The term “pivot” gets thrown around the world of business often, but rarely has every industry been forced to pivot at once like they were in 2020. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response has forced all companies to reassess how they do business and how they work. Due to national and global lockdown restrictions intended to promote better public health, any company that can offer telecommuting for its employees has shifted to remote work.
Remote work was becoming increasingly popular prior to the pandemic. Research shows that before the national lockdowns, 4.7 million employees worked remotely. 44% of employees reported that at least part of their team is full-time remote. The current state of the world has obviously accelerated and enhanced those numbers, but even in a post-COVID-19 world companies will need to have capabilities to support a remote workplace. Simply put: remote work isn’t going anywhere.
What are the tools needed for this remote workplace? Let’s take a closer look at the type of tools companies will need to thrive in this atmosphere: remote communication tools, remote educational tools, and one specific tool that blends both concepts.
Why you’ll need tools to communicate remotely
The first consideration companies must make is how they plan to collaborate remotely. This is a baseline expectation — without communication and collaborative tools, remote work won’t be possible. This means identifying tools (hardware, software, etc.) that facilitates remote communication from your team. That can mean:
- Cloud software for data storage and file sharing
- Communication and collaboration tools
- Onboarding materials
- Remote learning capabilities (more on that below)
These tools can include video conferencing software, remote-friendly platforms for HR and payroll, benefits administration applications, recruiting tools, and more. By adopting a cloud-based approach, you’re removing the need for your team to be located in one place. Now you can communicate and collaborate with people all over the country and the world. Despite your team being farther apart, adopting remote technologies can ironically bring you closer together than ever.
There may be a transition period for your team members as you adopt these tools. For example, opting for a cloud software program for your HR and benefits needs can take some getting used to if you already have an established process in place. But transition period aside, the time and money saved from adopting remote tools such as this will more than make up for it in the long run.
Why you’ll need tools to educate
There are plenty of benefits to both the employer and employee when it comes to working remotely. It cuts down on commute and overhead associated with having office space available. That doesn’t mean it isn’t challenging, however. Remote work represents a significant shift to most people’s regular working experiences. It can become easy for remote workers to feel disconnected from their organization, particularly when their schedule and interoffice communication tends to slow down.
That makes it crucial for organizations to adopt tools that also help the individual employees feel as if they’re part of a team. There’s no better way to promote a unified corporate culture than by offering different forms of training.
One remote tool you’ll want to have available to your employees working remotely are training programs — either on mandatory company training or other skills and information to help them improve in their roles. That will help you promote a culture of education and lifelong learning in your organization. Offering training programs for employees helps them in multiple ways, including:
- Builds their knowledge base and skill set, making them more valuable to the organization
- Establishes another connection with the company
- Demonstrates the organization’s commitment to employee development
Offering educational opportunities in the remote workplace helps you address your employees’ needs while promoting a culture of learning and growth. It’s an essential component of keeping your team members engaged while they’re telecommuting.
The essential tool for the new remote workplace
Because of this newfound emphasis on teleworking and remote collaboration, there’s never been a more important time to identify remote learning opportunities for your team members. With this in mind, one of the most vital tools for your new remote workplace is a cloud-based learning management system.
While your team continues to adapt in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 response, they won’t be able to gather for briefings, training, or other learning opportunities. That’s why virtual remote learning is the best option for your business. Partnering with an LMS that can enable your employees to learn at their own pace, at their own convenience can help improve retention rates of the information being taught.
By opting for a cloud-based LMS, you allow your team to access the training from their own home offices. Your training is no longer tied to a conference room at your facility — now everyone in your organization is ready to start a course with the click of a button.
Once you’ve identified the need for a cloud-based LMS, the question then becomes which provider to go with? There are multiple options available, and it can seem overwhelming when you’re confronted with all the choices.
Look no further, however: the LearnPro add on to iSolved’s LMS has a comprehensive category of courses available to help your employees grow personally and professionally while working remotely. It features courses on topics such as:
- Business skills
- Communication
- Customer Service Finance
- Project Management
- Leadership
Plus there are many more topics and subcategories to choose from. It runs the gamut from hard skills to soft skills. These training courses are more than just convenient ways to learn — they also help empower each one of your employees to become more well-rounded members of your team while doing so remotely. Having everyone out of the office is no reason to stop building their skill sets. With iSolved’s LMS, you can help your team grow and expand their specialties from anywhere in the world.
About Platinum Group
Platinum Group is a full service human capital management (HCM) resource that allows businesses to manage their payroll and benefits compliance, track time and attendance, and conduct other human resources functions in a way that maximizes efficiency and eliminates redundancies. This is made possible by means of our platform, iSolved. For more information about Platinum Group, or to schedule a demo of iSolved, please visit our website.
