Employee Engagement From a Distance: Why Training Is the Foundation for Engagement Success

With so many changes to workplace expectations in the last year, companies have had to re-evaluate how they relate to their employees. This was a much-needed change, despite the strenuous circumstances that caused it. One of the key challenges that employers have been presented with is how to handle employee engagement. With remote, hybrid, and in-office schedules now the norm, companies have a wider variety of needs, engage with their employees in numerous ways, and rely more heavily on digital tools to conduct business.

Businesses are talking about employee engagement now more than ever. 

Employee engagement means many things: it’s interpersonal, it has to do with tech, and it has to do with a company’s overall goals and processes. It’s a critical value in 2021 because so many companies are working with employees scattered across cities, states, and even countries. Engagement is critical to both the employee’s success and the company’s overall success.

But how do companies keep employees engaged from a distance? We witnessed plenty of video-based happy hours and company-wide game nights to provide a sense of community during the pandemic. Now, most companies have set those aside—because pandemic-era restrictions have mostly lifted—and are focusing on adapting to this new normal in the workplace. Employee engagement, the kind that drives company success, is not just a temporary survival tactic we used during the pandemic—it’s become a core value, critical to the health of a business. 

Streamline and simplify onboarding

Employee onboarding training is the first place you can cultivate employee engagement. The first week (or weeks) of an employee’s experience at a company is a natural time to invite them to engage with company offerings. Companies can use this time to provide educational resources, training courses, and even learning tools around the best practices for work-life balance. Often, an employee’s first week at a company may include some downtime as projects are transitioned over to their domain. With this in mind, companies can provide extra learning opportunities so time isn’t wasted and so that employees are set up for success in their new roles.

ExpertusONE’s LMS platform makes it easy for companies to provide top-tier onboarding resources in a streamlined and simple manner. The tool works with commonly used workplace apps like Slack, Salesforce, and Microsoft Teams. This streamlines the onboarding process for new employees because they can access learning materials on platforms they are highly likely to be familiar with. Instead of having to learn multiple new tech systems on their first day, new employees can focus on learning the relevant content because they will already be familiar with the platforms used.

Make company courses easily accessible 

With so many companies balancing remote, hybrid, and in-office employee schedules simultaneously, they must use digital tools that can be operated from a variety of locations. A key factor in employee engagement is accessibility. If an employee cannot easily access the resources, they are less likely to complete training. Companies can and should invest in employee training tools that can be adjusted to each employee’s needs. 

If your company has several employees working from home, mobile-friendly training tools could be useful for busy parents managing their professional and personal lives. A parent could listen in on a training session from their cellphone while they’re waiting for their child at soccer practice or ballet class. 

ExpertusONE’s training platform uses artificial intelligence to help learners navigate large course catalogs. Based on their job descriptions, interests, the courses they’ve taken, and the courses their peers have taken, learners are served a set of recommended courses within the platform—which helps them narrow down their focus from a larger list. These courses are easily accessible, linked beside the courses they’ve already completed, and unique to the learner’s needs and interests.

Provide bonus content

Companies can encourage employee engagement by providing bonus content and courses aside from the required certifications and training courses usually included in training initiatives. Companies embracing remote and hybrid work environments can benefit from including courses that help employees navigate personal and professional life. You can create your own courses—perhaps courses to help your employees write more effectively, or block their time more efficiently—that is consistent with your company’s standards or stylistic preferences. Employers can also pull from existing online courses, from other content creators, and provide those courses within the ExpertusONE platform.

For example, a member of the sales team may have a variety of course recommendations. They could have basic onboarding courses that were required for their first day or simple how-to courses that explain the digital tools the company uses. Then, depending on the industry, they may have ongoing certification courses in their library. These are usually required by employers and will be offered regularly, whenever a new product comes out or a significant update is made.

Companies can also provide bonus content like further industry-specific certifications that give employees an edge. If employees want to show managers that they’re willing to go the extra mile, they can take a course and earn a certification that sets them apart from their peers. 

Finally, all of these training offerings can be coupled with interpersonal training skills. Workplace stress was heightened during the pandemic, and afterward many are still grappling with significant changes to how they live and work. Companies can support their employees by offering courses on mental and physical health, work-life balance, and even courses that teach skills like time management. 

Companies looking to boost employee engagement should look for various ways to connect with the employee, not just through workplace tasks. Providing bonus content is an excellent way to show employees that you care about their success in your company, in their personal lives, and in the future of their careers.

Cultivate a shared learning experience 

The pandemic made people realize how much we rely on our colleagues in the workplace. Whether that’s for help with tasks or conversation and companionship throughout the day, interacting with colleagues is a key element of employee engagement. When McKinsey studied what elements employees value in their jobs and which elements make them want to stay at a company, a significant number of respondents ranked “a sense of belonging” as one of the highest values.

Companies can cultivate belonging in their existing practices, like in employee training. ExpertusONE’s platform makes it possible for online training to be a collaborative experience. Companies can add interactive elements to courses, whether through quizzes or polls, and also provide a platform where employees can ask questions, engage with fellow learners, and follow up on topics they’re interested in. All of this happens within the same learning platform, making it easy for employees to engage and learn together.

Every company and every employee has been required to relearn what it means to do their jobs, balance their personal and professional responsibilities, and communicate with their team members because of the changes brought about by the pandemic. Companies can take a thoughtful approach to employee engagement by providing learning tools that meet employees’ needs, provide opportunities for collaboration, are easily accessible, and simplify the training experience. ExpertusONE’s training platform supports training initiatives and overall employee engagement goals.