You’d think that after spending 20 months working remotely we would all be masters in the art of working from home. One area where many businesses are falling short is in professional development. Certainly, at the beginning of the pandemic, we all shifted to survival mode. Sometimes due to the business being in danger and sometimes because the job changed so much from what it once was. For some, work took a backseat to juggling kid and older parent care. But professional development is just as important as it was in 2019. It allows employees to continue to climb the corporate career ladder and ensures continued engagement and satisfaction at work.
So how can you adapt your previous in-person professional development programming to a mostly online format to capture your new hybrid workforce? Luckily, the transition isn’t as hard as you might imagine. Read on for our top tips:
Take stock:
If you are one of the many companies that put professional development on the back burner, an important first step is to gauge how your audience currently feels about their support in this area. The easiest way to achieve this is to send out a quick survey such (we love using Survey Monkey) that asks your employees if they feel supported, what they believe they need to be successful, and what support would be helpful in the coming months. Based on this feedback, you can begin to refocus and repackage your professional development programming.
Centralize your sources:
In the hybrid model, we often think that we need to provide information in a variety of formats. However, when it comes to professional development, having all your information housed in one central spot, be it on your office intranet or a professional development platform; will mean that it is accessible to all whenever their workflow allows. This will reduce the risk that things will be overlooked. That said, we know that not all employees will make it part of their routine to check in regularly. So be sure to communicate early and often about when you want or need employees to participate in learning opportunities or other forms of professional development.
Finesse your focus:
With all the changes that your business has undergone since Spring 2020, chances are that your old professional development content may no longer be applicable. With that in mind, experts recommend creating a list of essential PD content and then creating a menu where folks can pick and choose relevant titles that will truly aid in their career pathing. For example, you might want to offer additional training in working with new-to-you technology platforms or information on building connections with remote clients or even other employees!
Create connections:
One of the biggest things missing, when you work from home, is the opportunity to meet co-workers with who you wouldn’t normally have a cause to interact. By losing this interaction employees miss the opportunity to learn from their fellow co-workers. For example, giving an employee in your marketing division a chance to meet with a coworker from product development may help them to anticipate a shift in the market or better position your company to a potential client. Foster these connections by offering opportunities for various departments to interact and learn from each other in a purposeful way that will allow for long-term relationships.
Sending self-care:
As a result of the pandemic, and the resultant isolation, many employees feel super disconnected from the office and burnout rates are at an all-time high. Many businesses are working to address this fall-out by adding in professional development offerings that focus on self-care. Some businesses, for example, are including programming that seeks to create a better work-life balance, such as tips on time management, organization, and drawing boundaries, while others are going all-out and adding programming on meditation, mindful self-compassion training, resiliency offerings, and even just good ol’ health and wellness modules.
Keep up with checkpoints:
Even if you switch most of your professional development programming to an online platform, your employees still need time to interface with their managers and talk more specifically about their development and career pathing. These meetings can occur in person or online but should be on a regular schedule and should be a dedicated time to focus on the task at hand, not talk about project timelines or other workplace issues.
