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Stephanie Kemp brings over 15 years of professional experience in teaching, management, and training to her role as the director of customer success at Bridge. As a former public school teacher and training coach at lululemon, Stephanie firmly believes that customer education is the foundation for customer success, and she is relentless in her efforts to understand how our products fit into our customers’ daily lives. She also doesn’t like coffee (seriously). 

Stephanie Kemp

If you work at an organization with a large deskless workforce, you know just how difficult it can be to upskill and reskill employees. Deskless workers are often on the front lines or hard at work earning revenue for the business. They’re interacting with patients or customers, doing work out in the field, or on the road—delivering goods or offering services. Employers may be hesitant to take them “off the job” for training. Patty Gaul, senior writer and editor for the Association for Talent Development, explored this topic in a recent article.“An L&D leader may learn that a company doesn’t include training time as a bucket of employee time,” she writes. “The organization encourages their managers to hurry their direct reports to their stations or positions (such as the manufacturing line, cash register, or delivery route) rather than giving employees the time to learn how to do their immediate work well. This negatively affects workers’ knowledge and, in the end, motivation.” Research shows that poor training also puts staff in danger—instances of human error causing occupational accidents are more likely when workers are under-skilled.There’s an opportunity cost as well. Gaul writes: “Too often, leaders train these workers only when there’s a problem, not taking advantage of the opportunity that development affords.” Employers that do not invest in training may be leaving productivity gains and a competitive advantage on the table.With all the benefits L&D offers—and all the challenges it can help your organization avoid—how can you train your deskless workforce in the most effective way possible? Giving learners more options to complete their training can help. Employees don’t have to be chained to a desk or sitting in a classroom to learn and develop. A little bit of L&D creativity can go a long way. Read on to discover four strategies to motivate your deskless employees to fit training into their busy schedules.1. Give Learners the Flexibility to Learn Wherever They Happen to BeMost workers want to learn new skills and are intrinsically motivated to improve and develop. A recent survey shows that seven out of 10 workers feel more connected to their organization when they’re learning. A further eight out of 10 say learning gives them a sense of purpose at work.Giving deskless workers the opportunity to access this kind of purpose can drastically improve their job satisfaction—and extend their tenure too. Research shows that having a strong culture of learning can improve employee retention by up to 57 percent. Some employees may associate learning with taking notes in a lecture hall, or sitting in front of a computer—but “studying” shouldn’t have to equal “desk.” The solution to helping deskless employees learn and develop is already in their pockets. When staff can complete their training right from their mobiles, wherever they happen to be, a whole world of opportunity opens up to them.Did you know that Bridge LMS, an all-in-one solution for training and upskilling staff, comes with the intuitive, user-friendly Bridge Learning app as standard? The app, available for both iOS and Android, makes it simple and easy for employees to complete their learning, whenever, wherever.Learners can even access content without Wi-Fi. This makes the learning experience seamless. They can start their training in a break room, for example, and effortlessly keep their momentum going when traveling to a field site. They’ll have key insights on the topics that matter to them at their fingertips—even in the most remote locations. With Wi-Fi-less learning, a bus, a train, a factory floor, their kitchen, and even the most far-flung location can instantly become an inspiring classroom.2. Help Staff Keep Their Learning on TrackResearch shows that there’s a strong correlation between motivation and learning outcomes. Setting smaller goals and steadily working toward them can help people stay committed to their targets. Breaking a big learning target down into less intimidating, achievable goals can be tremendously helpful. This is particularly true for deskless workers who may work in isolation or don’t get much contact with leadership. Boston Consulting Group stated that: “[A] major issue is the limited access deskless workers have to corporate communication systems like email and intranets. These tools are often designed with desk-based employees in mind[...]This communication gap can lead to a sense of isolation, making these workers feel disconnected from the organization’s broader goals and culture.”Choosing an LMS that helps you keep every learner on track, wherever they happen to be, can make all the difference. With Bridge Mobile, push notifications remind learners when a course is due. This relieves them of the cognitive