The shift to remote and hybrid work, which is likely to be lasting or permanent for many organizations, has brought enormous amounts of anxiety about how to attract, develop, and retain talent when we aren’t always (or even often) physically together. Developing talent feels to many like an almost impossible task due in large part to the common misconception that formal and informal learning are best done when people are in the same room.
Designing Learning Programs for a Hybrid Workplace
Many company leaders are anxious about developing talent in a hybrid work environment. But because virtual learning can be scaled relatively easily; delivered flexibly and in ways that accommodate other ongoing work; and spaced to allow opportunities for learning to be embedded into long-term memory, built upon, and practiced, well-designed virtual learning has been shown to be as effective as in-person learning — and often more so. There are, however, a few legitimate challenges with virtual and hybrid learning. Fortunately, each is a solvable problem when you’re armed with the strategies the authors present for keeping learners’ attention, managing their energy, and making the social aspects of virtual learning more comfortable (and less awkward).