Why Getting trained remotely makes sense

I firmly believe none of us can be brilliant at everything hence “Getting trained remotely makes sense” because we all need help with things we are new to or not strong at.

It’s nothing new to state that covid-19 has brought all sorts of challenges into the day to day operations of most businesses be they large or small.

Many people now have to work virtually whether they like it or not due largely to having to socially distance not to mention the actual lockdowns along the way.

If you think about it in the not too distant past Zoom calls or Skype calls we’re not exactly high on the radar as representing essential everyday communication tools.

They are now, and I would suggest even post the pandemic will remain as important communication tools

The pandemic has had an extraordinary effect on the world of remote work and remote learning in general.I would suggest this is because communicating remotely is now mainstream and many more people be they employers or employees are comfortable speaking, engaging and learning online. 

Last week I was speaking to a lead from Scotland on Zoom about creating digital content for a new website and during the conversation, the businessman inquired as to whether it was difficult for me to source work in the UK because I resided in Ireland. Part of my answer was “well we are communicating about a project online now from the comfort of our respective homes at a time pre-arranged to suit us both and without distraction”. I also explained then that I have done project work from digital content to social media promotion online remotely for years without ever having met a client in the flesh. When he thought about it he got it that the online part of his business can be done exclusively online. 

And ironically Later that night whilst browsing I came across a recently published report from McKinsey in relation to the generality of remote work and corporate training which makes for interesting reading ( the article quotes a number of case examples from during the pandemic and explores some approaches taken by companies to meet challenges of remote work and training). 

“a rising call from business leaders for a new kind of capability building that works in today’s virtual environments and focuses not simply on learning but also on achieving the behavioral change that comes from the day-to-day application of new learning and skills across broad segments of the workforce”. 

Read the Report at this link below:

Closing the capability gap in the time of COVID-19

Getting trained remotely makes sense if the training is implemented.

I remember that over a decade ago a boss of mine decided that it would be good for the company if the staff learnt how to use Excel. Only one of us was proficient, guess who – the bookkeeper.

I remember that we all attended a full day of training with a specialist organisation and the training was great and at the end of the day I felt that at last, I may be able to actually use Excel

But guess what,  by not implementing regularly what we had been taught most of us a week later were back to square one. I always regret not implementing and practising what I had been taught that day because I have no doubt that learning how to use Excel would have been profitable to me in my career then and now.

With that story in my subconscious, the following quote from the  McKinsey report struck me as pertinent

“Remote-learning experiences must deliver the skills employees need, while also inspiring the consistent application of those new skills, so that behaviors—and performance—ultimately improve”

Pros of remote training online

Cons of remote training