load of managing their own learning and development schedule.Admins can easily track enrollments, missed deadlines, and course completion rates. They can generate intuitive reports in a few clicks and share data-powered insights with the wider organization. This empowers managers to intervene with support at the right time. Regular contact from well-informed managers means reports feel less at sea and more empowered to meet the development goals that matter to them.3. Be Realistic About Learning Challenges and Prepare for HiccupsAs useful as remote training is, it does come with challenges. If it’s not properly managed, it can open the door to miscommunication or inefficient learning. Workers may encounter technical difficulties, for instance, and feel that these headaches are a significant burden after a long shift on their feet or on the go.Tech challenges can have a big impact on morale, even among younger generations. Research shows that just under 50 percent of young graduates surveyed across the globe feel their level of technical expertise has left them unprepared for the workforce. As many as one in five young workers say they feel “judged” when they don’t know how to solve a tech issue. Tech headaches can be exacerbated for deskless staff who work far from a central IT team and may not have admin time built into their schedule. The key is to accept that challenges may arise from time to time and prepare for them in advance. Your first line of defense will naturally be to choose a mobile LMS with a very simple, clean interface, and intuitive, user-friendly features. Bridge Mobile offers a straightforward experience with uncomplicated dashboards. Learners can easily navigate between their courses, learning libraries, and agendas. User-friendly design isn’t the only factor though. Choosing an LMS provider known for meticulous onboarding and responsive customer service can also help you stay ahead of tech challenges. The last thing you want is for a learner to lose their motivation for good because of a minor technical hiccup that could be solved with a few simple instructions. This is why Bridge offers comprehensive onboarding. Our expert teams work with your admins to make sure they fully understand our app’s capabilities. When admins know features inside out, implementation is easy—and they’re empowered to help their team as and when required. It’s thanks in part to our outstanding onboarding that we recently achieved a customer satisfaction score of 93 percent. We also offer tech support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This means deskless workers with unusual hours don’t need to fall behind on their learning just because they need a bit of extra support. We have an excellent service team—and we’re proud to share that our customers love us for it. A representative from US-based construction and engineering company Rudolph and Sletten said: “Bridge LMS is exceptionally user-friendly, featuring an intuitive and clean interface that simplifies navigation for both administrators and learners. The customer support is outstanding—easily accessible and remarkably patient in understanding and resolving even the most challenging scenarios.”4. Offer Accessible, Engaging, and Personalized Learning for AllWhen staff feel that instructions are passed down from some invisible authority, they may feel less motivated to learn. On the other hand, intrinsic motivation—wanting to complete a task because it is fun, interesting, or helpful—can be a crucial factor for successful learning. Employers can promote intrinsic motivation by making employees feel competent and autonomous.To achieve this, personalizing learning is key. Especially when you consider the type of tasks deskless workers tend to do. Deskless workers are the lifeblood of many organizations. Every hour away from their daily tasks is an hour away from crucial activity that drives their company’s revenue or underpins their organization’s ethos. When the stakes are this high, cookie-cutter learning content can feel like a waste of time.Bridge Mobile can help you steer clear of one-size-fits-all courses. It empowers you to deliver personalized learning journeys for every employee. Managers can assign courses that align with specific, individual targets—and employees always have a clear view of their progress over time. This means that they’ll have a little bit of motivation to keep learning, and easy access to that learning wherever they are.Because the app stores tasks, ideas, achievements, and due dates all in one place, employees have their own, personal space to work toward their goals. This can help them feel like your organization is invested in improving their experience at work, instead of just forcing standardized training en masse.Crucially, Bridge also makes content more accessible for every learner. The app supports 20 different languages, so you can keep your employees of all backgrounds engaged and inspired. It also complies with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) at AA-level. This means:It’s easy to use with assistive technologies, like screen readers.There’s good color contrast between any text and background.Content is organized under clear headings, in a logical order.Navigation buttons or elements are consistent across the app.

