With many governments directing people to stay at home as they fight the Covid-19 pandemic, organizations have resorted to remote working. While this may not be feasible across all industries, the ones that are able to apply a work-from-home policy are faced with challenges to ensure their employees stay engaged, motivated and productive during this downtime.

As employees embrace this change in the workplace, organizations must reassure them that, apart from safety, their personal and professional development is a top priority. By highlighting the importance of learning, reskilling and upskilling on the skills of tomorrow, organizations will instinctively keep employees engaged and motivated in these uncertain times.

Remote Learning for everyone

While some industries are more readily able to transition smoothly into remote working, many are at the starting line of adapting to such changes. The experience may also vary by generation as the younger and tech-savvy generation will embrace it with open arms. Regardless, employees are encouraged to make the best of the time at hand and dedicate specific learning hours to undertake digital learning programs. These courses are part of their development process and help employees acquire new perspectives and skill sets which are essential in today’s dynamic business environment. 

There are many people who have little or no experience of working from home. For such first-time remote workers, self-paced learning programs on how to work remotely, use digital collaboration tools, maintain productivity levels and working in virtual teams will be of immense help as they ward off feelings of loneliness and social distancing. 

Building an effective digital learning culture

Digital learning programs will come in handy especially for those who work in the field and get little or no time to upgrade their skills. It’s a perfect opportunity for them to undertake certifications and enhance their existing skillset which could emerge as a positive long-term benefit in their careers.  Managers, on the other hand, need additional resources on how to manage virtual teams, deal with their team’s well-being while continuing to be a leader the team looks up to.

Managers also need to consider the emotional and social factors of their team members as they hone on their supervision skills via these learning programs. By providing digitally enabled experiences to their workforce across all segments, from frontline executives to managers and senior leaders organizations can reap the benefits of digital learning and continue to build the foundation for an effective digital learning culture.

By expanding learning opportunities, providing various resources for continuous professional development and keeping employees engaged during this difficult period, organizations can enable a digital workforce prepared for the future. 

As Alvin Toffler, the futurist rightly said, ‘The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn’.