Page 43 - Demo

Empathy for New, Ill-Equipped Digital Learners
In our world today, we are more connected than ever. Many people, including young children, have smart devices, stable internet connections, and can connect almost anywhere. From a technology standpoint, the shift to virtual hasn’t been easy, but it has been manageable.
But what about a workforce that doesn’t need to be “connected” to do their jobs? I’ve been in many industries (e.g., manufacturing, distribution, retail) where most of the workforce is on a warehouse/production/sales floor or driving over the road (OTR). These employees have no need for a personal computer for daily activities. Their pre-pandemic daily routine involved face-to-face briefings and the occasional visit to a training room or a shared computer to take training. These shared computers are often the oldest of a company’s assets and may not even support the required technologies for a virtual learning experience (e.g., camera/microphone, high-speed connection). This audience is now being forced into the online world for meetings, communications, and training. Not only are they not equipped with the knowledge of how to effectively use the virtual toolset, but they may not even have the technology to support it.
Lori Adams
Director, Talent & Learning Coca-Cola Beverages Florida
“ Empathy is the ability
to
And then come back to yourself to appreciate the“ different perspective.
- Kathy Tague
Learning Leader
breathe somebody else’s air.
As learning leaders, we must have empathy and awareness of the technological landscape of our organizations! This combination will help us to better support these learners, either through accommodations for technology limitations or by working with IT and the organization to address them. If we’re going to succeed long-term in virtual learning for everyone within an organization, the solution must be two-fold: 1) address the technology and equipment limitations, and
2) focus on educating the workforce on how to use the
technologies.
onnect with people.
“
Empathy is more
critical than ever when we
have to reach through time
and space to c“
- Nigel Paine
Presenter, Learning Now TV
42