of 50% more hours per learner during the same period.

This is a challenge that is further intensified by the fact that younger generations - Gen Z in particular - are reportedly more than twice as likely to seek out opportunities for learning new skills related to their roles and their general interests than their older colleagues.

Internal mobility could be the driving force here, with younger generations focused more firmly on early career advancement and seeing learning as key to a successful career. On the flip side, older generations - those who have already established careers in their chosen fields - are more likely to seek opportunities for soft skills training to get better at what they already do, than to pursue skills that help them perform in different functions.

To ensure that the inherent challenges faced by less tech-savvy (or tech-able) members of the workforce aren’t exacerbated by remote working, it becomes even more critical that L&D identifies and designs learning campaigns that are as inclusive and accessible to all as possible.

Supporting social learning and collaboration

Likewise, although social and collaborative learning can be used to good effect for motivating and engaging remote workers, there are also generational differences to consider here too.

Again, the data shows that although there was huge growth in the use of social features across all generations in 2020, there was a marked difference in the increase in use between the youngest generation and the oldest. Gen Z seeing a massive 1,379% increase in growth of learners joining learning groups, and Boomers only an 853% increase - a difference of over 60%!

Having said that, with 31% of employees feeling less connected to their leaders, and 37% less connected to their teammates as a result of working remotely during the pandemic, there is clearly a need to facilitate and encourage collaboration where possible.

This sense of isolation (and a loss of motivation) is common among remote workers even in ‘normal’ times. So ensuring that not only are there still opportunities for knowledge transfer between staff who don’t share a workplace, but more generally, that remote employees still feel part of a team, is clearly another crucial piece of the puzzle when it comes to supporting remote workers.

Indeed, the LinkedIn report again provides some useful data here, highlighting that L&D professionals believe that not only does community-based learning help create a sense of belonging (95%), but also that learning is more engaging when people learn together (84%), and that employees who learn together are more successful (94%).

Learning initiatives that encourage user-generated content (UGC) - in particular the use of video - can be a simple way of keeping learners engaged and connected to their colleagues. Gamification can also be an effective way of keeping staff motivated and engaged in training programmes - especially when it’s not possible to include in-person/ILT elements to the blend.

It is also important to note that as wider business collaboration tools such as MS Teams become more commonplace, the ability to deliver learning “in the flow of work” (first coined by?Josh Bersin in 2018) is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’, but a ‘must-have’.?One which may require L&D working with wider business counterparts, the IT department, in particular, to ensure that workers have the necessary technology and access to relevant software through the use of VPNs when they need to access servers remotely.

Equipping managers to support remote-working employees

Having remote worker L&D practices and processes in place is one thing. But unless your managers have the skills to support its delivery, you may find that your non-office-based workforce still feels like they are missing out.

Effective communication skills are key to managing any team, and there is an even greater need for a strong capability in this area when managers and their direct reports don’t regularly share an office space.?This appears to be something that managers themselves are aware of, with LinkedIn’s data showing us that managers are already more likely to seek new soft skills than hard skills.

And so, we now need to look at the other key issue that L&D needs to address when it comes to a new remote-working world: managers. Or to be more specific people management.

Managing mental health & wellbeing

Undoubtedly, there are some areas of management that are easier done in person than via digital channels. But with remote working opening up the global talent pool there is an increasing likelihood that managers will be responsible for employees for whom they potentially never get to meet in person.

This increases the need for them to be able to both identify and provide direct support staff where it’s needed when it comes to their wellbeing and other mental health challenges. As we saw earlier, feelings of isolation are common, and not only is it an area that remote workers will expect to receive managerial support with, but it’s an area that the business as a whole needs to support if remote working is to be a success.

Remote performance management

This is not to say that manager’s need only worry about ensuring their staff are engaged and motivated, however. As the number of time managers and employees have together in person decreases, so the importance of strong performance management skills increases.

As with the shift in responsibility for employee mental health and wellbeing falling more squarely on today’s manager’s shoulders, so too is performance management undergoing a transformation.?

Employees no longer want telling?what?to do, they want coaching on?how?to do it.

Talent-focused organisations are increasingly looking to move towards more continuous performance management practices. This brings the need for more regular, informal check-ins and reviews between managers and their direct reports, and a shift to ‘coaching’ and unlocking hidden talent (rather than a focus on ‘managing’ performance) now high on the agenda.

Again, not only does this bring with it an expectation that managers will be equipped with the skills required to support the development of their staff in this way, but also that the necessary processes and technology will be available to support it.

Put remote workers’ learning and development first - or risk losing them

As the world moves to a new ‘normal’, employees will expect their employers to have adapted to Covid, which includes the option to work remotely on a more permanent basis. This opens up the ability for employers to recruit talent in any area of not only the country but the world.

This talent will expect to have their development supported even when they have no direct contact with their managers. And rightly so.

It’s up to L&D - with its increasing influence over the wider business - to ensure that all workers get access to the training, career development and managerial support that they need, no matter where they are located. Only with support for sustained agile working culture can both business and employees thrive.