7 Key Areas L&D Teams Should Focus on to Handle Changing Workplace Dynamics Due to COVID-19

Introduction

As the impact of COVID-19 is unfolding, it is evident that it will lead to changes in the workplace. In this article, I outline the impact of the disruption and the key areas L&D teams need to focus on as they handle changing workplace dynamics.

Background

As the impact of COVID-19 is unfolding, it is evident that it will lead to changes in the workplace. In this article, I outline the impact of the disruption and the key areas L&D teams need to focus on as they handle changing workplace dynamics.

In this article (part of a series of 4 articles, an eBook, and a Webinar), I outline the changing workplace dynamics and the anticipated impact of disruption (short term and long term).

In light of this, what are the key areas L&D teams should focus on to handle changing workplace dynamics due to COVID-19.

My other 3 articles touch upon:

• 8 Best Practices Business Leaders Can Adopt to Lead Through Business Disruption During COVID-19
• 4 Pragmatic Strategies L&D Teams Must Use to Train Remote Workers with Limited Training Budgets
• 3-Step Action Plan to Implement an Incredibly Effective Corporate Training Program for Virtual Teams

Impact of Disruption on Account of COVID-19 and the Changing Workplace Dynamics

All of us are reeling under the impact of Coronavirus. What is adding to our woes is the fact that we still do not know when this crisis will end and what would be its eventual impact on the people, businesses, and global economy.

Even though the overall impact of the crisis is still unfolding, there are several aspects L&D teams need to process immediately, notably:

1. Engaging and training the workforce working remotely – as many of them are new to this mode.
2. Equipping managers and leaders to manage the crisis and remote teams (again, many of them may be handling this for the first time).
3. Quick response to move facilitated (Instructor-Led) training to online.
4. Trainings that were under development have been impacted as the vendors are grappling with a similar crisis. While they may have moved their teams to a fully work from home mode, there are challenges in meeting planned deliverables.
5. Upcoming training budget freeze or cuts.
6. With a cloud of global recession on our heads, there is also an increased expectation from the business to optimize the dollar-spend on training and achieve the required results quicker and faster.

Changing Workplace Dynamics and Challenges for the L&D Teams

While governments are responding with various measures to handle the COVID-19 crisis, businesses too are responding as they try to realign their strategies to face the rapidly changing workplace dynamics.

• For many businesses, there are disruptions in their supply chain or reduced demand on account of economic volatility.
• While many can operate with employees working from home, many have had to shut down the operations.

At the forefront is the need to take care of the well-being of the employees and how to manage business continuity during long periods of lockdown. Given the fact, this is not likely to be a short-term impact; what should L&D teams gear up for?

What Are the Key Areas L&D Teams Should Focus on to Handle Changing Workplace Dynamics Due to COVID-19?

One of the important outcomes has been the move to remote operations for several industry verticals. For others, it has led to disruption. Work From Home or WFH is poised to redefine the definition of workplace in the future.

It has led to the need of an Agile and Flexible Digital Workplace. As a result, L&D teams need to focus immediately on the following 7 aspects:

1. Creating a flexible digital workplace that can rapidly move from 100% in office to 100% working remotely. This needs to be agile and should have no disruptions.
2. Adopting workflows that offer the same, predictable output even as the mode of operation changes.
3. Opting for additional business continuity measures, which have technology that equips employees to work remotely with high efficiency.
4. Investing in a range of collaboration tools that facilitate working remotely.
5. Providing online training that equips employees to handle the current dynamics.
6. Moving face-to-face trainings to a predominantly online, self-paced or Virtual Instructor-Led (VILT) mode that can be consumed remotely.
7. Realigning the strategy to factor for the limitation of discrete trainings.
   1. They are not the answer – sharing one course or one webinar will not make the learner an expert.
   2. There is a clear need to draw up a longer-term plan to engage learners and have multi-pronged approaches to connect, reinforce, challenge, and nudge toward continuous learning.

Impact on the Workplace – Will It Be Dramatically Different in the Long Term?

My assessment is that we will see a long-term impact on the workplace, and this pandemic will create a changed workplace. As I have highlighted earlier, the focus of L&D teams must be on how they can help their organization create an Agile and Flexible Digital Workplace.

With the changing workplace dynamics, several employees and organizations are finding value of WFH mode and my assessment is that this will continue on account of:

• No clarity yet on when the disruption will end: Majority of countries across the world are adopting social distancing or have lockdowns. There is no certainty when the businesses can move back to the normal, operating mode.
• Value for the organizations: This mode is creating an opportunity for businesses who hadn’t used this mode extensively in the past. The key benefits are lesser infrastructure cost and the ability to attract talent across geographies. It is also anticipated that there would be lesser number of leaves and higher productivity.
• Value for the employees: No time wasted on commute. They can be more focused as there are lesser distractions. Plus, they have room to handle their work-life balance issues.

However, this transition is not as simple as it sounds and a simple move to have WFH (in spite of the changed workplace dynamics) does not necessarily translate to gains for the organization.

The reasons being:

• Not all employees have the discipline to leverage this mode. There are related questions if this can be sustained in the longer term.
• Technology barriers can lead to underperformance.
• Team Leads and Managers need to adapt to handling remote teams – this learning curve can lead to lower output in the short run.

So, What Should Be Done by the L&D teams as This Transition to Remote Operations  (In Response to Changed Workplace Dynamics) Happens?

It needs to begin with the measures that employees and the leaders must take. This is precisely what I outline in my next article – 8 Best Practices Business Leaders Can Adopt to Lead Through Business Disruption During COVID-19.

Meanwhile, if you have any specific queries, do contact me or leave a comment below.

Additional Resources

• Free eBook: You can also download my eBook, COVID-19 – Survival Guide for L&D Teams – Featuring Tips, Strategies, and an Action Plan to Handle the Challenge.
• Related Webinar: I also conducted a Webinar on the same topic. You can access the recording here –  COVID-19 – Survival Guide for L&D Teams – Featuring Tips, Strategies, and an Action Plan to Handle the Challenge.

Read More

• L&D Guide Series – 10 Must-Use Strategies to Engage and Train the Overwhelmed Employees
• Tips and Strategies to Create a Roadmap to Transform Your eLearning Programs
• 5 Amazingly Effective Strategies To Convert Your ILT Program To High-Impact Virtual Training
• How to Set a Foundation That Supports Employee Learning and Performance Improvement
• 10 Tips to Personalize Your Employee Training Program with mLearning