As the need for remote work continues, companies are increasingly recognizing that the “business as usual” activities they had planned to put off until the pandemic subsided cannot be delayed indefinitely. Instead, companies need to adapt to the “new normal” and find ways to address ongoing business needs in a remote workplace.

Ongoing Need for Remote L&D

Employee learning and development (L&D) is a great example. L&D is undoubtedly essential for any business; however, it isn’t necessarily time-sensitive when looking at things from a 1-month horizon.

Companies that expected to be back in the office after a few weeks of remote work may have been more or less justified in putting training efforts on a brief hold until they could resume in-person activities. But that situation is much different when considering companies may be working remotely for a year or more. Employee training, learning, and development can’t be put on pause for that long, meaning companies need to identify ways to tackle those needs remotely.

In this feature, we discuss some insights provided to us by Charlie Chung, VP of Business Development and Solutions Consulting at NovoEd, regarding the current state of remote L&D efforts among companies and employees, as well as some best practices.

Chung has helped companies like Comcast, Forrester, and GE get their digital learning environments up and running and does a great job highlighting the advantages and obstacles of delivering learning content, coaching sessions, performance management, and certification processes virtually. 

How Are Companies Shifting Their L&D Activities During the Pandemic?

First, let’s look at the current state of the workplace and ask how companies have been responding to the need for remote work and its impact on their L&D efforts. While there may be concern among some that L&D efforts have been overlooked in the relative chaos surrounding COVID-19, Chung argues that the pandemic has caused companies to place more attention on training.

“In the past, L&D activities were considered optional and were often suspended or cut whenever there were downturns or significant business challenges,” Chung says. “In contrast, for large organizations with white-collar professional workers, L&D is actually achieving even greater focus.” There are two main reasons behind this shift, he says.

First is the recognition that knowledge work is more important than ever. “An organization’s human capabilities will determine how well the organization makes decisions and prospers,” says Chung.

Second, he says, the shift to nearly fully remote work creates challenges for keeping employees engaged. “A key aspect of engagement is ensuring that employees continue to stretch and grow and that often involves learning and development,” he says.

How Are Employees Responding to These Shifts?

It’s probably no surprise that employees, by and large, are enjoying the work-from-home experience; 83% of workers say they’d like to work remotely at least 1 day a week, while almost a third say they’d like to work their entire schedules from home post-pandemic. But how are they responding to changing needs and formats for training?

“Employees are responding to this shift to remote work like champs,” says Chung. He notes that while there was some initial concern from business leaders about a lack of supervision with so many remote staff, employee productivity has been great. “Employees are working diligently and finding new and better ways of communicating. They are relying on corporate communication and collaboration tools more than ever.”...

Source: HR Daily Advisor