Growing Up Digital Redesigning Workplace Training for #8216;Generation Connected#8217;

Growing Up Digital Redesigning Workplace Training for 8216Generation Connected8217 By 2020, Generation Connected or Gen. C, comprised of both millennials and Generation Z, will constitutethe largestsingle group of consumers worldwide. The pervasiveness of Gen. C will also extend to the workforce, with millennials representing46 percentof the entire U.S. workforce by 2020. Over the next five years, Gen. Csneed for digital connection, collaboration, and on-the-job flexibility will disrupt the workforce in ways no other generation has before driving new demand forprogressive training and active learning models that more closely align with this generations digital-first habits.Inpreparation for meeting this generations demands in the near future and effectively competing to recruit and retain top Gen. C talent where should training leaders start? Moving forward, think about how you can incorporate m ore mobile technology into your organizations workstyle. For training leaders, exploring mobile, remote training solutions that power more digital-first training programs is a good place to start.You wont be alone in exploring these options. More businesses are starting to realize the value of complementing traditional training methods with digital learning models to appeal to future generations, especially through the use of online learning. Estimates frominternational Industry Analystspredict a 13 percent annual increase in the corporate remote training market over the next two years. This growth should come as no surpriseas more businesses continue to realize the need for Gen. C to learn in a flexible, individualized way thats most native to their educational habits, preferences, and needs.Not only does digital learning help support Gen. Cs behavioral learning style, but well-designed online training programs can also stimulate higher productivityand engagement across multiple ge nerations. To empower both Gen. C and your entire workforce in a digital learning environment, here are three approaches for building a dynamic remote training program.1. Offer Flexible Work and Learning OptionsStarting with the demand for a flexible work structure that allows Gen. C tomaintain a healthy work-life balance, flexibility in every aspect of the workplace is key forrecruiting and retaining Gen. C employees. Thanks to the convenience and connectivity that mobile device usage provides todays employees, its only natural that Gen. C scoffs at the idea of a traditional nine-to-five work schedule where theyre expected to work productively at their desks all day. Gen. Cs demand for a flexible work environment is almost a non-negotiable work benefit, which makes it imperative for organizations to power on-the-go, mobile work solutions that allow employees to work productively anytime, anywhere.Naturally, Gen. Cs desire to work flexibly also extends to how they like to learn, pre senting training leaders with an opportunity to create online flex-classes that give employees flex-attendance options to join classes in-person or online throughout the duration of a training program. While flex-classes widely appeal to Gen. C, its also important to complement virtual training with traditional training methods that appeal across all generations in the workplace, like face-to-face interaction and peer-to-peer mentorship, both of which can be achieved through live video conferencing.2. Give Employees Their Choice of TechnologyIn offeringflexible online training options to Gen. C, employers should let employees use the technology they know and love to powerremote training.Seventy-eight percentof Gen. Cs millennial cohort report that access to the technology they love and trust makes them more effective at work.Giving Gen. C a say in the devices they use to power remote training makes it easier to keep them more engaged and productive because theyre using technology th ats most conducive to fueling their daily digital activity.Furthermore, personal device use throughout remote training programs is essential forfostering communication, collaboration, and employees masteries of concepts, especially whenusing a second screen to support training concepts.In addition to encouraging employees to use preferred technology to power on-the-go learning, business leaders should consider leveraging similar platforms that Gen. C uses for personal entertainment to power training programs, especially live video. Dubbed as the YouTube Generation, millennials and Gen. Z-ers excessively consume online video, with66 percentof themspending the same amount of time or more watching online videos as they do watching TV. Video is an essential digital training medium that should be used to reach this generation. Some businesses are already getting ahead in meeting Gen. Cs need for video to drive both training and remote work strategies.APolycom and Redshift Research surv eyshows that video conferencing has become a business communication standard, with 76 percent of respondents claiming they currently use video solutions at work.However, while organizations are using more effective mediums of training, like live video, there is a huge disconnect when it comes to offering employees mobile training solutions. Currently, only18 percent of corporate training is accessible on mobile devices, which is a huge missed opportunity for training leaders to effectively reach and engage the mobile-first Gen. C in a way thats most native to their digital learning habits.With the traditional work schedule evolving for many organizations, employers must provide a way to keep employees connected to the company while teaching and keeping them up to speed on required skills, no matter where or when they are working. Allowing personal device use and providing access to video-powered technology are proving helpful in creating more engaging online learning environments.3. Let Workers Experiment and Learn From Each OtherProviding and encouraging the use of accessible and convenient technology during online training programs is just one part of creating a successful remote trainingprogram. Its also equally important to give employees the time needed to practice what theyve learned, as they learn it with mentors and peers.To support Gen. Cs need for peer-to-peer collaboration and its desire tolearn by discovery rather than being told, take a page from educators and flip the classroom. Flipped training is a model that allows employees to review training lessons on their own time through a remote training platform and use scheduled in-person training time to apply what theyve learned and work with peers.By giving employees the opportunity to learn training material on their own time, businesses can use face-to-face training time for simulations or QA sessions, instead of one-way lectures where employees take notes but dont get to practice skills. Collabo rating, demonstrating, and practicing concepts learned in remote training environments with coworkers during in-person training time exposes employees to a mix of digital and hands-on learning that they traditionally wouldnt get.Releasing learning from the constraints of traditional training methods in-person sessions organized by subject matter will allow Gen. C employees to easily access digital resources and learn at their own pace,when and where they want. As businesses evolve their workplace training models to cater to their employees, its important to keep generational concerns top of mind.How are you redesigning the workplace to better meet Gen. Cs needs? The time to start is now.