In 2021, 25 percent of Americans will be working remotely, reported CNBC. “By 2025, 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely, an 87% increase from pre-pandemic levels...” wrote the contributor.1 This tells us that the work-from-home trend that started in 2020 is likely here to stay. Companies can help employees be just as productive working from home as they were working from the office by including skills in their remote training courses that improve efficiency.
Skills to include in your online employee training courses for 2021 will give workers practical tools for increasing their productivity and adapting to working from home. Here are a few skills you’ll want to be intentional about including in your eLearning courses for remote workers:
Some people are naturally good at managing their time. They have no problem with punctuality and rarely are they late on deadlines. Those that aren’t great with time management shouldn’t feel discouraged; they can learn this skill. Being able to effectively manage time can make an employee more efficient, increasing their productivity.
A contributor to Indeed wrote, “Managing your time well can help you improve in your career. Organizing each day helps you to complete work on time, stay engaged during important meetings, and give you space to be creative and proactive in your tasks. Having strong time-management skills can ultimately lead to accomplishing key goals and advancing in your position.”2
When you create remote training courses for work-from-home employees, be sure to include content on time management. Include scenarios that connect good outcomes with good time management. Include tips about practical ways to manage time. Also, consider adding micro-learning segments (such as videos) about what time management is and how to implement it in the work-from-home space to employees’ eLearning courses.
A major impediment to productivity and efficiency is stress. Stress and anxiety can make it a challenge to focus on work-related tasks. Also, stress makes employees more likely to make errors. In a survey that included 1,000 people, “Over half (52%) of employees said they were more error-prone while stressed...” stated Tech Republic.3 This can compromise accuracy and cybersecurity.
“Everyone who has ever held a job has, at some point, felt the pressure of work-related stress,” stated the American Psychological Association (APA). “Any job can have stressful elements, even if you love what you do. In the short-term, you may experience pressure to meet a deadline or to fulfill a challenging obligation. But when work stress becomes chronic, it can be overwhelming—and harmful to both physical and emotional health.”4
The APA suggested employees practice skills such as tracking personal stressors, choosing healthy ways to respond to stress (such as exercising instead of overeating), taking time to recharge, learning to relax, and seeking out stress-management resources from their employer to protect themselves from the damaging effects of stress. You can include these skills in workers’ online employee training to ensure they keep excessive stress at bay and stay healthy and productive.
Setting and maintaining work-related boundaries is a skill that can be learned, but it’s not often taught in remote training courses for employees. L&D creators should make it a priority to include this skill in remote courses because having good boundaries is one of the most effective ways to be more efficient during work hours.
Having boundaries at work often means saying “no” -- no to checking email during a project, no to taking on too much work, and, for work-from-home employees, no to non-essential conversations with family during work time. Knowing what type of boundaries employees should set will help you include boundary-setting as a skill in eLearning courses. SmarterTime stated,
“Whether it’s in the form of taking regular breaks, establishing work schedules, detaching from work when you’re not on the clock, or turning off your smartphone off during important tasks, there are countless ways to set boundaries while you work.”5
The better your employees are at setting work-related boundaries, the more focused, efficient, and productive they will be. Strive to include some boundary-setting content and exercises in their remote training courses.
If you have employees working from home, it is vital to the success of your company that you implement a learning management system (LMS). An LMS streamlines employee training and helps leaders keep remote workers upskilled even during the most turbulent times. Deploy eLearning rapidly with our Quick Start Program or request an LMS demo.
Sources:
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/15/one-in-four-americans-will-be-working-remotely-in-2021-survey.html
[2] https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/time-management-skills
[3] https://www.techrepublic.com/article/remote-working-were-stressed-and-distracted-and-making-these-security-errors/
[4] https://www.apa.org/topics/work-stress
[5] https://blog.smartertime.com/why-setting-boundaries-at-work-is-essential-to-your-productivity-and-your-health-196ac234cd2