Work is evolving to meet the needs of globally focused organisations and in response to globally dispersed talent - and remote working has been a key factor in this shift. We know this, this is not news. But how we develop remote workers may be news.

 In this episode of The Learning & Development Podcast, we explore considerations for Learning & Development for supporting remote workers. David talks today to Perry Timms, an author, motivational speaker, a CEO, and a top HR influencer. Discover everything about remote working – its pros and cons, its place in HR management in the past, present, and in the future, and its inclusion in L&D strategies. Both business owners and remote workers can learn from the discussion so start tuning in.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• We can shape the future greater than we think we can. We can’t just sit and watch things to unfold. If there’s optimism, a drive to change, and willingness to act, we can improve the current state of the workplace.
• Remote working is not an impossible proposition to incorporate in organisations now because of technology. It has become easier to communicate with people and complete tasks.
• Changing our mindset and attitude about remote working can actually benefit our organisations. The physical proximity of the workers might be a difficult thing to consider in HR management, but developing remote workers doesn’t need training, you just need to discover what strategy works best for your company.
• It’s useful for organisations to highlight partnerships in their L&D strategies. Sharing their knowledge and learning journey to each other can actually make it easy to make remote working possible.
• Managing and overseeing the social platforms where you interact with your remote workers is important. L&D strategies should also empower them and let their voice be heard in coming up with solutions no matter where they are. As much as possible, invite healthy conversations and prevent these platforms from being polluted with bias, forced authority, etc.
• Efforts on maintaining the dynamics between the organisation and remote workers are more pronounced compared to those who are working onsite. As the leader, it’s your priority to make sure that the remote workers still feel belongingness.

BEST MOMENTS

• “I like to think I’ve got a grounding in the reality of the world but also an incredibly dreamy perspective on how things could be.”
• “I feel their pain, I celebrate their gain, and I really wanna leave them in the sense that they’re better than they were before they started.”
• “If there’s one thing that we can start to recommend to remote workers is when you are hitting a wall, that’s the time to stop and think, ‘What can I learn?’”
• “If people want it passionately enough, they’ll find a way to make it work and shouldn’t find a way to hijack L&D.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Perry Timms is listed in HR Magazine’s HR’s Most Influential List for 2017 and described by CIPD CEO Peter Cheese as “The HR Futurist”.

Perry is the author of the book ‘HR Transformation’, he’s an international CPD accredited and TEDx speaker on HR, workplace learning, technology and the future of work, a consultant, facilitator and coach.

Prior to all of this, Perry was Head of HR for Big Lottery Funding in the UK.

You can follow and contact Perry via:

• Twitter: @PerryTimms
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrytimms/
• Website: https://www.pthr.co.uk/

ABOUT THE HOST

David James

David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.

As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.

CONTACT METHOD

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/
• Website: https://www.looop.co/