A common poll that you might find yourself taking is whether you'd like to work from home or the office. There are numerous posts on what the workplace will look like once the pandemic ends. You've probably also spoken to your friends and colleagues about different scenarios and what the world would be like. Perhaps, your boss has also asked you where and how you'd like to work in the coming future. Usually, the winning answer to all these questions is a hybrid and distance, learning model.
Many organizations around the world have started to reopen their offices. A majority of them are adopting a hybrid model where employees work from home on some days and come into the office on other days. This allows them to enjoy the comfort of their homes, as well as the facilities of the office space.
What Does a Hybrid and Distance Learning Model Look Like?
A hybrid model means that a combination of remote work and in-office work is used, regardless of when and where the employee is working. Research proves that this model helps boost productivity, as well as revenue.
More than that, a hybrid and distance learning model is a great way to tailor work to the needs of employees and figure out what works best for them. How often employees must come to work is based on the company and the nature of the work. However, there is no denying that loads of high-profile organizations are jumping on board with the hybrid and distance learning model, along with many schools to reduce the spread of the virus while ensuring that employees and students remain flexible.
Succeeding in Hybrid and Distance Learning
To ensure that employees succeed in a hybrid workplace, they must go through effective training. Here are some ways to ensure the best results:
Practice Communication
If employers are not careful, the hybrid model can easily create a divisive culture in the office. Regardless of the location, many companies are adopting soft skills training to ensure that all employees are on the same page.
For many companies, communication training is the most important, especially to resolve any differences or concerns at the workplace. Employees at the office need to learn how to communicate and remain in sync with employees working from home and vice versa.
Your training session must reflect and focus on the problems in communication that divided teams might face. For example, those employees who use the messaging application to speak to other employees must be taught how to take care of their tone. Moreover, drafting an email sounds like a simple task, but it is important to draft an effective email to keep miscommunications at bay, especially for those employees who are working from different locations.
Manage Leadership Training
Creating a hybrid workforce is not easy. It requires a special set of skills that is hard to come by. This is why many companies around the world have been trying to educate employees on leadership skills.
Employers should focus on supporting managers and ensuring that each manager has the correct tools they would need to successfully lead their teams in a hybrid workplace. The leadership training should be focused on emotional intelligence and communication. Not only do managers have to handle employees working from the office, but they also have to ensure that employees working remotely at the same time are not facing any problems. The constant communication can be overwhelming.
Whether in the workplace or at school, leaders must ensure that everyone feels a sense of belonging, regardless of where they are working. Just because individuals cannot be seen physically does not mean that they should not be held accountable or that they can't hold those in power accountable. Moreover, employees, students, and managers must be able to function with newfound levels of trust and flexibility.
Reduce In-Person Training Sessions
When employees are working at different schedules, and from different locations, it can be difficult to manage in-person training sessions. These training sessions only focus on in-office employees, leaving a large chunk of remote workers behind. This means that they are not inclusive- a barrier that can definitely lead to some concerns.
One way to deal with this is to slowly transition all employees to a learning management system so that they all have equal access. Moreover, this method ensures that each employee makes the most out of an equal training experience.
Moreover, online options have been proven to be effective in delivering content. Employees are able to stay updated on changing policies or important notices, all by reading a couple of emails. With eLearning, you do not need to take people away from their jobs to learn a new skill. Instead, you can allow them to learn on their own time, whether during the day or after work. You also ensure that every individual enjoys a flexible workplace where they decide where they want to work from.
A Shift from Conventional Office Furniture
Just like hybrid learning is a new model for companies all over the world, it is important that these companies adapt to advanced models of learning. This means shifting from conventional office furniture and introducing friendly furniture that will allow employees to remain healthy.
A huge drawback in the COVID world is the higher number of sick leaves that employees tend to take. Since everyone is worried about contracting the virus, the tiniest of symptoms can be misinterpreted, resulting in many employees taking paid and unpaid leaves from work. This can cause a scare in the office as well as drain employer resources.
However, by adopting newer, more advanced furniture, such as a Home Office All-in-One Desk Bike, employees can remain healthy. These bikes allow them to cycle while they are sitting at their desks. These bikes allow them to cycle while they are sitting at their desks. Spending too much time in the office, especially at a desk job, can lead to a variety of problems, such as backaches, posture problems, and cardiovascular diseases. Employees who sit at their desks for eight hours straight do not get enough exercise during the day, which means that they are more at risk for diabetes and other health problems.
However, with these desk bikes, worker health problems will become history. Each worker can cycle away while taking meetings and completing mundane work activities without causing any disruption or becoming an inconvenience to other employees.
Conclusion
There is no denying that a hybrid and distance learning model is challenging. After all, in-office employees, as well as remote employees, need to be treated equally and must have meaningful training sessions. It is important to cater to both groups and ensure that they are being taught in a fair way and producing similar output.
With these tips, we are sure that succeeding at hybrid and distance learning will not be as big of an issue as it has been in the past. The key is to understand that there is a learning curve and make policies accordingly.
