By Susan Kelly
For HR leaders, inspiring, engaging, and mobilizing teams in these highly demanding circumstances has become an epic quest. Handling major shifts in organization structures and work locations, even determining the size of work teams, has been challenging.
On top of that, many HR leaders have – either through necessity or previously planned training initiatives – significantly expanded their upskilling programs. Requests for our Online LIVE® training is at an all-time high at New Horizons as companies look for training solutions to meet their immediate and future needs. Despite the upheaval in our professional and personal lives, this is actually a good time to rethink, or even expand, existing training programs and to queue up new ones.
Some key factors to keep in mind:
Stay in Sync
There are two types of remote training – synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous training is just like an in-person class: everyone meets remotely but at the same time with a live instructor via web-conferencing. This is the training modality we recommend for reskilling and upskilling.
In fact, the platform used for synchronous online training is so critical that at New Horizons we built our own training platform. Because the log-in needs to be simple, we simplified that process. Because classes need to be highly interactive with students connected in real-time with their instructors, we made that work seamlessly. Technology training is too complex for students to watch static videos, so when selecting a provider make sure you fully vet the platform for these capabilities while also evaluating course content and instructors.
Asynchronous training options are typically recorded on-demand lectures and exercises students can access at any time. Asynchronous training is not live. While it can be more flexible and acceptable for general interest courses, it has repeatedly shown to be less effective than synchronous training. Not only are synchronous options better overall, employees believe them to be more important because their time is worth the attention of a professional trainer.
Faster Isn’t Better
The fluidity of the business and HR environment due to COVID-19 has opened the door for several new companies to enter the training space and offer fast, remote, asynchronous training.
We’ve been around since 1983 so this is easy for me to say, but I suggest skipping this “fast-food” approach. It’s better to make training fulfilling rather than just fill the time. Investing in your company’s resources includes your employees’ time, which is definitely a resource to be protected. You want meaningful training with value long after your team comes back to the office rather than to simply fill their hours. Better to learn well rather than fast.
Test the Platform
It may take a day of your time but visit the training center personally or test drive the training platform. I can’t overly stress the importance of this step. How is the log-in process (either online or in-person)? Is the trainer coming to your facility? If so, insist they come to your office to examine the training set up. If you are going to their facility, check out their parking situation. Sit in the chairs. How is customer service? Does the team treat students personally or is it a check-the-box mindset? Is it safe?
Ask to watch a class. Even if it’s an online program, you should be able to observe remotely. Did the instructor engage the attendees? Meet the program managers and instructors for every class on your training roster. This information will help you not only decide what courses and programs are best but also which employees or departments may fit best with a specific instructor or course format.
The knowledge you gather conveys the importance you’ve placed on the training initiative. If you can relay your own personal experience with the log-in procedure, for example, employees understand that you have invested time and resources in selecting a provider.
Open the Catalog
If it’s possible, avoid the temptation to pipeline training based on job duty or level.
If your executive team wants to take a basic course on Excel, good. If your IT folks want to dive into organizational theory, that’s good too. Let your marketing folks take a coding course. Be encouraging and be willing to stretch the boundaries.
The best possible set up when it comes to training and education is a team that wants to do it and looks forward to it. True, training is often for essential skills and operations; but whenever possible, let training be exploratory. Sometimes, employees may want to delve more deeply into existing software. At other times, they may want to explore new skills or software simply to save time in migrating to a new system. More employees with more technology certifications can differentiate your company and make it more valuable to your customers.
Celebrate, Don’t Mandate
One motivational technique that is often overlooked is the simple act of acknowledgement. To get your team excited about training opportunities, position them as enrichment and advancement opportunities, not mandates. Then recognize their effort. Sell training as the pursuit of knowledge, something new and different, which is a great way to move ahead both personally and professionally. In other words, encourage training, don’t require it. If employees start to think of training as something, they have to do instead of something they want to do, their experience won’t be as positive as it should be, no matter how good the program is.
When they complete a course or program or earn a certification, celebrate it. Reward their initiative. Recognition is a huge motivator, especially in times like these.
Keep the Team Together
If training and upskilling are part of a remote work agenda or planned for the future, use those opportunities to bring the team together. Learning is most effective when it’s collaborative, which builds a shared experience and culture.
Do not let training be solitary and isolating. Schedule training in groups or teams. Not only are employees likely to learn more and have a better experience, they will also bond with their teammates in a way few other activities or investments can match.
Look Ahead
If unsure about what future-ready looks like, ask a training provider. At New Horizons, we monitor job offers and training needs in hundreds of cities around the world and know which courses and programs companies are investing in. Right now, we’re seeing steady growth in software development, security training (cyber and system security), network architecture, and IT customer support services. This knowledge could be helpful in designing a company training program. Well-connected training providers understand a particular industry sector’s training trends and can suggest what may be essential knowledge for being competitive in the future.
This forecasting will vary by location, of course. But the advice is to think not only about what your team needs and is interested in but also in what is needed six months or a year from now. The up-front investment will pay dividends down the road, because employees will receive better training and sense the importance you’ve placed on selecting a great program.
Susan Kelly is the Senior Vice President of Marketing at New Horizons Computer Learning Centers.