Training a Hybrid Workforce

How to Train a Hybrid Workforce

0:06
Hey there, thank you for tuning in to the East Learning Champion pod.

0:11
I'm your host Tanushree, and today we are back with yet another interesting episode on the topic, how to train a hybrid workforce.

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I have with me Shalini, Director for Learning Solutions, to share actionable insights on the nuances of training the hybrid workforce.

0:30
Welcome to the podcast, Shalini.

0:32
Thank you, Tanushree, and a very warm welcome to all our listeners.

0:35
Sure.

0:36
We are so glad that you've joined us today.

0:37
Yes.

0:38
So in this session, we'll start by examining what constitutes a hybrid workplace, who these remote employees are and why is it important to be mindful of them.

0:51
We'll also be discussing some of the challenges that you might come across while training the hybrid workforce and discuss a few strategies and best practices to take your hybrid workforce training to the next level.

1:07
So let's begin the conversation.

1:08
Sure.

1:10
Yeah.

1:10
To start with, can you first define that what is a hybrid work model?

1:16
Right.

1:16
So I think we're more or less familiar with the concept in the sense that, you know, within a hybrid work model, employees can choose to work remotely, right?

1:27
Some can choose to work from the office.

1:30
Most commonly it's a combination of both.

1:34
So employees have the flexibility to choose to work remotely partly, you know, some days of the week, right, and come to office for the rest of the week, right.

1:45
So this is a model that actually organizations have been experimenting with a lot post pandemic after most of the workforce returned to the in office yes, mode of work.

2:01
But some organizations continue to offer this hybrid work model, correct.

2:06
And which brings us to the question, you know, when organizations had strategies and plans in place to make hybrid work, yes, then we as training designers and you know, L&D managers also need to have a strategy and a plan in place to make hybrid training work, right?

2:25
So that is actually the focus of our conversation today, right?

2:31
So as the employees are available in different locations, so as L&D managers or L&D professionals, what do you think are the challenges that we might face while designing a training program for the hybrid workforce, right.

2:50
So the biggest challenge, you know, there are multiple challenges of course, but according to me, the biggest one is that of learner isolation, right?

2:57
Because it's very easy for the dynamics to work in favour, you know of whatever you're trying to set up when it's an in person event.

3:09
Right now, if it's purely in person, you can handle it.

3:13
If it's purely remote, you can handle it.

3:16
But the tricky thing is now as you mentioned, you know 2 sets of learners and one of them is accessing technology while the other is in person.

3:26
And then you have the facilitator who must look at both sets.

3:30
So I think the biggest challenge is that of learner isolation.

3:34
Remote learners feel cut off.

3:36
They don't feel as involved as included in the activities in the training as the in person participants do yes.

3:45
I think all of us experienced isolation.

3:47
True.

3:48
You know when we all were working remotely at 1:00 point, most of us working remotely at 1:00 point being cut off from the company, the company culture, you know, that sense of feeling a sense of belonging or having that connect yes.

4:04
So remote learners are likely to feel less invested, right.

4:11
So this is where the challenges on us are the, you know, to overcome this and make sure that they are being inclusive and we are providing the same high quality learning experience to both our remote learners as well as to the in person participants, right?

4:29
So that is one of the biggest challenges.

4:32
The next is that of geographical and cultural barriers, right?

4:39
Because your in person audience is all in one place obviously, but your remote learners may be logging in from different geographies, correct?

4:49
And they're not all from the same time zone.

4:51
So that complicates it further.

4:53
So how do we mindfully and respectfully ensure that you know, we are not taxing anyone group too much and how do we overcome the challenges of disperse geographies?

5:08
Because, you know, in a sense, if you're talking of purely virtual learning, then the expectation is said that, OK, everybody's logging in from different geographies at possibly different time zones.

5:20
But here you have a bunch of learners who are all attending in the same location, the same time zone.

5:27
And there is a stronger sense of, you know, bonding, if I may use the words that this group feels as opposed to the learners who are dispersed.

5:39
So that's something and then you have your technology, technology challenges, you know, because one set of learners that is the in person group is free to not, you know, use their energy on thinking about technology or how do you, you know, work in that virtual environment, whereas your remote learners are using technology, they're trying to figure out things and your facilitator is stone between that set and this set of learners.

