The COVID-19 pandemic has had a large impact on our personal and work lives. In late March, the national shutdown forced non-essential businesses across the country to shift their fundamental means of operation in order to stay afloat. As the year continues, it is increasingly clear that our “new normal” may stick around for longer than some may have anticipated. As such, it is a great time to step back and ensure that your business is creating an environment in which your team can learn and thrive under these changing circumstances.

Many businesses have discovered that it is possible to maintain a similar level of effectiveness and productivity when their team shifts to a virtual environment. However, seamless transitions like this do not occur by coincidence. With a shift this unprecedented, it is an opportune time for your team to sharpen relevant skills.

If you are looking for ways to strengthen the effectiveness and morale of your team, here are some areas to emphasize:

• Technology needs
• Remote worker policy
• Skill/ productivity assessment
• Operation norms
• Optimal communication
• Employee onboarding

Once your team has a firm grasp of these areas and the policy changes that may accompany them, it will be much easier to resume a similar level of productivity in a virtual workspace. In truth, there will be a lot of things to learn as we adapt to this new normal. To make this process fast and effective, many businesses are turning toward eLearning. Rather than using an in-person learning structure in a virtual environment to teach new skills, creating a digitally native eLearning plan allows your team to seamlessly use and reference materials to develop new skills that have suddenly become integral to the business’ success.

As your team becomes comfortable with this new normal, you may notice some advantages of a remote workforce. We’ve already seen this happening in other businesses, and it will likely continue to shape the makeup of businesses in the future as a means to maintain efficiency and cut down on office space expenses. Even if your company does plan to return to a physical workspace, a well-versed virtual team will allow you to do so gradually. This will be to everyone’s advantage as they become reacclimated to the physical workspace in a safe, controlled manner.

Nickel City Learning Solutions is your one-stop source for all of your training needs. Our philosophy is that learning should be fun, relevant, and measurable. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for further information or any questions regarding the seamless transition back to the physical workplace.