22.06.2020

Covid-19 has undoubtedly become the accelerator for the greatest workplace transformation of our lifetime. We’re all having to think of new ways of working, and for some this includes training and educating staff at a time when our options for meeting face-to-face are limited and subject to restrictions. 

At Make Venues, we’re adept at hosting training for our customers and we are helping our clients in re-imagining ways to engage staff safely and effectively in these rather testing times.

So whether you are training employees remotely or exploring your options for face-to-face sessions in the future, there are new considerations that may guide your choices.

How do I train employees remotely?

We’re lucky to now have countless types of virtual meeting software at our fingertips, which should aid how we remotely engage employees. 

You’ll need to re-examine the materials you used back in the office. Presentations, where there is a lot of participation or group activities, will need adapting. It’s likely the audience will be much quieter than they would be in an office environment, this is because people are wary of talking over each other during video calls. 

To replace group activities, you can ask participants to individually reflect and share their thoughts one at a time.

Instead of waiting for employees to naturally ask questions, change your presentation to force them to participate. After each section, you can allocate 5 to 10 minutes for them to ask questions or periodically ask for their opinions. It’s easy to be distracted whilst working from home, so it is important to keep them as involved as possible. 
 

If we’re engaging new employees how do I ensure they are understanding their roles?

Whilst your new team members are working remotely, you might need to take a more hands-on approach with them. We’d recommend that you book frequent team and individual video calls. 

You will need to speak regularly with them on a personal level to make sure they understand their duties and so they can express any concerns they may have. This way you can identify further training opportunities whilst making the employees feel settled and welcome. 

Alongside having one-on-one video calls, it is important to regularly have catch ups with new employees as a group. This will help them form relationships with their colleagues and will help them when they transition into working at the office. It is also an opportunity to get feedback about the whole onboarding process. 

How do I train staff whilst maintaining social distancing?

For those who have returned to working in an office, you will need to think more about the logistics of a training room rather than the training content. You’ll need to allocate enough space and also limit how many members of the team can join at once. There will be numerous new considerations to take into account, some of which we’ve listed below.

What will a socially-distanced training room look like?

Once you are able to return to your workplace and are able to meet with employees, you will need to alter various parts of your existing training room:

Social distancing

You will need to consider how many team members are attending, so you can ensure they are all seated at least two metres apart from each other.

Cleaning Supplies

Washing your hands has never been so important, it is vital that you have hand sanitiser easily available for everyone in the room. They will need antibacterial sprays and wipes so desks can regularly be cleaned between sessions. You should wipe down the desks before lunch and at the end of each day. 

PPEMaking simple

PPE easily available for every employee will help them feel safer and valued at work.  

Equipment

Like giving each employee their own PPE, you should give your employees their own equipment. They will need their own pens, paper and any other tools vital to their role. Make it clear that these are their’s and not to give them to anyone else.

Staggering attendance

You’ll need to consider staggering arrival times and breaks, as well as any other circumstances in which people can mix.

We don’t have space to train employees whilst social distancing, what can we do?

It’s difficult to find room to fit X amount of employees, each with two metres of space between them, and have space for a trainer to present. Most offices aren’t built to host meetings whilst keeping everyone apart. This is where your best option may be to consider a dedicated venue such as our own. We’re focused on preparing for our safe re-opening and working with clients and partners to ensure we do so with everyone’s objectives in mind.

Our venues have a duty of care, not just to our clients and their guests, but to our own staff and suppliers as well. We are therefore creating a raft of initiatives aimed at maximising safety and hygiene in all of our venues when they re-open.