6:11
So technological challenges, which I'll touch upon maybe a little later.

6:16
Yes, And then you also have, you know, this, I believe I touched upon it, but this whole thing of sense of community, right?

6:29
You know, which it's you have to very consciously and deliberately foster it, right, If you're dealing with hybrid learners, right.

6:38
So these are some of the challenges, right?

6:41
So since we as facilitators for these kind of setup where the learners are a mixed group, we say, So how do you think that when it comes to training these people, these kind of set of learners as a facilitator, What comes in the mind may be first that how to convert the content that is in hand, which they might be might have used already in their classroom training sessions.

7:16
How to convert that into an effective learning material or a module that will be best suited for a hybrid setting maybe for a virtual learners as well.

7:27
So could you share some insights that how to convert this ILT material into engaging, meaningful and relevant content that's best suits the hybrid setting, right.

7:40
That's a good question, Tanushree.

7:42
And you know, whenever we try to convert ILT materials into VILT materials, we do face certain challenges to do with the content to the activities, the engagements.

7:52
And it's easier if you have a homogeneous virtual set of learners because you're doing that conversion, and everything is applicable to every member.

8:03
But now again, it's whatever tweaks you make to the content in terms of providing instructions to the remote learners, additional direction that's applicable only to them, right?

8:17
So do you really want to have 2 sets of content?

8:19
You know, to, it's OK if you have soft copies, but it's still that much more effort.

8:25
So to begin with, you know, you have to take a look at your existing materials, ILT materials and see what kind of activities may not work virtually, right?

8:37
You know, some may need to be replicated.

8:39
You may have to find a suitable alternative because sometimes when you are in a classroom, you work with work on activities which also involve physically working with something, say a Lego set, right?

8:51
Or you know, some object, Yes, now you have to find a suitable alternative, right?

8:57
And you also have to give directions to the remote learners, you know, separately because they will be doing something, you know, using the technology.

9:10
Yes.

9:11
Now, in instances where you're doing this kind of a thing, finding a substitute if you don't have, you know, if the experience for your in person learners is not as strong, then they may not see the reason for wanting to go in for an activity like this.

9:29
True, because when they see that you have tried to find a substitute which works online, but the quickest way is for them to do something, you know, yes, in person, then they may feel that it's slowing them down, right?

9:46
So it's tricky.

9:48
We have to balance the needs of both, yes, but we have to ensure that our remote learners don't feel left out, correct.

9:55
Then coming to, you know, engagement, yes, there are some ways in which we can really be very deliberate about maximizing the engagement, right.

10:13
So things like, you know, addressing learner isolation, which I mentioned earlier, yeah, touch and touch base with your remote learners have more frequent pulse checks.

10:28
Help them to feel that they are an active part of the learning community in your session.

10:37
Give them chance, you know, rotate the participation opportunities within your in person and your remote learners because it's so easy to just call on someone who's sitting physically across you.

10:46
Then it is to remember somebody who's waiting patiently online for their chance.

10:51
So they may be raising their hand in Jack, but you know, because of the momentum of the activity happening in the classroom, the facilitator might just miss that.

11:00
Yes.

11:00
And that can lead to frustration among the remote learners that they are not being heard, they're not being seen.

11:05
So the facilitator really has to do a great balancing act here between doing justice to the in person group and to the remote learners.

11:14
Yes.

11:16
Encourage your in person learners to interact even with the remote learners.

11:24
See, they may not be there physically, but you can always have them have each other on video, Yes, and mute yourself, speak, don't just resort to chat, right?

11:35
And so these are some very small but powerful ways in which we can maximize engagement, right?

11:43
One challenge that I forgot to mention at the beginning is that of digital fatigue, communication fatigue, right?

11:50
I mean, we all know about Zoom fatigue, which hit most of us and think about it, you know, if you have a day long training program and you have just in person attendees, it's not that taxing, right?

12:04
You have your breaks, you have your water cooler dog, you have your informal Q&A.

12:08
Yes.

12:09
Now your remote learner will find it very taxing to sit for 8 hours or you know, 6 hours because I mean, communicate.

12:19
Digital fatigue is real, yes.

12:22
So be very mindful of it.

