7 Tips for Training Remote Employees

Training is an essential part of preparing employees for hiring regardless of the employment field. Unlike schools and other specialized institutions where training takes place on a one to one basis,most institutions do not have such provisions. In addition to lack of specialized training infrastructure,over 50% of enterprises have adopted digital business platforms,which eliminates need for dedicated office space. Personnel can be trained remotely,hired remotely and work remotely.

Managing remote employees training can be a very tedious task,especially if the right approach tactics are not involved. The 7 tips below on how to train remote employees make you good at training remote employees.

1. Make use of video conferencing

There is a lot of employee training going on remotely. However,a huge percentage of this training fails to deliver what is intended because it focuses only on emailing documents and video links. Using screen capture and sharing tools is one of the greatest video conference techniques that make a huge difference in the quality of training delivered.ezTalks Meetings enables sharing professional HD video conferencing for a less that 40-minute employee training with up to 100 participants at a time. Features such as recording lessons or playback,sharing screens and remote control,places the tool at the center of effective remote online training software.

2. Train smart and hirable people

Motivation is a very important additive in determining how committed one will be. Remote training becomes motivational and can only develop into a culture if the people trained are able to grasp the skills and get on board. It is therefore imperative to assess the academic and intelligence background of the trainees before enrolling them. They do not have to be bright,but should have an interest in the line of business you offering training for. Strong communication skills and ability to work under no supervisors are general skill sets that trainees must possess,otherwise you may be wasting time.

3. Allow remote learners to graduate to the next level at their own speed

As long as you are not training employees for sale,there is a need to give them time to internalize the skill sets you are offering. Placing datelines and rushing all the trainees through the program as a batch is bound to fail. Different people learn at different rates,hence some trainees may lag behind. This does not mean they are not good. It is recommendable to allocate few days or weeks depending on the massiveness of your training for reflection and clarification on fuzzy issues before graduating to the next training level.

4. Meet the trainees in person first

Communication skills and responsible behavior are hard to select remotely. It is advisable to meet your trainees either in batches or as a whole team and interact with them for a couple of hours. You can even give out the first lessons face-to-face just to assess the kind of people you will be training. In addition,it is a good opportunity to unite the team and introductions to have time during the first video conferencing meeting.

5. Give homework and make follow ups

Training remote employees should not only be a matter of instilling job skills,but also a matter of establishing responsible behavior. One of the tested and proven-to-work methods when it comes to assessing level of responsibility is giving extra work.

However,remember to allow the homework to be done at the trainees pace so as to get a clear picture of the level of understanding. Do not rush them as this makes them handle the assignments to beat datelines instead of learning.

6. Give the trainees the tools they need in their training

There are two main advantages of giving remote employees the tools they need. They will be motivated and will also have standard and right equipment. Motivated employees will treat the training more seriously,and this will give you very the right employees you need. The training equipment should be purchased before recruiting the team to the training and commitment mood.

7. Make training a company’s culture

A company is built on values. Besides the skills you impart in your employees,there are values that must be upheld for the success of the company. These values need to be taught not only once but continuously. Therefore,it is fundamental to make the remote employees training a company’s culture and reinforce it through ongoing training.

The above mentioned remote employees training tips sound simple. They may even be easier to overlook or treat lightly. The main consequence for not holding any of them is risk of hiring incompetent workforces. Thus,it's sensible to pick up the tips to improve your remote employees' skills and company values.