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Public health emergencies change society. The 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic has drastically changed the way we work, travel, shop, and socialize. Almost every industry has been impacted by this crisis.
Travel restrictions are in place. Remote working is now the norm. And gathering of groups is avoided. All these things combined have created a perfect storm that is negatively impacting corporate and organizational training.
However, there’s a thought that for every crisis lies an opportunity. For those of us who work in the learning and development space, virtual training may be our one opportunity to weather the storm.
Virtual training is already proving to have several positive benefits during the current crisis. Let’s take a look at four of them.
Continued Productivity
Unfortunately, this crisis has caused some businesses to shut down completely. However, many businesses are still open and functioning, they’re just doing it differently.
While most instructor-led training has probably been cancelled, virtual training allows a company or organization to continue with their training efforts. From new hire orientation to technical and interpersonal skills courses, virtual training is now being leveraged as the “go to” strategy allowing employees to continue to be productive in their development.
Schedule Flexibility
As businesses are operating differently, it may mean resorting to staggered shifts and non-traditional working hours. Virtual training gives an organization more freedom and flexibility to schedule training during those alternative times.
Virtual training does not have to be conducted during the traditional 9:00-5:00 business hours. With careful planning, virtual training can be scheduled and conducted 24 hours a day. This is especially helpful for employees who are temporarily working a non-traditional schedule and for a workforce that might be geographically disbursed around the globe.
Social Distance Compliant
A new buzz term that has emerged during this crisis is “social distancing.” According to the Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System, social distancing is a term applied to certain actions that are taken by Public Health officials to stop or slow down the spread of a highly contagious disease.
In an effort to slow the spread of the Coronavirus, public health experts say it’s not a good idea for people to gather in groups. In the early stages of the pandemic, the US government recommended no more than 500 people gather in one place. As the disease progressed, that number dropped to 10. This guideline all but wipes out the possibility of instructor-led training.
Most employees have now been instructed to telework as a way to distance themselves. Virtual training provides an ideal learning opportunity as employees work from home.
Employee Connectedness
With social distancing, many people are now isolated in their homes. What seemed like overnight, much of the world’s workforce went from working in bustling office environments to working in their spare bedrooms. Many people are feeling the effects of working with no colleagues, lunch buddies, or outlets to socialize.
Virtual training could be the perfect opportunity for teleworking employees to stay connected. Most virtual training platforms include an audio bridge and a web camera option. Employees can talk to and see each other while learning.
Virtual training can even be used to create a much-needed sense of community. Icebreakers and training games can certainly be conducted virtually. I’ve even heard stories about facilitators conducting activities like virtual “Happy Hour” to break the boredom and isolation of home confinement.
Nobel Prize winner, Milton Friedman once said, “When you have a time of crisis, what happens depends on what ideas are floating around, and what ideas have been developed…” Now, more than ever, virtual training is a good idea! Capitalize on it now and long after the Coronavirus has been contained and eradicated. With virtual classroom training, you can meet the changing needs of your company!
For more information on how to design, facilitate, produce, or convert virtual training, please enroll in one of Langevin’s live online virtual classroom courses. Looking to develop multiple skills? No problem! Our Virtual Freedom Pass gives you or your colleagues the flexibility to attend 12 training days for a one-time fee.
One Response to “4 Benefits of Virtual Training During the Coronavirus Crisis”
Wow, it really stood out to me when you explained that virtual training can be conducted 24 hours a day. It’s cool that online training can be done at any time of the day because some people are better learners in the mornings and some are better in the evenings. If you are using online training, you can really control your schedule so that you can pick a time where you can maximize your learning. https://etrainingschool.com/smpPage.aspx?id=sxvuIwnDXGx3R5OMWrNWw