eLearning, Instructional Design, Leadership / March 24, 2020

Even before this disruption caused by the Coronavirus, we were seeing more and more companies transition from the business office to the home office. Companies offered perks ranging from working 1 day a week from home to every day of the week. Before going full throttle with the Instructional Design Company, I managed a corporate team of remote instructional designers and employees all while working remotely myself.

Today, just about everyone I work with from clients to team members who help me build learning solutions for my clients is either a remote instructional designer, video specialist, eLearning developer, copywriter, proofreader, etc. Not every type of job is suited for remote working but if you are in Training & Development, your work can be done from just about anywhere.

Whether you provide instructional design services, create eLearning modules, or actually facilitate training, we can flex where we work and how we get our work done. Before we get into the benefits of allowing your team to work as remote instructional designers or eLearning developers, drop down to the comments. Tell me what you love (or would love) about working remotely.

I’ve got so much great information about telecommuting. Feel free to jump down to the section that interests you most! For employers who may be interested in moving their office-based employees towards remote work, I’ll walk you through some of the benefits of allowing the members of your training team to telecommute.

For my instructional designers and eLearning developers who are interested in learning more about remote work, those benefits definitely apply to you too, but don’t worry! In the coming weeks, I am also going to address some common challenges to working with a remote team. I will also give tips on how you can be an uber effective remote instructional designer so you can work smarter from home while social distancing. Plus, stay tuned for my favorite tools and most helpful tips for working as a remote instructional designer.

5 Benefits of Having Remote Instructional Designers (for Employers)

If you’re still not sold on the idea of remote work (for yourself or for your team), I know what you’re thinking: working from home is just an excuse to sleep in, stay in your pajamas all day, and watch TV while you “work”. Okay, hopefully, you weren’t thinking that. But I know I’ve encountered other professionals who make that assumption when I say I work remotely.

I once had a boss who told me he didn’t believe that remote workers were as effective as in-office workers and that I was just the exception to the rule. While it was a backward compliment, he was wrong in his thinking.

If what he believed was true, do you really think successful companies like Apple, Dell, Github, and Salesforce would have embraced it? No way! These companies (and so many others) are fully realizing the benefits of having remote employees.

Just last week I was on a video conference call with a sales rep from Hubspot and every single workspace that I could see behind him was empty because EVERYONE was working from home to help flatten the curve of the Coronavirus.

In my experience, remote employees are some of the hardest working, most self-directed talent- because they have to be! If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be able to keep their jobs. What I find hardest about working remotely, is forcing myself to stop working!

How about this: according to Global Workplace Analytics , top companies report their telecommuters are actually 35-40% more productive than on-site employees. Here are a few more of the benefits of remote ID work:

1. It saves money

Do I have your attention? You know I had to start with this one. If working remotely was too expensive, there’s no way it would be such a common practice.

Remote work can significantly reduce your office expenses. The less space you need, the fewer people who come into the office. This results in lesser spending on utilities, maintenance, supplies, hardware, and dare I say “toilet paper”.

Not to mention, employees who work remotely spend less of their own money on commuting, lunch, and professional attire.

2. It eases the stress of the daily grind

When we talk about the cost of maintaining an office environment, we don’t always think of the mental toll the workplace can take on its employees.

A huge benefit of allowing employees in your office to work remotely is the improvement it can have on their wellbeing.

Instead of spending an hour in the car driving to work, the employee can spend it running or working out. Instead of spending an hour driving home, the employee can use that time to focus on family, friends, and other areas of interest.

Trading drivetime can help your employees have a happy, fuller life while enjoying their professional work.

Even the best work environments come with stressors. Sometimes just taking a day or two a week to work from home can result in a considerable relief of your mental load. Happy employees are productive employees!

3. It encourages self-directedness

The remote instructional designer has to be extremely organized, so transitioning from traditional office work to remote work can be challenging for some people. Remote workers must be able to stay focused while working from home or from a café. Otherwise, work quality will begin to suffer. This isn’t true for just remote employees, however. In-office employees struggle with the same issue.

My response to John, my old boss who didn’t believe remote workers were effective, is to let the work results speak for the employee. Does the employee get their work done? Is the work quality? Is it on time or early? Those are the things you should be evaluating.

Working from home isn’t doable by everyone. In fact, you may find yourself shaking some low performers off the team. But overall, I think you may be surprised at how your remote instructional designers and eLearning developers step up their game. Their productivity is boosted. They continue to meet expectations and hit deadlines even though they might be working from their couch in their pajama bottoms.

4. It widens the talent pool

Once you open your candidate pool to include remote workers, the amount of talent you can reach has just grown exponentially. You can build your team by recruiting that genius ID who lives on the West Coast. No need to drop a huge sum on relocation fees.

This works both ways. As a remote instructional designer, you now have no limits on your search radius when it comes to your work. Whether you’re seeking full-time employment or looking for special projects here and there, working remotely opens a lot of opportunities. You can even accept a position halfway around the world. Just keep an eye on the time change when you’re sending those emails!

5. Skip flu season (and the Coronavirus!) when you work as a remote instructional designer

I know a lot of people are especially interested in remote work right now. Still, even during the regular flu season, everyone benefits from having the option to work from home.

Sick employees cost the company money! Even if they try to power through and come into work, they’re putting their coworkers at risk. Also, there’s no way they’re performing at their usual level.

On the other hand, sometimes an employee has a day when they don’t feel great. They’re not contagious and they probably could go in… but just the thought of getting ready, packing lunch, and driving to the office make that headache ten times worse.

Well, with remote work, employees might not be as productive as usual. Nevertheless, they’re more likely to clock in. 

When you allow employees to telecommute, you make your office environment safer. Employees use their sick days when they really need them.

Being a remote instructional designer provides a better and healthier option for work

Embracing the remote style of working is not just convenient, time-saving, and money-saving. I genuinely believe companies that remain resistant to allowing their employees to telecommute are losing out in the long run.

Remote work is becoming more and more popular (especially in the face of public health concerns). Companies that require in-office employees will miss out on top talent as their competitors allow more and more telecommuting.

In light of the pandemic that is sweeping around the world, there is no better time to start putting in place some work-from-home guidelines.

If you need help organizing your new way of working, give me a call. I can help you set up your remote team. While it’s not rocket science, why reinvent the wheel on your own? Pick the brain of someone who has already done it and is doing it on a daily basis.

Those of you who have already tested the telecommuting waters or are planning to, staying organized and focused is the key to your productivity! Working from home can be a rewarding experience and at this time, a healthier option.

I love hearing your thoughts on my Facebook page , so join the community and share with me how you plan to embrace the perks of being a remote ID! If you have any questions or concerns about remote work, just drop me a line!

Ready to dive in and become a full-stack Instructional Designer and eLearning Developer without getting another degree? Check out my 12-week immersive program: Instructional Design & Tech Accelerator Certificate Program.

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