Your Remote Learning & Development Resources Blog

Ever ask yourself if you might lose your job to a robot soon? For some jobs there may be an adequate machine or AI replacement; for other more nuanced roles, however, machines may not be able to replace us. As London Business School professor Lynda Gratton puts it in this article about the challenge of scaling soft skills: “... right now and in the foreseeable future, machines are generally poor at understanding a person’s mood, at sensing the situation around them, and at developing trusting relationships.” So really what it boils down to is that robots have poor soft skills. Lucky for us, this is where we as humans can shine and make ourselves irreplaceable!

As LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner points out, it’s not coding where we currently have the biggest skills gap, it’s soft skills. He calls it the NO.1 job skill that American employees are missing.

Isn’t it time that we but more effort into developing these sought after...

In our April Networkplaceless virtual event, remote workers and leaders from all over the world shared their thoughts on the top interests, knowledge, and skills that are necessary in remote work, which included curiosity for learning, time management, problem-solving, and adapting to new technology. (See learnings infographic below.)

Developing these, and other job-and remote-work specific skills, is critical to keeping remote teams flexible, competitive, and engaged. Employee training doesn’t just help with skillbuilding, but also improves employee engagement and retention, and can even have a positive impact on your company’s bottom line.

Who wouldn’t want any of that?

So, what’s the hold up?

If you are a manager, trainer, or HR professional and have begun looking into remote skillbuilding, you might find yourself at a loss regarding where to start. There’s a lot of content out there about what remote work skills...

Have you considered ditching a brick-and-mortar business set up to enable your teams to work remotely?

Your bank account would certainly welcome the significantly lower overhead and fixed costs. And your conscience would likely rest at ease knowing that you’re decreasing a broader carbon footprint, thanks to lower utility consumption and eliminated commutes. Plus, there’s that massive talent pool you are now able to tap into... hiring, retaining, and training all-star professionals without location-based or cost-of-living salary constraints.

According to Werk’s recent research report, “96% of employees in the U.S. workforce need some form of flexibility at work, yet only 42% have access to the type of flexibility they need, and only 19% have access to a range of flexible options.” To be able to offer flexible options puts your organization at a serious advantage in the supply and demand of the flexible workforce.

Now that the sky's the limit--and...

By Nishchal Dua, Founder of The Remote Life. Connect with him on Twitter @NishchalDua and LinkedIn

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The availability of high-speed internet has given us the opportunity to be present anywhere, learn from everywhere, and grow consistently. I personally don’t remember the last time I headed to the library. Today, knowledge & information across many different subject areas is available online, accessible within seconds.

By now, many of us have become used to the fact that for nearly any subject, there is high-quality learning content accessible to you without leaving your location. And this continues to grow as you read.

A recent study shows the significant rise in e-learning, with video elements being a successful factor in much of that growth, expected to make up for almost 80% of all web activity worldwide (including e-learning) in 2019!

From recorded lectures and on-demand courses, to step-by-step live coaching sessions, video continues to grow as a strong delivery...

Training doesn’t just work simply by making employees more efficient; it boosts morale, builds foundational knowledge and discourages turnover. (But you know this already from reading our latest email. If you missed it, though, here’s a link to sign up!)

Good deal. But what about those companies that don’t offer learning and development options for employees? Do they get by unscathed, somehow?

Sadly, no. That scenario comes with its own set of repercussions:

• No succession plan. It would be great to know who could step in to fill the big shoes left by an outgoing member of your leadership team, wouldn’t it? Without providing the right training, you’ll have a harder time identifying who could step up and truly be ready on day 1.
• Talent loss. Tell me your star employee just gave her official two weeks, and I’ll read your mind: ‘Uhhh...can we somehow download the contents of her brain?’ Knowledge management crises aside, if only...

Let’s Reminisce: Your First Day

How about a brief trip down memory lane? Recall your first day in a new role.

• If you worked in a traditional office, was a workspace set up just for you? (Maybe a fun company swag bundle came along with it!)
• Did a supervisor or teammate walk you through internal processes, giving you the inside scoop on resources and a list of where to go for help?
• When Day 1 concluded, were you left feeling positive about your next professional chapter?

Your responses indicate whether your first onboarding experience was wholly worthwhile—or worth forgetting altogether. The hard truth: even the best recruiting efforts go to waste when faulty processes disengage employees on Day 1.

So how do we describe this all-too-important intro to a new role and workplace? Onboarding is the process a company employs to acclimate recent hires to its culture, team, workflows and policies. Traditionally, it occurred in face-to-face work environments; fully virtual and...

Over the years, career and technical education (CTE) hasn’t gotten its due respect. This is, of course, my opinion, but I feel confident saying that at best it is misunderstood, and at worst, it is grossly underestimated as a promising learning pathway for high school students. Career and technical education plays an important role in the conversation about both the future of work and the future of learning—here's why.  

CTE directly prepares students for high-wage, high-demand careers in a variety of professional fields like health care, information technology, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, marketing and many more; as a methodology, CTE encompasses everything from in-class learning to certification programs to work-based learning opportunities in the field.

A New Era for CTE 

CTE is experiencing a Renaissance of sorts. Perhaps the most exciting part is that the often hands-on, tactile learning-by-doing approach it incorporates...

Conferences are valuable learning experiences no matter your industry—but if you work remotely, conferences can provide you with the rare opportunity to connect with other people in real time, in the same space.

Get ready to block off some time on your calendars—we've highlighted some of the best conferences you can attend if you want to learn more about remote work and learning & development. 

Grow Remote 

Dates: April 16, 2019

Location: Tubbercurry, Ireland

Audience: Remote workers and employers

Website: https://growremote.ie/ 

Grow Remote's mission it is to bridge the gap between remote work and local impact. They've grown to 43 chapters across Ireland and Europe, and at their event in April, they're hosting talks, meetups and the activities of the west for attendees to experience the best of what rural Ireland has to offer. 

Association for Talent Development International Conference &...

Most remote work opportunities require at least some level of English, and on top of that, jargon can also be a barrier for those who are new to remote work. That's why one of the keys to making remote work accessible is providing language resources—our Remote Work Dictionary is just one of the language supports that we're developing at Workplaceless. We've made this first (US English) version open to everyone, and we'd love feedback from anyone interested in this topic. What terms should we add?

Access the first version of the Remote Work Dictionary here 

Developing a career that reflects our passions and provides opportunities to grow is the ultimate professional goal. Career development takes constant work, and when you work remotely, there are special considerations that you need to keep in mind. We've identified seven keys to remote career development that address the unique challenges that remote professionals face.  

Interests, Knowledge & Skills 

Your interests, knowledge, and skills form the foundation of your remote career. Your interests are topics or fields that inspire your curiosity or passion, like law, education, or design. Your interests guide the learning experiences, professional opportunities, and hobbies you pursue.

Your knowledge is the theoretical and practical understanding of a subject, which you acquire through formal and informal education and experience.

Your skills are your particular abilities—these include hard skills, like computer programming or accounting, and soft...