Moving from on-site to remote working tests everyone’s ability to manage themselves and others. The right training can make all the difference.

You don’t need us to tell you about all the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic—you’re living it right along with us. With everything you and your employees are dealing with, it may be tempting to look at training as something you can put off for now. An expense you’d rather not bear or “one more thing” you’d rather not have your people take on.

But there’s a strong case for doubling down on training, too.

Here’s why training your teams now, rather than delaying, is more important than ever.

It’s not just one more thing online—it’s a lifeline.

Whether it’s via Zoom or another collaboration tool like Microsoft Teams or Slack, employees are spending a lot more time online these days, maybe permanently in some cases.

But with that move online comes a whole host of new challenges, some of the biggest being the need for enhanced communication and access to training and coaching. People need more than technology tools; they need skills that can help them be more productive and more successful.

Most-requested non-technical resources to be more productive working from home (WFH):

46% Increased communication/interaction with peers
38% Increased communication from management
32% More access to virtual training/coaching
30% Content on WFH best practices

Source: Allego Work from Home COVID-19 Survey, July 2020

Communication is the foundation of everything—and it’s become much harder.

One of the most vital skills is communication. It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re in, it relies on people being able to communicate effectively with one another, with their teammates, their boss, their direct reports, customers, vendors, and the world at large.

You know that even when people are in the same room, communication can be lacking. When people are isolated at home, that communication becomes infinitely more challenging. Even seasoned leaders and managers can find it difficult to do their jobs when their people are dispersed.

The right training can help your people understand and overcome all types of communication challenges, which helps them be more effective and productive ALL THE TIME, whether working remotely or right next to each other. (By the way, this is precisely why 50% of our Management Essentials training program is focused on improving communication skills—they’re that important.)

Another key aspect of communication is how messages are flowing from the top down.

How well are your leaders keeping people informed about how the organization is dealing with the crisis? How are you keeping your company culture alive across the workforce? Now is the time to keep people engaged in their work and in the future of the organization, and the training you provide and messages you send around that training foster engagement and reinforce culture. Offering training demonstrates that you are vested (and investing) in your employees’ success, and you can specifically speak to that in your messaging.

Speaking of leadership, your need to be grooming the next generation hasn’t gone away.

In fact, the business challenges the pandemic has caused have made it more clear how essential it is to have people who are resilient and able to adjust to evolving situations and needs. Investing in training now to build resiliency, agility and sheer leadership capacity can make your organization better able to thrive in uncertain times.

Next time, we’ll look at the added benefits of training teams together.

But we’ll leave you with this food for thought.

• How convinced are you that your people have the skills and ability to see your organization through the current storm?
• What are the risks of not investing in training today?
• What do you wish your people were better at? How are you helping them build those essential skills?