According to Gallup, 45% percent of full-time U.S. employees worked from home either all (25%) or part of the time (20%). In addition, 9 out of 10 remote workers want to maintain remote work to some degree. These workforce trends are clear: remote work, at least in part, is here to stay.

Managing a team can be hard, but managing a team remotely comes with its own unique set of challenges. But, if you’re adequately prepared, you can ensure your teams thrive no matter where they are located.  

Like any HR leader, you want to be seen as a strategic contributor to your organization. Of all the tools in your arsenal, few are as vital at achieving that recognition as your human resources strategic plan.

When it comes to software training, our first instinct is often to set up in-person instruction. Doing so allows for immediate feedback, quick access to answers when questions arise, and a personal touch.

What good is it to have the latest software updates if they are not being used productively? Considering how much your company spends on software expenses, investing just a fraction of that into targeted training will give your organization a serious competitive edge.

You’ve proven the worth of training and development in certain instances to leadership and management. Now comes the real challenge - convincing them that establishing a culture for learning throughout the organization is even more valuable.

Typically, when you sit down to develop a training plan, you focus entirely on learner outcomes. Those goals become benchmarks for measuring the training’s success.

Strategic training widens the scope to include short and long term goals desired by the organization as well. This post will show you how to organize your own strategic training plan: one that incorporates input from all staff levels, benefits the organization as a whole, and increases your value as a strategic contributor.

Just last week I had a great experience with a client. I found it inspiring, and I thought you might find it interesting, too.

As an HR leader, you want to be heard by the leadership at your organization and contribute to the strategic plan, right? We wanted to give you a hand by offering a glimpse into this year’s top trends.

As responsible managers in successful organizations, we need our employees to steadily and continuously learn and improve. And research shows that’s what employees want, too.

So, you’ve identified a problem in your organization, and you think training is part of the solution. Or maybe you have a strategic goal where training can play a key role. Time for a training needs analysis!

The Train the Trainer approach has expanded its reach into many contexts, including laboratories, schools, hospitals and the corporate world. Its breadth speaks to its intuitive design and ease of adoption, as Train the Trainer simply involves "initially training a person or people who, in turn, train other people at their home agency," according to a report by the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. In other words, one subject-matter expert shares his or her expertise with a group of trainers from your organization. This group then uses this information to instruct others.

Initiating an organizational culture change within a business is no easy task. And the larger your organization is, the harder change will likely be. This is due to what Boundless calls "cultural inertia." It continues: "Big and strong organizational cultures will have a powerful tendency to continue moving in the direction they are already moving (momentum)." An organizational culture change successfully alters the speed or direction of that movement.

If you've introduced an organizational software platform before, you've probably heard the associated grumblings from your fellow employees. There are several reasons why they could be on auto-disgruntle mode: taking time out of their already busy schedules, being treated as masses instead of individuals, not finding the interface adaptive, and more. The truth is if you operate with a certain mindset, however, you can encourage your employees to follow suit.