Remote working, where employees work away from the traditional “office” – at home or in the field for example – is becoming more widespread as both technology and lifestyle considerations reshape the way we do business. 11% of the UK workforce are now “remote,” which equates to 3.5 million workers, and 60% of all new businesses last year were launched from home.

Sometimes remote working is a lifestyle choice; for others it is dictated by the nature of the work itself. A parent may want to work from home as a way of working flexible hours so they can manage their family commitments, such as collecting the children from school. Some workers are field based to be close to their clients. Those working in the domiciliary care sector, where the service users live at home and rely on their care worker to visit them to provide the support and assistance they need fit into the second category.

No matter what the driver behind remote working is, its relevance has never been greater. The demand for remote working, from workers, employers and society in general is increasing. For employers, their focus is on cost saving efficiencies and working smarter to improve productivity. Society in general, is more focused on energy saving, for example reducing or replacing the daily commute. This is matched by the growing feasibility of remote working, where the supply of improved telecommunications infrastructure is a major factor behind its growth.

Working remotely can be a lonely experience however, unless the workers are provided with a support infrastructure that enables them to feel a part of the larger organisation.

Employee engagement is a priority for HR departments throughout the country. But what is employee engagement? Put simply, it is the measure of an employee’s discretionary effort. Studies show that engaged employees represent less than 30 per cent of the workforce. The rest are apathetic or disengaged; these employees have lower productivity levels.

Employers have a significant role to play in making their employees feel valued, which is especially difficult with remote workers. The Results are worth a great deal, as it will help to manage an organisation’s talent and improve staff retention. More loyal staff give continuity and stability to the business, and reduce costs of recruitment and training.

Employee development programmes play a key role in employee engagement. This approach to work based learning, such as sector or career-specific e-learning, firstly provides employees with a way to progress their career and gain new qualifications, and secondly it makes them feel more valued by their committed employer.

Employee engagement is a priority for HR departments throughout the country. But what is employee engagement? Put simply, it is the measure of an employee’s discretionary effort. Studies show that engaged employees represent less than 30% of the workforce. The rest are apathetic or disengaged; these employees have lower productivity levels.

Employers have a significant role to play in making their employees feel valued, which is especially difficult with remote workers. The Results are worth a great deal, as it will help to manage an organisation’s talent and improve staff retention. More loyal staff give continuity and stability to the business, and reduce costs of recruitment and training.

Employee development programmes play a key role in employee engagement. This approach to work based learning, such as sector or career-specific e-learning, firstly provides employees with a way to progress their career and gain new qualifications, and secondly it makes them feel more valued by their committed employer.

Benjamin Franklin once said that: “it is an investment in knowledge that pays the best interest.” Few of us leave the formal education system with the right skill-set to do a specific job – the skills and capabilities we are missing are frequently provided through work based learning. The objective of many learning and development programmes is to close the skill gaps of new and existing employees, and ensure they are able to contribute to the success of the company in a meaningful way.

e-learning has been widely accepted in companies nationwide as a key medium for work based learning; by both the tech-savvy generation Y and also a large number of generation X*. However, delivering successful development programmes to this cohort is not as simple as providing access to e-learning and handing out laptops. The Challenge of engaging remote workers is more about providing a support network and facilitating communication to remove the barriers to engaging remote workers. In many cases the reason learners fail to complete their courses and development plans does not relate to the access to the learning resources and the technology. It is more a lack of motivation, encouragement and a commitment to start, continue and complete their journey.

If education was just about providing the “hardware” and saying to learners “off you go,” the system would soon fail. If schools were just buildings full of books and computers, with no teachers, how much would pupils learn? Arguably not a lot, which suggests that access to learning is not the key determinant of success. Learning needs to be managed and structured. At school this process of learning management is fulfilled by teachers. In the workplace, this need for a learner to have a mentor and motivator is equally strong – and the provision of this will ultimately determine how successful your learning and development programme is.

If learners are to take part in training programmes as part of their continual professional development (CPD), employers and training programme providers should carefully consider the direct support that is available to help them through the process. For some, studying while working can be a daunting prospect, but to know that the support infrastructure is on hand to help them through, could just be the key to engaging remote workers and learners. Employees based in the office can rely on their colleagues for guidance and support with using IT, but remote workers need to be assured that there is also support in place for them.

1. Personalised learning

A personalised service, that can often take a one-to-one approach understands a worker’s career goals and aspirations, and identifies a personalised learning plan for them to follow to help them reach their goals. This happens at the start of the “learning journey” and is designed to fill in the gaps in an employee’s skills-set to enable them to flourish and develop their career. The learning plan is made up of specific e-learning courses that allows employees to fit their learning into their workday, or spare hours between shifts.

No matter the age or learning style of an employee, personal contact with their tutor is a key factor in enabling them to maximise their potential by maintaining motivation and commitment. Support staff visit employees at their chosen working location to provide mentoring and support on the courses they are taking, to talk through any issues and help them overcome any difficulties.

Many companies also make use of their internal expertise. Known as e-learning champions, they are now increasingly popular throughout the UK. Companies may assign each office or department with an e-learning champion – for example, a director champion may be in place to engage with managers and an admin champion to answer questions on e-learning and provide support to all those completing their training.

Instant mentoring offers remote workers learning support on the courses they are taking via email on a 24/7 basis. It can be frustrating for an employee if they do not understand a learning point, and this barrier can become an issue if it is not dealt with immediately. A timely explanation of the learning point through instant mentoring removes that barrier, and allows the employee to continue their progress through the course. Learners can clarify concepts and seek assurance from their mentor. Not only does this boost confidence, but it also yields more productive remote workers.

Reported by some to be a limitation of e-learning, discussion and online interaction with colleagues can now be increased through the use of social media. Interestingly, social media such as blogs, wikis, and chat programmes are all effective options for delivering content, promoting discussion, and facilitating informal learning. As a powerful forum for discussion, social media allows learners to give input when it is convenient to them. In addition, some people may feel more confident ‘speaking out’ or offering opinion online, rather than in a classroom based situation. Discussion therefore does not have time boundaries like it may in a classroom, as this can only last as long as the class time.

e-learning requires hardware to be able to access a course. For some, technology can be a threat, where a lack of computer skills can hold a learner back. Setting up broadband internet access can be tricky – solutions such as the self contained e-learning PC, known as the el-box, just needs switching on, without any configuration or internet connection necessary.

Ultimately the key to managing and integrating remote workers is to offer ongoing support programmes that add value to their role. An employee, remote or office based, will feel more empowered to work productively for a company that is forward thinking in its approach to development. Furthermore, those that offer an online environment that caters for the employee’s every need will empower staff to learn together and share their experiences.

The key to success lies in ensuring that remote workers feel included and supported.