4 Ways to Effectively Train Your Deskless Workforce 

January 2016 - TD Magazine

The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications offers lifelong learning to its alumni via the Master Access program.

Keeping Degrees Fresh

2020 Best Practices  - TD Magazine

These companies rely on learning technology to keep training fresh, relevant, and streamlined—reducing the burden on employees and training personnel alike.

With Technology, Simplified Learning and Increased Impact

Leader connectedness is the glue that holds successful teams together. And the reason is quite simple: When leaders guide with empathy and foster inclusion, employees feel heard and understood, creating an environment of trust that naturally cultivates collaboration and achievement. But in today’s workplace, trust is noticeably low. According to DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2023, only 46 percent of leaders trust their direct manager to make the right decisions, and a mere 32 percent trust senior leaders. These statistics highlight a growing crisis in leader-team relationships that can only be addressed through more vital leader connectedness. In contrast, employees who trust their leaders are nearly three times more likely to develop novel ideas or solutions than those in low-trust organizations. They are also less concerned with failing and try new ideas as an opportunity to learn.This article explores how leader connectedness can catalyze highly effective teams. Plus, the role development plays in helping leaders learn and practice the interpersonal skills they need to connect.What Is Leader Connectedness?Leader connectedness refers to the ability of leaders to foster meaningful relationships with their team members. Being a connected leader stems from two main components: openness and vulnerability. When leaders display these behaviors, employees are more likely to trust their leadership abilities. A connected leader also supports their team’s needs, emotions, and challenges. Employees want leaders who see them as more than just workers—they want to be valued as whole people. When leaders fail to connect with their teams, morale drops, effectiveness suffers, and, ultimately, employees leave.It’s important to remember that connected leadership does not mean knowing every detail of an employee’s life. Instead, it’s about understanding the human experience while at work. By recognizing and responding to employees’ emotions, leaders can create a more inclusive and trusting environment.Overcoming Barriers to Connected LeadershipWhile the benefits of being connected are clear, many leaders struggle to actually connect. Leaders are often uncomfortable with vulnerability. They may worry that showing emotion could undermine their authority. Or that being honest about a weakness or challenge could cause teams to lose confidence in them. However, DDI research shows that when leaders are regularly vulnerable, employees are 5.3 times more likely to trust them.To build or maintain trust, leaders must avoid common pitfalls such as: Breaking promisesServing own interestsActing inconsistentlyMaking assumptionsDoubting othersDismissing a person’s feelingsCutting a person shortOther roadblocks to leader connectedness might include not finding the time to build strong connections. Leaders may feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities and view relationship-building as a burden they don’t have time or mindshare to prioritize. But in reality, investing in relationships now prevents more significant problems down the line, such as turnover, disengagement, and low team morale. At the end of the day, prioritizing leader connectedness ultimately saves time by fostering a healthier, more resilient work environment.How Can Leaders Connect With Their Teams?It won’t come as a surprise that vulnerability is a great starting point for fostering connectedness. Leaders can practice being vulnerable with their teams by sharing personal experiences, admitting mistakes, and demonstrating empathy. In the flow of work, they can share thoughts, feelings, and the rationale for decisions. The ripple effect on team culture is significant: When leaders openly share their thoughts and feelings, team members feel safe expressing their own concerns and ideas. And that builds trust and connection.Remember, vulnerability is not about oversharing personal details. It’s about being human and sharing your personality, strengths, and weaknesses. This open dialogue leads to a more cohesive and collaborative team dynamic. Additionally, leaders can foster connectedness by listening actively and responding with empathy, a key component of trust and employee engagement and retention. Leaders who listen, acknowledge team members’ feelings, and respond in a supportive manner can better understand what motivates their teams and what challenges they face.ConclusionLeader connectedness is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. To create a lasting culture of trust, leaders should encourage open dialogue and show vulnerability themselves. A connected leader models the behaviors they wish to see in others, from keeping promises to facilitating open exchanges of ideas. By embracing vulnerability, listening with empathy, and building trust, leaders can create an environment where people feel valued and engaged. For HR professionals, this means prioritizing development programs that help leaders learn how to manage healthy interactions. When leaders prioritize connection, everyone wins—organizations thrive, teams excel, and leaders themselves discover that the view from the top doesn’t have to be lonely.For more insights into building stronger connections with your team, visit our blog on 5 Ways Leaders Can Overcome Remote Work Loneliness and discover how leader connectedness can combat feelings of isolation in the workplace.

Leader Connectedness: The Key to Building Stronger Teams

Stephanie grew up watching her grandfather glide through his Floridian hotel lobby, pleasing his guests who drove 100 miles to experience his hospitality. That early inspiration led Stephanie to the front desk of Chicago's Drake Hotel, the day after graduating from the University of Illinois/Champaign. Her hotel career skyrocketed to sales and marketing roles with Hilton Worldwide, Air France/Meridien Hotels, and Omni Hotels & Resorts. With her vast Rolodex, and never leaving any stone unturned, Stephanie followed her organizational and artful instincts to become an event planner. Through a consortium of boutique event houses, she attracted blue-chip clients to produce events coast to coast. Next, Stephanie was tapped as Director of Development at the Terra Museum of American Art. She studied the collection for years as a museum docent, helping the education department establish a corporate relations orientation through tours. Once employed, Stephanie managed all cultivation aspects, restructuring the museum’s revenue goals by turning the building into an event venue for profit. Stephanie's pioneering set a precedent for the way cultural events would long be held. The newly found word "edutainment" was no longer a mystery. Bass Hotels of the UK sought Stephanie as a director for their coveted Allerton Hotel restoration and re-opening, where she directed 25 inaugural engagements. Her strengths were best leveraged in Talent Management with weekly staff orientations. She motivated the team to re-launch the radio breakfast club, with area celebrities and neighbors highlighted on the air.   Stephanie most fondly reveres her Chef Concierge role at The Talbott Hotel, an award-winning Gold Coast property in the luxury boutique category. ("Chef" meaning head or chief in French, not a role in the hotel kitchen!) Her training expertise came into play with one-on-one and classroom training for seven years. Stephanie earned the highest designation of Les Clefs d'Or, and is Past President of the National Concierge Association – Chicago. She was also a finalist for the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association Stars of Industry Annual Awards. Stephanie is a Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP) as awarded by the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

