4 Pragmatic Strategies L&D Teams Must Use to Train Remote Workers with Limited Training Budgets

Introduction

In the midst of changing dynamics, disruption, impact on employees and businesses, and looming global recession, what strategies can help L&D teams? In this article, I share 4 strategies to train remote workers quickly with limited training budgets.

Background

In this article (part of a series of 4 articles, an eBook, and a Webinar), I focus on the impact of COVID-19, notably the need to quickly adopt remote or Virtual Training (amidst tight or limited budgets). Then, I outline 4 pragmatic strategies that L&D teams can use to overcome these challenges and meet their mandate successfully.

My other 3 articles touch upon:

• 7 Key Areas L&D Teams Should Focus on to Handle Changing Workplace Dynamics Due to COVID-19
• 8 Best Practices Business Leaders Can Adopt to Lead Through Business Disruption During COVID-19
• 3-Step Action Plan to Implement an Incredibly Effective Corporate Training Program for Virtual Teams

Recap

In my previous articles, 7 Key Areas L&D Teams Should Focus on to Handle Changing Workplace Dynamics Due to COVID-19, I had touched upon the impact of the disruption and what can L&D teams do to establish an Agile and Flexible Digital Workplace. For this to succeed, there are several aspects that must be handled by employees and leaders.

In my subsequent article – 8 Best Practices Business Leaders Can Adopt to Lead Through Business Disruption During COVID-19, I had outlined that in this crisis, how L&D teams can contribute effectively to the business by helping employees and leaders handle the changed dynamics. I also outlined 8 best practices that leaders should adopt as to handle the business disruption and ensure that the employees and business move forward.

Building up on these two threads, in this article, I highlight the impact of COVID-19 on the workplace as well as on the L&D teams. So, how can the L&D teams field these challenges?

Read on, as I share several tips and strategies they can use to deal with this disruption and tight training budgets.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Workplace – Will It Lead to a Different Workplace?

The COVID-19 outbreak has clearly changed the way employees need to work and as an extension, how training for remote workers should be offered. In fact, it will lead to a “changed workplace.”

With this,

• Working from home has triggered a pressing need to move face-to-face training sessions to the online mode. In this endeavor, just putting PowerPoint decks or Pdf resources would not do. Neither do such resources engage the remote workers nor do they create the impact the organization seeks (recall, retention, or application).
• There is also an immediate need of measures to sustain employee efficiency and productivity as they work remotely. Only then the deliverables, their quality, and schedules are not compromised.
• There is the crucial need to track CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) and assess what further measures may be warranted to strengthen the remote team’s output.

Impact of COVID-19 on the L&D Teams – What Challenges Are They Facing and Will Need to Field in the Near Future?

The L&D teams are likely to face challenges at many levels, including the following:

1. Need to offer training that was not factored – to offset the challenges of WFM, remote team management, effectively using technology to bridge the gap, and so on.
2. In the midst of uncertainty, they need to ensure that employees invest on learning from home.
3. Inability to manage Instructor-Led Trainings (ILT).
4. Sudden need to convert a large part of the training to online, notably Mobile Learning.
5. Freeze approved training budgets (including essential trainings and mandatory trainings). Without compelling justifications, these trainings may not move forward.
6. Reduced training budgets.

In the midst of all this, they can play a significant role in helping the remote workers and business deal with the disruption and ensure that they are well-equipped to handle these dynamics.

• The COVID-19 crisis will cast long shadows. So, the L&D teams should not take short-term measures. Instead,
  • They must work with the business to arrive at sustainable long-term solutions.
  • They must work closely with the business leaders to understand the revised goals and ensure that the corporate training is fully aligned to them.
• The focus of L&D teams must not be limited to the quick time delivery of training. Instead, it should be on the quality and effectiveness of the training.
  • They shouldn’t shy away from adopting approaches they haven’t done in the past (for instance, predominantly ILT to significant Mobile training).
  • Or, converting longer run length training to Microlearning nuggets or increasing the focus from courses to a mix of online courses with a large number of learning resources.

It is a tall order, but it can be done.

Here are a few tips and strategies that would help L&D teams achieve their mandate of quickly training remote workers in spite of tight or limited training budgets.

