Is your professional development remote working ready?

The working world has shifted more than ever before. What was once a fringe idea, working remotely, has become the standard in many industries, and while some aspects of working life may go back to the way they were, many other changes are here to stay. But that doesn’t mean that the professional development, employee growth, and self-improvement of your team can fall by the wayside.

With the right professional development plan and mindset, you can set all your employees up for success, whether they’re in an office, remote, or somewhere in between.

New opportunities for employee growth in the virtual space

From an employer standpoint, one of the most positive impacts of the shift to largely remote professional development has been the potential to reduce the costs associated with bringing your entire team to one central location for trainings and meetings. Now, you can host virtual trainings that promote employee growth without having to pay the overhead that comes along with hosting them in a physical location.
Even though some smaller businesses did face increased initial costs when switching to remote work, there have been, largely, extended cost savings from the transition. According to a recent study by Christopher Huber of ReadyTech, companies can save between $9,550 and $15,870 by moving just a single course from a traditional classroom to a virtual platform.

And, with the improved ease of virtual trainings, your staff can take advantage of more opportunities for self-improvement.

Keep communication open

Having direct and easy access to reliable communication tools are a key to success with team, whether in-person or virtual. And this is doubly true when hosting a professional development event.

If you’ve already transitioned to a fully remote or hybrid workforce, then many of your day-to-day tools can work great in a professional development setting as well. Allowing for side conversations through instant messaging platforms not only allows your employees to get answers to their questions, it also helps boost morale and brings them closer as a team. Many video conference platforms allow for group notes to be posted as well, which can be a very effective way to gather instant feedback. Plus, there is your trusty email client for any information that needs to stick around longer than others.

That connection shouldn’t stop at the end of the event though. Follow up email and instant messages asking for thoughts, reviews, and ideas for future sessions are a great way to cement learnings from an event, while also getting people excited for the next one.

The importance of shareable files

One of the biggest concerns with remote professional development is the lack of in-person collaboration. Not having everyone in the same space can make it harder for team members to share ideas, give each other feedback, and learn from each other when working together on a project. However, with a little extra effort, you can prevent physical distance from hindering successful collaboration and employee growth.