12:24
Because if we are not mindful of this and provide short sessions with suitable breaks, then we have lost the remote learners already because, you know, they might just tune out, switch off.

12:36
Even though they are there physically, you can see them online.

12:40
They'll just become passive.

12:41
Absolutely.

12:42
Yeah.

12:42
So this is where you have to keep reaching out, keep engaging, keep interactive, keep checking in, feeling their pulse, taking feedback, encouraging communication between the in person and the remote learners, right and so on.

12:58
South, these are some ways in which you can maximize engagement, right?

13:03
So as you said that really it is the facilitator has to be smart enough to understand the pulse of the moment and how the remote learners as well as the in person learners are behaving towards the content that is delivered or the activities, the interactivities.

13:24
So do you think that some of the facilitators might find it challenging to maintain a balance when it comes to the different interactivities that they might be carrying out during this session?

13:39
Absolutely, absolutely.

13:41
You know, of I have a background in classroom training.

13:45
So it is so much more easier, you know, as a classroom trainer to foster that connect and interactivity because you're looking at each other, you're reading body language, you're looking at, you're making eye contact.

14:01
Now activities for the hybrid training model, you have to find, as I mentioned earlier, suitable equivalence.

14:12
Now typical interactivities or engagements or activities within a virtual instructor LED session are you know, using poles, chats, whiteboard annotations, breakout rooms.

14:28
So now how do we make these work for both sets?

14:32
Let me start with whiteboard annotations.

14:36
This is fairly simple in the sense that you know for the in person group, you can set up a flip chart Flipboard and they can just physically walk up, give their input.

14:45
For the remote learners, you can set up an online whiteboard annotation where you know you can have them work on something.

14:54
Now the inputs of the online, the remote learners are visible to the rest of the class, to the rest of the, you know, attendees.

15:04
Yes, because typically the facilitator would have it, you know, their screen projected.

15:09
Now what about the inputs of the in person group?

15:14
How does the remote learners see that?

15:17
Yeah, because you know, it's not fair that only you see you see it one way.

15:21
So kind of that sink is missing.

15:22
Yes, if we exactly.

15:24
So we can do some very small things like, you know, once your in person groups have finished filling their wild boots, take a picture, post it in the channel.

15:35
That's a great idea.

15:36
Post it in the chat, right?

15:39
And one another best practices, you know, have multiple channels.

15:43
Don't be dependent entirely on the meeting room, because ideally one of the best ways to avoid learner isolation is to introduce the group to each other in a channel outside of your meeting room before the training.

15:57
So get one channel going, maybe using Teams, get some conversation going, you know, let people introduce themselves, share something interesting about each other.

16:06
That way when they come to the actual training event, they're not meeting a bunch of strangers, right?

16:11
You know, there is some sense of connect, some familiarity.

16:14
So when it comes to the whiteboard annotation, be sure to share the insights or best practices or whatever is the output at the end of this activity with both sets, right?

16:29
Now, when it comes to things like poles, see, that's such a simple and such a favorite for anybody who's conducting a virtual instructor session.

16:38
They're the quickest way to get engagement.

16:40
Now, how do you design these polls when it's a hybrid audience?

16:46
You have online polls set up for your remote learners.

16:49
What about your life in person attendees?

16:54
Yes, you can ask for a show of hands, but it is tricky to, you know, start counting.

16:58
And sometimes your poll may be such that a show of hands is not yes, serving the purpose question is not that if for open ended questions, Yeah, you cannot have a show of exactly.

17:10
And this is where, you know, you can make sure that even your in person attendees are responding to your poll.

17:18
Maybe you can make a QR code available and they scan it with their mobile devices and respond to the poll.

17:25
A lot of organizations are increasingly allowing the use of mobile devices, you know, in the training, in the training and at work.

17:33
So this is one way you can still see the responses rolling in.

17:38
And even if they don't have laptops, you know, your in person attendees and it will be sort of defeating the purpose if there was again to sit there saddled by laptops, they can still use their mobile devices and respond to the polls and everybody gets to see what the responses are correct.

17:53
So that's one thing.

17:55
The other thing is when it comes to breakout rooms, again, you know, in for the in person groups, it's so easy to easy to just let them sit and around different tables, discuss, come back, share their findings.

