For some people, staying organized is a way of life. They have meals planned and grocery lists made weeks in advance, they track all of their work projects, and always seem to know what’s due, what’s coming next, and what they should keep their eyes peeled for, and they never EVER miss a deadline. But for the time management-challenged among us, those who manage large projects with many contributors, or anyone who just wants a better way to stay on top of their to-do list, you can get a little extra help in the form of a task manager.
Not only can task management software help you work more efficiently, and prioritize projects (for yourself and others), but it can even help you achieve a better work-life balance (because you’ll no longer be constantly stressed out about what you forgot to do at work).
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.
Before kicking off any event, project, or assignment, make sure that all necessary materials are in a single place that everyone can access. Placing your documents and files on a cloud server is a great way to enable your team members download, share, or work together directly in one place. Hosting a shared document is a great way for you to gather a group’s thoughts on a project.
After a project ends, these files can be combined, packaged, or simply shared out to participants, or your team at large. However you use them, hosting everything on a cloud platform means you can share things at any stage with just a few clicks.
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