Items to Consider When Training Virtual Employees

As more and more businesses are instituting work-from-home operations, the way organizations train their employees will need to evolve as well. Creating and implementing an effective virtual training program can be challenging. Listed below are a few things to consider once you have made the decision to start training your team virtually.

Make sure the training is easy to navigate.  Keep in mind that not every employee is computer savvy, so you will need to make sure the process is simple to navigate and any requested information is well defined. If your business is using a more elaborate educational program, some software training before your employees get started may be helpful. You want to ensure employees can be completely focused on learning the materials and do not become frustrated with navigating the program.

Have straightforward goals. Make sure you define exactly what you want to accomplish with your training. Once this has been established, be sure to communicate that clearly with your team. Some training is designed to educate and provide awareness while other training establishes a best practice or creates an operational procedure. Each of these training goals will need to be taken into consideration when formulating the training and how any confirmation of knowledge will be evaluated.

Create a flexible and effective schedule. Ensure your team can access the training whenever they are available. Keep in mind that employees working remotely may be working odd hours. Having the ability to complete training during their free time will help ensure training is finished properly and as quickly as possible. Assigning homework for employees, allowing them to work at their own pace, is also a great way to make learning flexible.

Ensure training is valuable to your team. If you are going to invest capital in creating training, it is important that your employees turn that education into value for the business. Your employees need to see the value of what they are learning. Otherwise, you run the risk of them becoming disengaged. Including two-way communication or interaction is a vital way to keep employees engaged. Continual interaction between key members of your team and the employee will show your company’s commitment to the process and the importance of the training topics.   

Social media can replace watercooler talk. Creating a chat group for casual conversations between coworkers outside the formal training program can be helpful. During a traditional training session, information, tips, and tricks are often passed casually between employees. You want to try and capture that same experience in a virtual setting. During this type of training, employees might not see each other in the hallway or at lunch, but they can still share these ideas through other channels if given the opportunity.

Your company culture still matters. You have worked hard to create a business culture that you are proud of, and now is the time to reinforce those beliefs. Just because more employees are working from home does not mean those beliefs no longer matter. When creating the content for your training, use the values your business was founded on to guide your actions. Share with your employees who you are as an organization and how that drives what you do and how you do it.

Ask for feedback during training and look to make improvements along the way. Training is only valuable if the team you are educating learns what you are trying to teach them. By asking for and implementing feedback, you are showing your employees that their opinions matter and ultimately creating a much better resource for your company and employees.