12 Tips for Engaging Remote Workers in Training
Training remote workers is often more challenging than training employees who work at one of your locations. How do you ensure your remote workers get the training they need without spending a fortune on travelling expenses?
This is a question that companies increasingly face as the use of remote workers becomes more popular. In a wide range of fields, remote working is the preferred option both for workers and the companies who employ them.
These workers still need to be trained, however, on everything from company procedures to compliance topics to topics aimed at improving performance and upskilling.
Importantly, the key isn’t simply to create training courses for remote workers. Instead, it’s crucial that you create training courses that engage remote workers, that are effective, and that deliver a return on investment.
The following 12 tips will help you achieve this.
1.Use E-Learning as Your Primary Training Delivery Method
Start by adopting e-learning as the primary method of delivering training modules to remote workers. This is because e-learning training modules can be made available to remote workers almost instantly, wherever they are in the world.
In addition, e-learning makes it possible for remote workers to complete training modules anywhere and at any time. This improves participation, engagement, and retention rates, three crucial objectives of most training courses.
2.Create a Library or Central Resource of E-Learning Training Modules
You should also take steps to make it as easy as possible for remote workers to access the e-learning training modules they need.
It is inefficient if:
- remote workers have to request modules,
- if you have to remember to send them; and/or,
- if remote workers have to hunt through old emails to find a link or attachment.
A much better solution is to create a central resource to hold all the modules you create. Whenever a remote worker needs to complete a specific module, they simply have to access it from the central resource.
3.Make Sure Learners Can Access Training Modules on Any Device
A professional e-learning developer will make it possible for your learners to complete e-learning courses on any device, including mobile phones. After all, you should make it as easy as possible for learners to complete the training modules you create.
4.Use Proven E-Learning Training Techniques
Whether your e-learning training modules are for remote workers or workers at one of your organisation’s locations, there are proven techniques you can use to improve levels of engagement.
These techniques include just in time learning, where you make e-learning modules available to learners and allow them to complete those training modules when they need the information most. Another technique is microlearning, where you chunk the content of your e-learning training modules into bite-size pieces.
5.Give Remote Workers as Much Autonomy as Possible Over Their Training Path
Another strategy you can use to improve remote worker training engagement rates is to give them as much autonomy as possible over their training.
There will be some topics that will be compulsory for everyone, such as compliance topics.
Not all topics fall into this category, however. As a result, there will be some training modules in your library that some remote workers won’t need to complete as they may already be strong in that area. In other situations, they may only need a quick recap.
Facilitating these needs by involving the remote worker in developing their training path will make the overall training more effective.
6.Consider Using Blended Training for Certain Topics
Just because you use e-learning as your primary method of training delivery doesn’t mean you can’t use instructor-led elements as well. One effective approach you can include is blended learning.
With modern technology, you don’t even need to travel to make blended learning work as remote workers can connect remotely to the instructor-led elements using video conferencing or webinar technologies.
7.Customise the E-Learning Training Modules as Much as Possible
By definition, remote workers will have a different day to day experience than other workers in your organisation. They will work in a different location, for example, and deal with different types of customer.
It is possible with e-learning to achieve considerable customisation, allowing you to make training modules more relevant.
8.Incorporate Gamification, Scenarios, and Other Engagement Tools
There is a range of tools you can use to improve engagement rates, whoever will be completing your e-learning modules. You should include these in training aimed at remote workers too.
9.Add a Social Element to Your E-Learning Training Courses
It is often important to make remote workers feel more connected with other members of the team. In e-learning, you can do this by adding social elements such as team exercises and projects, support channels, leader boards, and more.
10.Maximise Your Use of Feedback
With e-learning training modules, you can give remote workers immediate feedback on their progress and what they should do next. This could be as simple as providing feedback on an answer they give in a quiz or a decision they make in a scenario exercise.
It could also be more in-depth feedback, such as feedback on their overall strengths and weakness and areas they should work on improving.
11.Make Sure Remote Workers Understand What You Expect
It’s also important you effectively communicate your expectations to remote workers in relation to training. After all, if they don’t know what you want them to do, they won’t be able to do it.
12.Monitor Completion Rates and Quiz Scores
Finally, don’t just create e-learning training modules for remote workers and then leave them to it. Instead, you need to be engaged, monitoring their performance and providing manual feedback and/or encouragement when it is appropriate.