What Is The Most Participating Approach To Prepare A Digital Workforce?
How to Train a Virtual Workforce: Tips for Overcoming 6 Common Obstacles
The future of work is a hybrid model or a mix of remote virtual working and more traditional face-to-face activities. As business processes change to accommodate the changing work landscape, companies will turn to Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) and the development of eLearning as a solution. Training best practices include using micro-learning to embed learning into the workflow, and L&D teams are encouraged to provide the tools and resources to improve both digital work and the online classroom experience.
Finding the right training plan to achieve real, positive, and measurable business transformations and performance outcomes could be challenging. However, there are custom e-learning development strategies to optimize the experience and learning and development team best practices to help management and HR departments build a learning culture that supports employees – and builds their teams .
eBook release
The Future of Work: The Role of Instructional Design in Moving from VILT to eLearning in 2021
Learn how to convert classroom training and start an eLearning strategy based on solid ID methodology.
6 challenges and cost-effective solutions for the future of work
Let’s take a look at some of the challenges and solutions for the future of work.
Challenge # 1: How can flexibility be optimized for a remote workforce?
Find out how technology can best be used in your workplace.
As technology evolves, you will also learn technology tools that can be used to connect with your workforce and improve successful outcomes in the workplace. When the workplace went online, we saw many organizations using virtual classrooms, VILT, and video conferencing as replacements for many functions. This workaround was fine for a while, but we now have the opportunity to re-engineer the employee experience through the deliberate use of new digital tools to achieve the same goals more effectively. These new tools include:
Learn portals
Does your company have a digital workplace that your employees can access? If not, it’s time to get one. A learning portal can be as simple as a landing page with a list of resources and contacts. Learning about portals with additional features that are tailored to your business processes will help increase the success of your efforts to improve your remote workspace.
Accessible, interactive digital tools
Your employees are remote, which means they may not always have instant access to a team member or other collaborator to quickly answer important process questions. In these cases, your organization should be ready to provide workflow learning and resources that can be easily accessed to answer questions. For example, a basic digital toolkit might include easily searchable, downloadable interactive PDFs and videos with rich media for quick answers to questions and how-tos about processes. This increases productivity when resources are available in a learning library and / or are available for download as quick reference guides.
Mobile learning and apps
You want to try to deliver content to employees in the same way that they receive information in their daily life. Remember: if you want to find a store or restaurant near you, use a device you already own, such as a device. E.g. a phone, or are you running home or back to the office to sit in front of your desktop? Information is available to us everywhere. If you want your company to connect with remote workers on their terms, mobile and accessible content and technology are a must.
The aim is to have relevant content available to employees when they are needed. Companies should invest in resources and technology to support the success of their employees.
Challenge # 2: How will managers, executives, and other departments in your company respond to the challenge of leading remote teams?
The training and development of your virtual workforce should not be limited to integrating and training existing employees. Strategic leadership training initiatives can be used to maximize a successful transition to the hybrid workplace.
Leadership involvement is key to the strategic success of introducing new processes or initiatives, and increased use of technology is no exception. To build an organizational culture of learning and continuous improvement, leaders need to participate in ongoing training and development. Leadership training in your company should be tailored to your needs and may include training on interpersonal skills, using tools or processes in the workplace, and even a new management development process.
Challenge # 3: How is learning used to support virtual classrooms and workplace demands?
Integrate learning into the workflow.
It takes more than the introduction of technology to make learning a consistent, available process throughout a work day. There are best practices developed by instruction designers and learning and development teams to make learning a consistent and memorable part of daily work. For example, the use of micro-learning is an important strategy. Essentially, you’re taking an exercise program that was traditionally longer and breaking it down into manageable, bite-sized lessons that are then used repeatedly.
Challenge # 4: How do we community and culture when our workplace teams outside a central office are fragmented and far away?
To create a sense of community within a virtual workforce, companies can leverage learning resources and other digital tools to improve communication, improve connections, and build branding efforts.
How? One method is to increase training opportunities. Many employees feel that increasing the opportunities to learn and grow in their roles is beneficial and that employers who provide training have a proven record of investment. In addition, eLearning can be used to create interactive, engaging platforms and train employees to use it.
The final piece of the puzzle is to focus on the learning experience. This applies regardless of whether the training program is carried out in person or in a virtual classroom. Think how many users are using popular websites like Amazon, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and how the user experiences these websites. In general, people are served content that may be of interest to them, and platforms are designed to be interactive. The user interface must be user-friendly, intuitive and easy to navigate. Regular use of the web, Google, and social media has set a standard for what most people expect from online navigation.
Currently, most older learning management systems fail to meet employee expectations. Organizational content that is not well organized, easily searchable, visually appealing, intuitive, and interactive will reduce the effectiveness of the material. When employees can’t find what they need or are dissatisfied with the overall experience, engagement drops.
Challenge # 5: Accessibility: How fair, inclusive and accessible are your digital tools and learning processes?
It builds a community, cohesive teams, and an overall more successful organization when all members of your team are recognized, supported, and encouraged to participate fully.
Efforts to improve accessibility can be supported in a number of ways. Platforms can be created to address fundamental usability concerns for people with disabilities. In addition, training can be designed and delivered to encourage all members of your team to speak up and build a culture of respect, listening, and teamwork. Just adding specific training on these topics can raise awareness and create positive support and change for the initiatives in your organization.
Challenge # 6: How can you create an effective eLearning solution for your company’s unique needs?
To create an eLearning solution that suits your business needs, it is important to first gather information to create a roadmap for deliberate redesign.
Perhaps the most important step in implementing an effective eLearning solution is the first. First of all, you want to gather information about the requirements in your company. Consider the following questions:
- What are the greatest areas of need? Does your team have knowledge or performance gaps?
- How do employees currently access information and what are their needs?
- What metrics would determine the success of the project?
- What’s your budget and schedule?
You can collect this information in a number of ways. Some ideas involve using surveys to get information directly from employees. Collection of metrics on the current use of information tools and processes; and consultation with the management in order to align with the strategic direction.
Of course, you may also want to use performance advisor to gather this valuable information and gain insight that can help you determine what changes need to be made. Performance Consultants at the start of a learning and development initiative use their experience to conduct a critical needs analysis and provide valuable recommendations to get the most out of the design process while creating a plan for eLearning.
Conclusion
Technology is advancing at an amazing rate. There has been much speculation over the past year about the future of work after the pandemic. Indeed, it is possible to see the future and plan it now. How? It is true what they say: change is the only constant. What hasn’t changed, however, is AllenComm’s commitment to sharing knowledge with those who need it. We are passionate about the principles behind the dissemination and acquisition of knowledge, and these will remain the same regardless of the technological advances that lie ahead.
Download the eBook The Future of Work: The Role of Instructional Design in Moving From VILT To eLearning In 2021 To Move To Virtual Training And Support Your Remote Work Teams!
AllenComm
AllenComm’s experts solve business problems with beautiful custom learning solutions. We bring creativity to the teaching design. We change behavior and influence decisions. We’re building a better workout.
