Best Practices for Training Employees Virtually
Remote work arrangements are quickly becoming the new standard across many industries. It’s no surprise that virtual employee training is also becoming more common.
Training workers remotely requires a different approach than in-person training. As a leader, you need to make sure remote teammates still feel connected, supported, and ready to do their best work.
The next time you need to train a new hire virtually, be sure to implement these remote training best practices.
Don’t wait to make a remote training plan (even if it feels like it’s too late)
In an ideal world, you would have plenty of time to develop a remote training plan for new hires.
In reality, the need for a virtual training toolkit could arise before you have a chance to prepare. This is the exact scenario that so many businesses were forced to confront during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you don’t already have a remote training plan for new employees, block off some time within the next week to get started.
Develop and curate “on-demand” training materials
Many remote workers have flexible schedules, and people aren’t always working during “normal” business hours. This makes it tricky to use the standard approach of conducting in-person training at set times.
That’s why it’s so important for employers to develop on-demand training materials that can be accessed any time. These materials might include training manuals, how-to videos, or documentation about the company’s processes.
You don’t necessarily have to create all of these materials yourself, though. For example, if you’re training a new salesperson, YouTube has thousands of instructional videos that could help your new hire.
All you need to do is identify which videos would be the most helpful during their training journey, then share a curated list of videos for them to watch.
Create evaluation criteria to gauge progress
It’s not enough to send a new employee a list of books to read and YouTube videos to watch. You also need to assess their comprehension and determine whether they’re developing the skills needed to do their job.
To do that, you can:
- Create quizzes, worksheets, and other interactive materials designed to test their progress
- Schedule regular check-ins
- Clearly communicate the specific expectations that will be used to gauge proficiency
- Provide opportunities for post-training evaluation and feedback
While you’re at it, be sure to offer additional assistance and support as needed. Check-in frequently to make sure your new hire has everything they need to succeed.
If you need administrative help ASAP, consider hiring a virtual assistant
Training remote workers can be incredibly time-intensive, especially if you also need to figure out a plan for how that training will happen.
This puts business owners in a bind when they desperately need administrative help, but they don’t have time to recruit, hire, and train a new employee.
Luckily, there’s an easier way to get the help you need, fast: Hire a virtual assistant.
When you work with a virtual assistant, someone else takes care of the vetting and training process. All you have to do is train your new team member on the specifics of your business and how you like things to run.
Plus, if you partner with a provider like Intelligent Office, you also get an easy-to-use portal that simplifies the entire on-boarding process. To learn more about how we make remote training easier for businesses, take a look at this guide: How to Train Your Virtual Assistant.