18:07
Yes, for the virtual learners, again, you can do the same thing.

18:11
You can have a virtual breakout session, you know, and have them talk to each other and and once again, be sure to share the findings with both groups.

18:22
Take a picture if required, you know, or post it in that Channel.

18:28
Post it in your meeting room.

18:30
Now one thing is you know, during these breakout rooms, the question is how do we ensure that the remote learners are connected to the in person learners?

18:43
Now see, ideally in ideal conditions, you would want one learner remote learner in every in person group, correct?

18:50
But the logistics are very difficult to manage unless if you have soundproof cabins where different groups can sit and there you know, they can still talk to their remote learners, but in the same room.

19:04
You, you cannot have it logistically.

19:07
You can't have different people at different tables and also have your remote learners joining in one per group.

19:13
So it's better, even though it doesn't sound very, you know, evenly distributed, it's better to have your remote learners be in a group and your in person learners distributed in tables.

19:27
So these are just some very small quick tips which we discovered during our own experience, right?

19:34
You know, in working using the hybrid model and also training, right their hybrid workforce.

19:42
OK.

19:43
So as you said that yes, it is important to include the hybrid learners equally in the training session so that they feel invested and we as the facilitators or the trainers also serve the purpose of training that is for everyone.

20:05
It should be a meaningful learning experiences, right?

20:08
Absolutely.

20:08
So how do you tackle this aspect that when there is a set of remote learners as well as a set of in house learners, how do you tackle such aspects, for example the assessments?

20:24
So how do you conduct assessments for your learners who are not in the same learning environment, right?

20:33
That's a great question, Dhanushi.

20:35
And you know, for online, for the remote learners, it's so easy to roll out online assessments right now.

20:42
Typically in IELTS, we have worksheets or we have something like that which facilitators can evaluate.

20:52
But now there is a disadvantage for in person learners, you know, because it takes a little time for the facilitator to evaluate and give feedback, whereas a remote learner has instant feedback.

21:10
So in that sense in I think the use of online assessments actually is a very fair and equitable practice to level the playing field for both sets of learners.

21:21
In fact, it's a great way to ensure that both of them have equal access to feedback, which is timely, immediate, you know, and relevant.

21:30
And it also gives the facilitator a chance to take some mid course corrections as required.

21:38
You know, if they are able to see responses rolling and if they can quickly look at a report, then they can use that to inform the rest, you know, the rest of their session going forward, say in the second half, you deal with a QA, for instance, based on the performance of the learners.

21:58
So that's one way in which they can do it, right.

22:01
So that was a great idea that online assessments for all the learners because this will help everyone to be on the same page and definitely the feedback and the evaluation.

22:16
And as you discussed that the due course of the training can be decided after the results, when the facilitator sees the results, then we can he or she can definitely decide the course of the further training, right?

22:30
So what about the content partiality?

22:34
Like when a trainer is handling 2 different sets of learners, does he or she has to take care of converting or maybe reconfiguring the content in hand that they might have used in earlier classroom training sessions to match to align with the hybrid setting, right?

22:59
So the main difference between your ILT materials and your VILT materials is the fact that using technology in the VILT sessions.

23:11
So there would always be some additional instructions that you would give your learners who are using technology.

23:17
For instance, you know, if there is a breakout session plan, you would let them X, you would let them know what to expect rather than just randomly throw them into a breakout session suddenly.

23:27
So those are the kind of instructions that you would include.

23:31
Now, even for their in person audience, you would you would include these kind of instructions, except that you're not mentioning the technology part of it.

23:40
So that way, yes, you write a little additional instruction would need to be given, but you know, these are just soft copies for both sets of participants anyway, since we are going green increasingly true.

23:54
So it wouldn't be a big deal.

23:57
The bigger challenges as I said, you know, finding activities, converting activities that will work for both sets.

24:03
So that would be a bigger challenge.

24:04
As far as the core content goes, it would be more or less the same.

24:07
But one thing I want to mention is, you know, if you're new to the platform, if learners are new to the platform, then it makes sense to give them an orientation to the platform so that we don't waste valuable time, you know, giving too many detailed instructions, correct?

