I’ve been delivering online synchronous training for over 10 years and working almost exclusively remote for the past 3 years.  So why am I so exhausted at the end of every work-from-home day for the past 11 months?  Other than my kids ALSO being home for the past 11 months, I can point to one other thing that is different - my webcam. Before last March, I didn’t even have a working external webcam.  But for the past 11 months, nearly every meeting and training session I’ve been a part of has utilized my camera.  And it’s wearing me out. 

Welcome to 2021.

It seems that everyone is taking a collective breath as we look forward with expectation of promise and insight in a new workplace environment largely mandated by long-term impacts of COVID-19. By the time the pandemic will be deemed “over”, a large fraction of the global developed workforce will have spent nearly two years in work-at-home environments, as many companies are targeting late 2021 for reopening their offices. Some others have rethought their workplace policy altogether. In October, DropBox announced its “Virtual First” strategy - as an ongoing policy “remote work (outside an office) will be the primary experience for all employees and the day-to-day default for individual work.” There is also evidence that employees want some voice in when and how they work from home, seeking a model of “flexible work” that complements, rather than intrudes upon, life at home.[i]

Recently, learners have flocked to the virtual classroom to continue their professional development. Organizations have started embracing the flexibility and dynamism of this learning environment as a viable option for programs ranging from new-hire onboarding to informational webinar-style updates to complex technical trainings.

We believe in the power of the virtual classroom. But, truthfully, despite its varied functionality and useful tools, learners experience a, well, learning curve when learning virtually.

To help learners – both new and experienced – adapt and thrive in the virtual classroom, our team compiled a list of obstacles to look out for and ways to preemptively overcome them.

Right now, the state of the world demands a transition to virtual classrooms and remote work. Whether or not your organization started 2020 prepared for the rapid modernization of teams and training, the time has come to make the change.

Facilitators, instructional designers, managers, and learners all have to adapt to a new normal – a stressful process under standard change management conditions and a seemingly insurmountable task given today’s pressures.

Have you heard?

Our workplaces face radical, exciting, and innovative change with the emergence of powerful and game-changing technologies. But as Jennifer Hofmann recently highlighted, the purchase of new tools does not sufficiently prepare our organizations to integrate them in day-to-day work.

Adoption requires effort – a purposeful plan, a visionary team, and a strategic goal. Most importantly, stakeholders must consider the employees impacted by the technology change. How will their professional lives change? How arduous will the transition to the new technology be?