Optimizing training for a hybrid workforce

Graham Glass – CEO, CYPHER LEARNING

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

Employees are the backbone of any organization. I know that investing in their training is key to driving success and innovation. Therefore, optimizing training for the hybrid workforce should be of prime importance for business leaders.

The hybrid work model is no longer an exception. Because of the pandemic, many companies opted for it — some have embraced this idea long before that. At CYPHER LEARNING, for example, we’ve been experimenting with hybrid work for years, and I am glad to say that this has only brought benefits to my team’s morale and efficiency.

Prioritize asynchronous training
I firmly believe that adapting training to employees’ needs is key to boosting its efficiency and ROI. Plus, it streamlines the process of upskilling your workforce while making training seem less of a chore. To achieve this with a hybrid workforce, organizations must provide asynchronous training, which allows learning to take place anywhere, at any time.

In 2022’s hybrid work environment, standardized on-the-job training is no longer an option. Instead, personalized online training, which is asynchronous, practical, and flexible, can easily be implemented via a learning management system (LMS). Employees can fit it into their busy schedule and take courses at any time, from any device, even on the go.

This is the biggest advantage of asynchronous training – it allows organizations to offer all employees the same learning opportunities, whether they work remotely or on-site. Asynchronous training can optimize your onboarding process by helping all employees get familiar with your company via interactive online courses. The same course format can help you
upskill or reskill your workforce, and is generally more cost-effective than in-person training.

Create an online learning community
The social aspect of learning is undeniably important. Nowadays, we have the necessary tools to transpose social learning in the digital environment and leverage it in hybrid training. One way to do this is by creating an online learning community. Here, trainees can share insights, thoughts, and recommendations while instructors can guide them and offer feedback.

This type of centralized knowledge hub allows organizations to keep all their employees in the loop and ensure no one feels left behind or misses out on learning opportunities. More so, you can create different groups where employees with the same learning goals can discuss topics of interest, help each other and even collaborate on projects.

Automate training processes
Training is often seen as tedious and time-consuming. However, automation can act as a remedy and streamline the learning process for trainers and learners alike. Nowadays, onboarding training, for example, can be carried out both online and offline. The social part of this process – introducing new employees to other departments and team members, can take place in person or even via web conferencing. As for the training part of onboarding, new hires can take an online course, at their own pace, via a learning platform.

Once a new employee joins your team, you can add them to an onboarding learning path in the LMS. The platform will do the rest for you – automatically assign relevant courses, track that employee’s progress, add them to groups where they can interact with colleagues, and allow them to access learning resources. The automated evaluation process will be carried out through online tests and quizzes, which saves time for the L&D department and enables
managers to access results reports quickly.

Integrate training into the schedule
My corporate training experience has taught me that people are often reluctant to prioritize learning because it’s perceived as an extra to-do rather than a growth and development facilitator. Company leaders can tackle this lack of motivation by seamlessly integrating training into their staff’s schedule. They can achieve this by enabling employees to set their own learning goals, choose learning paths, quickly access resources, communities, mentors, and get instant feedback.

For example, if an employee wants to become a team leader, they can access specific training courses dedicated to this goal, join a group of employees who achieved the same goal for valuable insights and recommendations, and allocate learning time from their schedule whenever appropriate.

Learning is a continuous process and an important part of employees’ development. Therefore, it must be an integral part of their job, not an occasional task that translates solely into face-to-face training or workshops.

Training a hybrid workforce
Employees are the backbone of any organization. I know that investing in their training is key to driving success and innovation. Therefore, optimizing training for the hybrid workforce should be of prime importance for business leaders. Effective hybrid training is employee-centered. It doesn’t constrain people or burden their already busy schedule but allows them to easily integrate learning into it. Effective hybrid training is asynchronous, flexible, self-paced, collaborative, and leverages online tools to
employees’ benefit.

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Graham Glass is the CEO of CYPHER LEARNING, a company that specializes in providing e-learning platforms for educational, business, and government organizations around the world. For more insightful articles on training and e-learning, visit the MATRIX Blog.