Remote work will be part of the new normal, especially with job search engine Adzuna noting a 270% increase in remote job offerings since 2017. Employers today — led by Adobe and Aetna — are tapping into a vast talent pool unrestricted by geography, with various industries looking to fill vacancies. Assembling a remote workforce is just the beginning, though, as you’ll need to onboard everyone, manage teams, and get them working productively. Once you do this, you then have to tackle the challenge of keeping your workforce engaged by encouraging them to learn new skills. Leveling-up is an often overlooked aspect of remote work management.
Why encourage them in the first place?
We discussed in ’10 Traits of the Best Remote Managers’ how good remote workforce managers support their team members’ career development, as failure to do so can make them feel neglected. After all, continuous learning is crucial, with CNBC describing how acquiring new skills is becoming more valued than degrees and similar credentials in the modern workforce. That’s especially true given the rapid changes in technology — changes that make some 40–50% of employees feel under-equipped to do their jobs well. So, at the very least, ensuring your team has the means to learn new skills will help them perform better in their current position.
Encourage your team through using the right software
To help your team learn new skills while working remotely, you need to ensure that you have the right software. The good news is that software like Loom and TalentLMS is designed for educating remotely.
Loom
Many distance learning tools have emerged in recent years, and Loom is considered an industry leader due to its ability to share content. An outline of Loom’s features by HP details how the app allows those running the lessons to record videos and share tutorials. Loom will enable you to quickly get detailed lessons and instructions to your remote team no matter where they are. Even better, Loom lets you see who has watched your videos, giving you a mechanism to monitor whether or not your team is taking advantage of the opportunities you are providing. In this way, you’ll be able to identify who among your team is genuinely engaged in learning — allowing you to give more encouragement to those who aren’t.
TalentLMS
While Loom is for general distance learning, TalentLMS is tailored for businesses. A review of TalentLMS’s features by Finances Online notes how the platform can help users simplify conducting activities like webinars, online courses, and training programs. You can even build eLearning courses and save them on a cloud server, where your team can access them at their convenience. Having the classes in the cloud will give your team the flexibility to learn in their own time and on their terms.
Encourage your team to be proactive learners
While encouraging your team to learn new skills is necessary, if you want to have a productive workforce, you also have to encourage them to be proactive in wanting to learn. Forbes recommends leveraging existing resources for upskilling, such as asking skilled team members to create eLearning courses and provide guided instruction. By having team members create resources and teach others, every level of the company will be learning, whether it is team management or a new skill essential for the workforce.
It is vital to make sure that there’s a plan to help build your remote employees’ skillset. And it is your job to encourage them and provide an environment where that rewards learning. We hope this article helps.
AUTHOR BIO: Maggie Myers is part of a multinational consulting firm offering human resources and talent acquisition consulting. She has extensive experience doing remote work and is currently managing a small remote team of content creators.
Tell us the skills you need and we'll find the best developer for you in days, not weeks.
Myers is part of a multinational consulting firm offering human resources & talent acquisition consulting. She is managing a remote content creation team.
