10 Best Practices For Training Remote Employees

Perhaps your organization has always used training for both in-person and remote employees, or perhaps you are now finding it difficult to maintain an entirely remote office training program. There is a need for remote employee training in line with the recent large increase in remote work. 

In light of this, I offer some top tips for remote employee training that I have discovered via my work in the learning and development sector. They will assist you in keeping everything under control and streamlining the task of overseeing remote staff training.

What Is Remote Training?

Training programs delivered via digital platforms are referred to as remote training, virtual training, or online training. The ability for employees to learn and grow their talents remotely, without having to physically be present in a set location, is a strategy that is becoming more and more common. This type of training makes use of technology like webinars, online courses, video conferencing, and eLearning platforms to provide instructional content to people or groups who are spread out geographically.

Let's talk about some best practices for providing your distributed team with efficient remote training.

1. Plan Carefully

Are all the training materials you'll need ready? Which kind of training supplies are you in need of? The number of students you are instructing?

This stage of pre-training planning is very important. For training success, create a solid foundation and complete your assignments.

When you're planning, be sure to do the following:

• Assess the requirement for training.
• Provide a brief synopsis of the training curriculum for comments.
• Share the training's scheduled times with others.
• Inform students of what to anticipate during the next training session.

All of this will make participants' understanding clearer, assist you in better planning training, guarantee coordination, and prepare you for any obstacles that may arise.

2. Conduct an orientation session.

As in a conventional classroom setting, you must set expectations for your learners and lay down ground rules for your remote training. Before the training program begins, holding a brief orientation session can assist in outlining housekeeping recommendations such as:

• How to handle issues such as poor internet access while in the training room.
• Turn off the microphone when you're not speaking.
• Use the hand feature to ask questions.
• Turn cell phones to silent mode.
• Shut down other windows and email.

3 . Leverage technology

Here, let technology work in your favor and make the most of the resources at your disposal. For instance, Google Hangouts, Google meet and Zoom are still simple and free options, as is the office Slack channel. Utilize them for posting films, working together on projects, and live-streaming courses.

Using technology to develop new remote workforce training also entails utilizing basic tools like movies or screenshots to demonstrate new process processes. This can help to clarify and facilitate the understanding and reference of remote training. One of the best practices for training remote employees on software or applications that will be utilized to offer any newly-developed training in the future is to take these screenshots or videos. It benefits both parties.

4. Choose the Best Tool

Select the Greatest Instrument Applications for remote training act as the link between all parties engaged in distance learning.

One excellent example of a technology that you may use to implement remote training is a learning management system (LMS) or learning experience platform (LXP).

Verify that the program you select has every feature required for efficient remote cooperation and communication. Screen sharing, live chat, video conferencing, virtual classrooms, and whiteboards should all be supported.

With the right online training software, you can easily conduct remote training sessions without making your students feel as though they are in a physical classroom.

You may reduce the learning curve and concentrate on managing the learning results by using a lightweight, user-friendly solution.

5. Create training that's on-demand

Just-in-time, on-demand training is essential when it comes to training employees who work remotely.

Recall the last point about honoring employees' time? When working remotely, employees might not all have the same schedules, therefore it's important to provide on-demand training so they can access it whenever they need it. For instance, if you live-stream a training, make sure the link is recorded so people may access it at a later time. One-minute informational bursts can also be shared via mobile apps or video channels.

6. Create mobile-first courses

Remote workers don't usually work from home or have easy access to laptops or desktop PCs. Making your training materials mobile-friendly is essential if you want them to be available anywhere, at any time.

7. Enable microlearning

To encourage focus and participation from your remote workers, you might think about using a microlearning training strategy. Learning material is divided into concise, bite-sized knowledge pieces using microlearning. Smaller classes provide the knowledge required for students to meet a particular training goal.

Microlearning allows learners to apply lessons in real time before they forget them, requires less time from them, and does not overload them with knowledge at once.

8. Support Social Learning

For remote workers in particular, social learning is crucial. Despite their geographical distance, it enables them to collaborate on problem-solving, exchange expertise, and build connections with their coworkers. This keeps loneliness and isolation from becoming a problem.

In remote teams, this kind of learning creates a culture of continual development, boosts job satisfaction, and creates a sense of belonging.

The idea that learning is about more than just information transfer between teachers and students is reinforced by social learning.

To create the ideal learning environment, you can make use of online collaboration tools like social networking sites, Q&A-based discussion forums, and online communities. This will support real-time, unstructured peer-to-peer learning.

9. Document all training

Employee training completion history can be monitored with the aid of an effective learning management system(LMS). This is very important, particularly in professions where licenses and certificates need to be renewed through education.

Maintaining uniformity and smoothness in your training programs is another benefit of the documentation process. You will still possess a record of the courses taken and materials utilized for each training even if the individual in charge of creating it departs your organization.

10. Measure training effectiveness

Another recommended practice when it comes to training remote workers is measuring training efficacy. Employers and training managers can use it to assess the effectiveness of their programs and pinpoint areas for improvement.

An LMS can benefit you in a number of ways.

Testing and assessment: An LMS has tools for making and distributing tests and assessments. This makes it possible for teachers to monitor their students' comprehension.

Tracking completion and involvement: An LMS monitors staff involvement, completion rates, and participation, offering valuable information about a training program's effectiveness.

Evaluations and comments: It also gives staff members and instructors a way to voice their opinions about the training course.

Reporting and analysis: In order to monitor the overall performance of both individuals and organizations, it produces reports and statistics. 

Recall that successful follow-up is essential to making sure students remember and implement what they have learned. Adapt your strategy to each learner's unique demands while keeping open lines of communication all through the process.

Learn More

Understanding when to implement each kind of staff training program promotes growth and boosts morale within the organization.

Selecting the appropriate learning platform is also crucial. By providing the appropriate training to the appropriate individuals in a timely manner, Skills Caravan enables you to scale the learning initiatives of your expanding and evolving workforce. A workforce that is more informed, more engaged, and feels more suited for their position can result from on-the-job training.