Stephanie Emrich

Stephanie Mello is an organizational development specialist, focusing on employee engagement and workforce trends. Stephanie is currently partnering with the ATD Greater Boston Chapter for its social media efforts (@astdboston). Stephanie’s background includes four years with The Employee Engagement Group as vice president of client engagement. Prior to The Employee Engagement Group, she worked in the software industry for close to 10 years. Stephanie received a Bachelor of Science from Purdue University and a Masters from Northeastern University in Corporate & Organizational Communication with a focus on leadership.

Stephanie Mello

Today’s economy is … challenging. On top of that, some organizations are still adapting to the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, like distributed teams, remote meetings, and hybrid offices. The need for strong leaders is more significant than ever in light of those obstacles.Strong leadership skills are essential for managers to build and lead engaged, innovative teams prepared to handle today’s challenges. And the key to being a strong leader might be different from what you think. In an ELB Learning webinar, Kristie DeLoreto, SVP, Client Solutions, and Laura Doerr, VP, Operations at ELB Learning, demonstrated why empathy matters in leadership.Empathy in leadership is the ability to relate to and connect with people to inspire and empower their lives. However, it’s important for leaders to understand the difference between empathy and sympathy. “It’s a very gray line,” said DeLoreto. “I think you either kind of understand it, or you need to practice to get better at being more empathetic or knowing the difference between those two.”Lack of Empathy vs. EmpathyYou may have worked in environments where the first second somebody has performance problems at work, the automatic response is to say, “You’re out.”That is an example of a lack of empathy. Unfortunately, this can be fairly standard in our business world. Someone walks into your office and says, “Your numbers have been down for the third quarter in a row. You have to pick up your numbers. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee what the future will look like.”How inspired is that person going to be at work the next day? On the flip side, here’s the empathetic approach.Someone walks into your office and says, “Your numbers are down for the third quarter in a row. Are you okay? I’m worried about you. What’s going on?”We all have performance issues. Maybe someone’s kid is sick. Maybe they’re having problems in their marriage. We don’t know what’s going on in their lives, which will affect their performance at work. Empathy means being concerned about the human being, not just their output. Most people don’t want to be bad performers; they want to do a good job. Leaders must remember this.Exercising empathy can help leaders build teams, hire employees, and work with clients.Building teams. According to a 2022 Gallup report, employee engagement has dropped over the last several years to 32 percent, and 17 percent of employees are actively disengaged. Recognizing and respecting your employees’ emotions—even the negative ones—is a powerful way to connect with them. Empathy lays the groundwork for mature leadership and connecting with your workers as people.Hiring employees. Empathy is also important in the hiring process. It gives insight into another person’s motivations and helps you judge whether a candidate is right for a position. “If you look at your candidate with empathy, you can see the person and the human they are. And if they’re going to bring that to the table and bring those right skills and the right fit culturally, and all those other pieces just by thinking about that,” said DeLoreto. Working with clients. By employing empathy in your conversations with clients or subject matter experts, you can better understand their pain points and get on the same page. Having an open, thoughtful, empathetic conversation—especially with difficult clients—where you align and get on the same page will improve your relationship. In addition, empathy allows you to understand how another person is likely to behave, which can be powerful in negotiations.Why Leadership Training Can HelpDuring the webinar, DeLoreto polled the audience, asking who had worked for a leader who lacked empathy at any point in their career. The response was a resounding 95 percent “YES.”Effective leadership training needs to include soft skills training such as empathy. While there will always be a demand for training on hard skills, at ELB Learning, we’re seeing more and more clients come to us for manager and leadership development.

Most Important Skill for Leaders Is Empathy—Here’s Why

January 2015 - TD Magazine

Rebranding Employee Resource Groups

Engaged companies grow profits as much as 3X faster than their competitors. Improving the culture around you does not need to be complex or expensive. