As more employers embrace the mobile culture, the remoteemployee is becoming the norm in many companies. Managers face differentdilemmas when managing and training a dispersed staff, but strategies typicallyapplied to improving eLearning can help avoid or resolve issues that mightarise. These six tips can help create a culture of trust and inclusion whilefostering effective communication and knowledge sharing among employees,wherever they sit.
- Provide an office tour: New tools like360-degree video can give remote employees a sense of what the office looks andfeels like. When onboarding an employee who is too far from the office tovisit, a thorough video tour can provide the next-best thing to being there. If360-degree video is impractical, try a walk through the office, with shortmeet-and-greets with key colleagues. Using a smartphone can accomplish this,but other tools, such as video conferencing or virtual classroom platforms,might do a better job. (Editor’s note:See Jane Bozarth’s article on social media in eLearning, where she shows how to use Pinterest boardsto provide an office orientation.)
- Leverage eLearning platforms: You can put the platform the companyuses for webinars, web conferencing, or virtual classroom training to use toconnect with remote colleagues as well. A video conferencing tool like Skype, anonline meeting platform, or even a full-featured virtual classroom provides avenue for formal meetings, sure—but also for informal chats and opportunitiesfor colleagues to meet face-to-virtual-face. Video meetings can solidify the connectionin ways that an email or even a traditional telephone chat cannot.
- Competition builds camaraderie: Put thetrend toward gamificationto work building relationships among employees. It doesn’t matter whetherthey work from the office or a home office: Adding in game mechanics likeleaderboards, points, leveling up, and the opportunity to win prizes can get employees’adrenaline flowing. Form teams for even more relationship building—but keep thecompetition friendly!
- Crowdsource curated content: Encouragingemployees to contribute to shared content curation sites is another way to encourage collaboration and sharing.Establish digital bulletin boards with themes related to shared projects, andcreate a discussion space on each. Remote and office-based employees can allparticipate in the discussion. This might be a springboard to informal chatting,which is just another way to cement relationships.
- Boost performance with job aids: Just-in-time training boosts everyone’s performance, including remote workers’. Whendesigning eLearning and job aids, be mindful of employees’ circumstances. Arethey remotely using a desktop or laptop? Are they working with smartphones ortablets? Create performance support aids that offer the info that employeesneed in a format that they can access easily.
- Responsive design works for all employees: What if some employees usetablets, others work from a laptop at home, and still others use a desktopcomputer at the office? Or the same employee uses all of the above? Responsivedesign has them all covered: It enables instructional designers to provide thesame information to multiple devices, using a design that reduces maintenanceand potential for errors by keeping all the content in a single source forupdates. Responsively designed eLearning and job aids serve all employees,wherever they are.
Communication is essential
Of course, all the tips and tools in the world won’t help ifthe office culture doesn’t support the remote employees. Schedulingconversations and video chats is essential to keeping remote colleagues in theloop—both professionally and personally. Since colleagues won’t bump into oneanother in the hallway or by the coffee maker, contact has to be moredeliberate. Build in time for conversations about the minutiae of daily life,and chat with remote colleagues about the same things you’d chat about overlunch or coffee with in-office co-workers. Some offices schedule a weekly lunchwith their remote colleagues, who attend by video conference. And remember,just as people in the office might take breaks, be on calls or in meetings, orbe out of the office at times, remote employees might not be immediatelyavailable every time a colleague calls. Open communication—among peers andbetween managers and reports—about schedules and workflow is critical to avoidmisunderstandings.
Corporate culture is reflected in small details as well: When remoteemployees attend a meeting using Zoom or Skype, include them in the discussion,and ask for their input. Mute mics or minimize noise in the conferenceroom—rustling papers or whispered conversations sound much louder to the remotepeople. When all employees feel included in projects, the effort will pay offin improved performance and closer working relationships.
