In many companies, due to the current situation, some employees have been sent to short-time work or to work from home. To make good use of this time, experts recommend advancing further training within the company. How to do that is explained in the article.

Like many other companies, we are currently working from home. Unfortunately, some sectors have been hit much harder, which is why many employees had to go to short-time work. Current forecasts estimate over two million short-time workers in Germany, and 92% of companies expect a significant decline in revenue compared to the previous year.

Perhaps there is currently less to do in your company as well, and you are wondering when your employees can finally return to their offices. Until then, you should make meaningful use of this time, specifically for internal training.

Problem: In the normal working day, HR developers rarely find time to provide employees with comprehensive training. According to the current Federal Government report on training behavior in Germany, the participation rate in training measures is just 54%. This means that only half of all employees in companies participate in further training. This is often due to internal organization: Many employers unfortunately offer little to no time for targeted training in everyday life – now this “extra time” is inevitably available and should definitely be utilized!

Conclusion: Those who invest in the training of their employees now are preparing them for the future and creating a competitive advantage through qualification!

Prepare your employees for the future and promote individual strengths.

Further training not only promotes the individual skills of your employees, but it is also an important tool for employee retention. This is especially important in the current situation, as daily interaction in the office has completely ceased in many companies. Moreover, you use possible idle times particularly effectively this way. Of course, we are aware that some companies are currently facing many challenges and are not directly thinking about promoting their own employees. That is why we want to give you this impulse to look positively towards the future.

But who pays for further training during short-time work?

Of course, the cost factor is currently more relevant than ever; after all, there is a reason for short-time work: reduced income due to the restrictions of the Corona crisis. However, we can reassure you: Currently, some providers offer many free training opportunities, which you can find, for example, through the search function of the employment agency.

Your employees can also take the initiative and apply for a state education bonus. This bonus covers up to €500 of training costs.

Additionally, the federal government promotes relevant training for your employees. In some cases, the costs are even fully covered! This way, you can also design individual training courses yourself and provide them on an appropriate platform to effectively promote your employees at home.

Keep in mind that your courses do not have to be perfect. Use the content you might already have. Is there a PowerPoint that you normally present to your employees? Then break it down into small units and create your own little training course from it. To ensure that your content meets your employees' expectations, you should survey them beforehand. Are there problems or difficulties? Then try to address these specifically.

Reading Tip: Here you will find 5 quick ways to create learning content for online courses.

How can I implement training in a home office?

Currently, it is especially important to act quickly – long preparations are often not possible. Since social distancing is still very important, you will have to forgo in-person events and offer your training completely digitally – for example, as blended or e-learning:

Blended Learning for a Simple Start

For the introduction to digital training, blended learning, the mix of online courses and in-person events, is ideal – this way, your employees feel well supported by you even at home. You can hold in-person courses digitally via Zoom, facilitating a live session in the digital space. Initial reports on blended learning with online presence show that this method allows for good learning effects – with little effort for you, the trainers, and the participants.

Tip: If you want to know how to design perfect blended learning, download our free guide “Blended Learning for Companies”.

Ready-Made E-Learning Content for General Knowledge

There are already many finished online courses (for example from Google or digistore24) that you can partially use even for free. For basic content, you will surely find some courses and exciting learning videos to establish the foundation of your further training.

Tip: Think carefully about which areas your employees have weaknesses in. For many programs like Excel, there are very good online tutorials that explain tips and tricks to your employees in individual steps.

Individual Online Courses on Your Own Platform

For the individual needs of your employees, you should also develop suitable learning content yourself. To make this as varied as possible, you should use different media – diverse content is best taught in various ways. Utilize texts, quizzes, or explanatory videos so that your employees also enjoy learning.

Tip: Shooting videos is easier than you think. With our free “Video Guide,” you receive a guide that supports you in this process.

Short-time work and home office therefore demand creative and, above all, quick solutions. To motivate your employees during this time and prepare them properly for the period after the crisis, you should start immediately to design your own small courses. Use the current time for yourself and your team and invest in the skills of your employees!