Remote work is becoming increasingly commonplace in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this has posed a problem for businesses that have been accustomed to training employees in-house. With a reported 61% of remote employees believing that they need additional training to perform better in their role, new approaches need to be adopted. 

The acceleration of digital transformation has helped to bring employers new tools and practices that can significantly aid the development of their workers outside of the office. But there are also many new challenges that must be overcome when handling training in a work-from-home (WFH) environment. Factors like comprehension, security and communication can be amplified when away from face-to-face learning environments from the safety of the office intranet. 

(Image: Intuition)

As the data above shows, the topic of remote training is becoming far more pertinent in the wake of the pandemic, with a projected 48% of employees now set to work remotely in some capacity in the age of the ‘new normal.’ 

With this in mind, let’s explore the challenges of remote training, and look to potential solutions in employees delivering comprehensive training away from the office. 

The Challenges of Training Employees Remotely

Although many businesses have experienced a relatively seamless transition towards embracing WFH, plenty of companies have experienced more difficulty in implementing remote training programs to help the development of their staff. 

These challenges can include a lack of meaningful engagement due to the loss of traditional face-to-face communication, as well as distractions that can arise in home-based environments when training sessions are underway. 

There’s also the prospect of technical challenges arising from inadequate internet connections of incompatible software with the programs being delivered. Furthermore, businesses have less control over the security of the connections employees set with the company - meaning that the sensitive information shared in the training program has a greater chance of falling into the wrong hands. 

However, there are plenty of ways in which businesses can counteract the difficulty of working from home with tools, techniques and safety measures that can help to ensure workers get the care and quality of service they need to secure their development: 

1. Keep your Learning Material Accessible at All Times

It may be time-consuming to set up, but it’s vital for businesses that their learning materials aren’t spread too thinly across different platforms and tools when it comes to employees learning. 

Where you can, be sure to centralise all learning material into one accessible platform. This makes it far easier for employees to access, revise, and consult the information they need as and when they need it. 

Look to secure information in HR data hubs for employees to access remotely. The more friction that’s in place, the harder it can be for employees to gain a level of comprehension around what’s expected of them. 

2. Use the Right Tools to Aid Employee Growth

In the age of the new normal, businesses will become far more dependent on technology to deliver efficient communication and to help employees perform to the best of their ability. Platforms like Zoom, Slack and Google Hangouts have all emerged as excellent options for businesses looking to embrace remote work - with all helping companies to better collaborate, communicate, and delegate tasks more effectively. 

Different employees learn best in different ways. While some can be visual learners, others may prefer to learn by practising the processes themselves. Having technology onboard that allows employees the freedom to learn in whatever way they feel most comfortable can be a key asset in developing talent in a remote workplace. 

Business training platforms like Eloomi and Rise can be great for generating more bespoke ways for employees to engage better with their roles and expectations. The programs can be evergreen for future onboarding, too. Regardless of whether your remote work solutions are short or long term, online training tools can help employees to learn in comfort. 

3. Develop a Secure Solution to Keep Employee and Company Data Safe

As remote training becomes more commonplace, the threat of cybersecurity must be mitigated at the first opportunity - particularly if employees are frequently working on public and personal networks. Some of the most common threats to remote workers can include phishing attacks, remote desktop account attacks and distributed denial of service (DDoS). 

(Image: World Economic Forum)

As the data above shows, information security has been identified as a greater priority by many businesses in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. 

To help protect the network connections of remote employees and the company data they access, many businesses offer virtual private network (VPN) connections. VPNs are regarded by many employers as an essential tool for sustaining remote connections in a safe and secure manner. 

VPNs work by establishing a secure encrypted tunnel between a businesses’ data and their remote employees - meaning that no cybercriminals can peer into their actions when online. This can be essential for employees who regularly work on public WiFi connections in coffee shops or public transportation. 

Because the threat of private data falling into the wrong hands can be fatal for many businesses, the necessity of finding a strong VPN service to secure the business is essential. 

4. Remember to Track your Results

Another important and easy to implement facet of remote training is the necessity of tracking the results of your approaches. 

The age of remote training is still in its infancy, and this means that it can take businesses some time to develop the most effective practices when it comes to improving performance. 

Be sure to set measurable goals before training such as a passing rate for assessments or a metric that can monitor improvements in performance specific data in the future. It’s also important to attain and listen to the feedback offered by employees before building your model accordingly. 

When it comes to remote employee training, many businesses are entering a brand new environment that they’re not immediately familiar with. Fortunately, digital solutions are on hand to make this transition easier, and to help ensure that employees continue to work to the best of their abilities wherever they may be.