Remote Training for Work from Home Employees

Why Companies Should Provide Remote Training for Employees

Remote training is now one of the most sought-after learning opportunities for companies that have learned to embrace the work-from-home approach. The rise of remote working as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic has opened the eyes of employers to the many benefits that it provides for businesses and their employees.

Most organizations adjusted to work from home arrangements with little to no preparation due to COVID-19. Companies struggled internally to keep business operations going while dealing with the turbulence brought by the sudden change in the workplace setting. 

Months have passed since the pandemic began, and employers and employees seem to have adjusted. In fact, many companies are interested in keeping the remote work strategy a permanent part of their business operations. Employers are also seeking to provide employees with the right work from home training, inclusive of best practices and tips to help maximize their productivity.  

As with any type of change management event that occurs in an office, the remote work setting should also be considered with proper planning, and a set of standard policies and procedures, with the welfare of both the business and the employees in mind. 

Now is a perfect time for employers to evaluate what is working well and what still needs consideration. In the earlier days of the pandemic, many employees were sent to work from home in a haphazard fashion, and they have managed to cobble together a functional approach to remote work.

Developing customized training content to prepare employees and leaders for remote work is one of SCG’s specialties, and this article covers some finer points businesses should consider when formalizing a remote work strategy.

Challenges when Facilitating Working from Home Training

Even with employees who are experienced working from home since 2020, implementing remote work training can still introduce challenges.  

Keeping the Attention of Trainees during a Virtual Team Training

It is already difficult to keep employees interested and engaged in a  traditional l training environment, where everyone is gathered together in a venue and is able to share the experience in a more interactive way. Conducting remote training adds a layer of complexity and consideration for keeping employees engaged. The lack of face-to-face interaction and supervision can cause people to wander off in thought or multi-task with other projects on their computers or phone. This can be especially true if the training is conducted in a large-scale format. 

Technical Difficulties during Training

Technology plays an important role in the success of any training, and this becomes especially more important when done virtually. To some extent, companies even do rehearsal runs for big, virtual events, and this should be something a company also puts into practice for training and seminars. 

Less Immediate Feedback and Interaction

People are as reluctant to raise questions in a remote setting as they are in a traditional setting. And with the screens offering a temptation to not be too active during training sessions, fewer interactions, and feedback can be expected.

Developing Content for Your Remote Work Training Course

To address all these challenges, a well-planned training course must be prepared. There is no one formula for creating a training program for remote teams. Just as other company policies are customized depending on the company’s goals and strategies, training to work from home should have the same approach. 

Focus on Individual Contributors who Will be Working at Home

What job roles will be working from home? How will their work setup affect the overall business? Who will they interact with as a course of normal business functions? How many employees will be working remotely? How will the employees accept remote work as a permanent workplace strategy?

These questions will direct your training course towards a more refined and targeted approach. In order to gain the answers to these questions, managers should spend some time with their teams and receive their feedback. It is important to understand and be aware of the work styles and communication preferences of your remote team members, so that the teams are aligned and each individual is positioned for success, even in a remote work environment.

Getting a grasp on how direct reports desire to be communicated with is a great way to show remote team members that they are trusted and valued. This also helps prevent work from home burnout, Zoom fatigue, and keeps team members from feeling they are being micromanaged by their bosses.

Train your Leaders

It is not enough to only focus on remote employees. To achieve a cohesive remote work training, employers should also train the leaders that will lead employees towards the remote strategy’s success. 

Like employees, some leaders are also adjusting to the remote work setup. Managers play a huge part in bringing together a team, and if leaders can understand and adapt to this out-of-sight management style, then companies are a step closer to achieving an effective remote work team.

Take the Next Steps Toward Implementing a Remote Training Program

Stegmeier Consulting Group believes that organizations need to take a holistic approach to formalize their remote workplace strategies. A company’s workplace strategy should be based on what is best for the company, taking into account employee work style preferences now, in addition to how employees may need to operate in the future.

Many tech firms and larger employers that are pushing for a return to the office have invested heavily in corporate real estate and do not wish to have that investment go to waste. Every company has different business constraints and goals. Organizations are well-served by partnering with an experienced workplace strategy firm, such as Stegmeier Consulting Group, which can help them self-discover the solution and attitude towards remote work that is best for their unique culture and situation.

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