Strategy #1

Opt for options to maximize the available training budget and offer delivery in a shorter turn-around time.

1. Leverage on outsourcing: In particular, look at offshore companies who are more agile, offer a wider range of services at a fraction of the cost, and significantly lower turn-around time.
2. Move training to the virtual or self-paced online mode: Leverage existing ILT budgets as well as what you had planned for Migration of Flash to HTML5 to convert more courses to the Mobile format – particularly, Apps for Learning.
   1. You can move ILT to VILT mode. This must be supported by online resources (pre and post sessions).
   2. You can move ILT to a fully online, self-paced mode. This is particularly useful for trainings that cater to a wider audience. However, do validate that the content can be delivered in the self-paced format.
   3. You can also move your mandatory compliance trainings to a fully online mode.
   4. However, for complex concepts that need an instructor, opt for a Blended mode and supplement the online training through VILT sessions.
3. Rapid eLearning: This is a great opportunity to look at options that offer more bang for the buck.
   1. There are wide-ranging options to pick from, and nearly all of them offer Mobile-friendly or Mobile-first delivery.
   2. A word of caution though, Rapid eLearning cannot address all your training needs. Do look for semi-custom or fully custom options to balance the training budgets and have a no compromise solution where your training effectiveness or impact is concerned.
4. Personalized training: You can offer curated content from your internal knowledgebase or from several free courseware sites for different learner groups. You can constitute a panel who can create the curated lists.
5. Localization: As you go online for a large part of your training, do not miss out to validate which trainings need to be offered in the localized versions. Rapid eLearning tools also offer rapid Localization – do evaluate them for such trainings.

Strategy #2

Adopt an Agile and a multi-pronged approach to offer a blend of:

• Courses for formal training.
• Learning resources that support Formal training and will help remote workers do their job better, apply their learning, solve a problem, practice for proficiency gain, and so on.

Strategy #3

Review the current delivery and adapt/realign it to match the current needs.

1. Formal training: Should move from face-to-face training to Mobile Learning or Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) or a blend of both. Additionally, move the Macrolearning (traditional eLearning) to learning pathways of Microlearning nuggets. The training should feature shorter, focused action-oriented learning. This approach of Microlearning nuggets can be used to offer more effective personalized training.
2. Higher focus should be on Informal learning to support the remote workers through:
   • Resources for reinforcement.
   • Job aids (just-in-time learning aids).
   • Practice zones.
   • Challenges.
   • Ongoing learning connects.
3. Facilitate collaborative or Social Learning.

Strategy #4

Maintain focus on the long-term objectives.

In this journey, a crucial aspect is to maintain focus on not just the training completion rates. Instead, keep an eye on the triad of value to validate if the training is offering:

1. Learning and its application on the job.
2. Skill building.
3. Reducing the gap.

It is vital to not lose sight of the supporting measures to ascertain the following:

1. Training impact.
2. Measure the training effectiveness.
3. Demonstrable the value for the remote workers and business.
4. Positive ROI.

How Can L&D Teams Implement These Strategies Quickly so That the Organization Can Deal with This Disruption and Move Forward?

The implementation aspect is outlined in my next article – 3-Step Action Plan to Implement an Incredibly Effective Corporate Training Program for Virtual Teams.

Meanwhile, if you have any specific queries, do contact me or leave a comment below.

Additional Resources

• Free eBook: You can also download my eBook, COVID-19 – Survival Guide for L&D Teams – Featuring Tips, Strategies, and an Action Plan to Handle the Challenge.
• Related Webinar: I also conducted a Webinar on the same topic. You can access the recording here. – COVID-19 – Survival Guide for L&D Teams – Featuring Tips, Strategies, and an Action Plan to Handle the Challenge.

Read More

• 7 Key Areas L&D Teams Should Focus on to Handle Changing Workplace Dynamics Due to COVID-19
• 8 Best Practices Business Leaders Can Adopt to Lead Through Business Disruption During COVID-19
• 5 Amazingly Effective Strategies To Convert Your ILT Program To High-Impact Virtual Training
• How to Measure the Business Impact of Your Workforce Training Programs
• 5 Strategies You Should Adopt to Transition to Virtual Training In Spite Of L&D Budget Cuts