Creating an Effective Remote Training Program

There are as many as 100K people in the world who make their living as clowns, many of whom learned their craft at clown colleges. Though Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College trained more than 1.4K clowns during its years of operation, the famous institution closed its doors in 1997.While there are still some other clown colleges, learning to clown no longer necessitates attending one of those institutions. Thanks to the boom in online training, aspiring clowns can find all the training they need on the internet. While juggling and pantomime aren’t typical skills sought out within the banking industry, online teaching can be an extremely valuable tool for community financial institutions (CFIs) that need to train employees outside of the office.Positioning Employees for SuccessRemote work has become a staple component of the work world over the past few years, and it is poised to remain a permanent arrangement for many organizations. An increasing number of organizations, however, are realizing that simply handing employees a laptop and telling them that they can work outside the office is not enough.Some employers are implementing formal remote training programs to ensure that remote workers have the tools they need to succeed in their roles. Remote trainings can be used in cases such as:

Group online trainings are also a way to combat feelings of isolation that many remote workers experience, particularly younger entrants into the work world who may especially feel the absence of mentoring opportunities and the learning interactions that naturally occur in the office. In a recent study, 81% of young workers expressed feeling lonely while working remotely. Interactive remote trainings can help organizations foster interactions and relationships between remote workers by providing them with a greater sense of inclusion.Employee Buy-In

For remote training programs to succeed, they must be well thought out and tailored to the needs of different employees. Individuals also need to feel that they will derive something meaningful from the time they devote to trainings, instead of merely feeling that training sessions are a compulsory requirement where attendance simply checks a box. Trainings should also occur at times that are convenient for employees and are minimally invasive to their workdays or personal lives.Where to BeginOrganizations seeking to launch remote training programs need to first determine what it is they are looking to accomplish, along with the type of trainings they would like to offer. Synchronous trainings take place live and participants are required to attend simultaneously at a set time, while asynchronous trainings don’t occur at the same time for all participants and instead provide materials and recorded lessons that employees can access at their own convenience.A combination of both can be a good idea to ensure that there is some interaction among employees as a group, while allowing for greater flexibility and more tailored training materials for specific individuals that can be accessed independently and at their own pace. Ensuring adequate technology capabilities is also key, as failing to do so can lead to frustration and lack of engagement among employees.The following are a few things to consider before setting out to create a remote training program:

Remote work shouldn’t mean the end of training opportunities for employees, but remote trainings need to be approached intentionally and with thought. When done well, remote trainings can be both a good way to foster a better sense of community and an effective career enhancement tool.