24:20
Because we wouldn't want to go on explaining how to use a breakout room and so on.

24:25
So a quick getting started orientation session, which will, you know, Orient them to the features and the kind of activities that you haven't studied before the training.

24:35
This will really help you get off to a very good start when your actual training begins.

24:39
Yes.

24:40
So yes, that point is very valid that when you actually Orient your learners before the training session, you are actually saving your time for the main training session where you can cover up important aspects and keep them ready.

24:56
And when they are familiar with the platform, the topics or the things that they are going to take forward in the training session, that also gives them a level of comfort, Correct.

25:06
And they look forward to the training session.

25:09
They are just not the aliens landed into the training room or the training session.

25:16
Absolutely.

25:16
So, yeah.

25:17
Yeah.

25:17
In fact, that's how your learners would feel, right, If you were not deliberate about ensuring a very inclusive kind of a learning environment.

25:28
True.

25:29
So a very interesting strategies and or to say small tips that you have shared from your real life experiences.

25:40
I love them.

25:41
Shalini, maybe would you like to conclude with sharing some of the best practices that we can follow to make our training for the hybrid workforce a real hit?

25:53
Yeah.

25:54
So I'd like to just reiterate that, you know, we need to address learner isolation and we can do that by sensitising our in person learners and letting them be mindful of the fact that there are other remote learners too and giving equal opportunity to both sets of learners.

26:13
Rotate your participation opportunities.

26:15
And another thing is actually to do with the technology.

26:19
You know, if a remote learner is facing a technical issue, it's very difficult for them to get help in the middle of a session because the facilitator is so involved with, you know, conducting the session.

26:29
So before your session, let the remote learners know who they can reach out to if they have any technology issues and pair them up with learning buddy who they can also ping and you know, reach out maybe via means of WhatsApp or you know, whatever else some of the channel if they are unable to connect through their team meeting channels, small things, but they make a huge difference difference.

26:57
Now, another thing that really I should have mentioned right the beginning is that you know your remote learners can see your instructor only as long as your instructor is seated in front of the laptop camera.

27:10
Now, no instructor does that.

27:12
They walk around, yes, they meet different groups right now, how to imagine the experience for the remote learner?

27:21
They keep seeing the instructor fade in and fade out.

27:24
It's unsettling yes.

27:25
So you might have to arrange for extra technology, extra infrastructure such as motion sensor cameras that focus on the instructor so that at any given point, even when the instructor is walking around the remote, learners can see that person yes.

27:40
So this is again, a small but powerful way to reduce learner isolation as well.

27:45
Because they feel OK, they are in the thick of things.

27:48
Yes.

27:49
And then one another best practice.

27:54
You know, for me, it's been specially relevant.

27:57
Remember the lessons that we learned from the pandemic, you know how we dealt with isolation.

28:03
So how we try to find other ways to connect now.

28:07
Those are the lessons we learned and those are transferable lessons as facilitators, as designers, when you see how we can leverage those lessons that we learned to build a sense of community, right?

28:23
You know, since our remote learners are likely to feel a little more cut off than our in person learners, how we bring them together.

28:30
It's not feasible to ask them to come and attend in person events.

28:33
They are working remotely for a reason.

28:36
That said, you can still have cohorts meet once in a while, not for training, but just a quick touch point.

28:44
You know, maybe somebody's in office casual.

28:47
Casual, you know, the equivalent of water cooler dogs.

28:49
Yeah.

28:51
Or meet for a deliberate Q&A.

28:54
Have the cohorts stay in touch.

28:56
Now, this can work only if you have set up an alternative channel of communication outside of your training event.

29:02
But these are some best practices that I believe will go a long way in ensuring that our hybrid training is a big hit.

29:09
Right.

29:10
So thank you, Shaladi, for sharing such wonderful insights.

29:15
And I'm sure our viewers also have multiple takeaways from this session.

29:20
And I'm sure, yeah, and I'm sure you guys are all set, ready to go back and apply these strategies and best practices to make your hybrid learning and your hybrid training for the workforce to be a big hit.

29:36
So thank you for tuning in.

29:38
And that's all from our side for today.

29:42
Watch the space for more such informative, interesting discussions on trending topics.

29:49
Thank you.

29:50
Thank you.