The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a rapid need to support employees in working remotely. In the struggle to do this, it’s tempting to put some things on the backburner, like training. This would be a costly mistake.

It’s important that being off site doesn’t mean your team is out of mind. They still need the training and support they would get in the workplace – perhaps even more urgently.

Working from home can be a lonely experience. Now is a golden opportunity to give your people the development they need. You can imagine how good your people will feel when you show you’re thinking of their professional development even though they are out of the office. We’ve also been receiving loads of positive feedback about how our programs offer a great opportunity to be connecting with peers and expanding their networks, even whilst working from home.

I had the opportunity to complete the Career Clarity Coaching Program with Linda Murray, Athena Leadership Academy.

Currently looking for job opportunities, I was overwhelmed and overloaded by the amount of information available out there on all the different job search platforms – How to construct a resume, how to direct job searches, how to prepare for an interview…

The program put me in the right direction. It made me first reflect on myself, then redefine my approach to the job market and look outside the square.
It helped me identify my abilities, transferable skills, and progressively made me unleash the potentials I didn’t know I had.   

I have now a whole new perspective.

I feel much more confident and comfortable discussing my abilities, strengths and career aspirations with anyone and during an interview.

The program is online, self-paced, extremely well structured, and includes a debrief session after completion with continuous access to the site after completion.

Linda’s wonderful energy and positive personality helped me feel more comfortable discussing everything about myself, being at all time present, supportive, attentive, and extremely responsive.

The whole experience was unbelievably refreshing, insightful, inspiring and uplifting.

Thank you Linda!

Selma Parris

Why start now?

Everything is changing and no one knows what the future holds or what the workplace will look like. We know that this pandemic has forced us into change and it’s likely that working from home will become common.

Technology is changing the way we work and the jobs we do. Some workers might find themselves obsolete in the future if they don’t make changes now.

Because things are so unsettled now, people are looking for something to grab hold of to give them a sense of security, but also to reassure them they are valued by the organisation. Training and upskilling will give them all that. They are ready and businesses need to be, too.

How do you start?

Have a look at your current learning and development materials and programs  and consider how they can be repurposed.

How can you redesign them to:

• Provide clear, concise, and relevant information to your employees?
• Create engaging and informative learning programs?
• Consider and cater to the needs of your employees?

You’re already likely to have systems and activities in place that you can alter or replace with redesigned learning and development opportunities.

It can be simple to find an opportunity to assess where your employees are at. For example, allocate 10-15 minutes of a regular online team meeting into a game or quiz. Using technology you already have, or a platform such as Kahoot or Mentimeter, you can create online quizzes that the whole team can easily join as long as they have access to a desktop, laptop, or mobile device.

These quizzes can be fun and trivia-based, or you might centre them around your business and activities, or even tasks and knowledge required for specific roles. This brings an element of fun, increasing engagement and connection between team members.

Look outside the organisation.

Don’t keep your people waiting while you redesign your programs. There are some existing courses available online right now. Look at Udemy or Coursera where you’ll find free and cheap online courses in typical workplace skill areas like problem solving or more comprehensive programs. These are great for people with self-learning discipline. However, we know that peoples work hours are increasing, as are burnout rates and the pressure to be ‘on’ all the time. This means people sign up for courses that simply never get started because there’s too much BAU to get through. The best solution is interactive online learning.

Existing programs such as Athena’s Leadership Development programs deliver quality content which are tailored specifically to the developmental needs of your people. We know that organisations need learning delivered in bite-size pieces, so we now offer an ala carte menu of workshops which were previously only offered as part of a larger Leadership Development Program. Why buy the lot when you can choose exactly what your people want and need?!

Right now, you have the chance to bring your people back to work stronger and more engaged than ever. Avoiding their learning and development and putting it on the backburner until we “get through this” is potentially fatal to your business.

The survival of your business now and post-pandemic is going to depend on having a team that has the skills, knowledge, and experience for what’s next.

Will you be prepared?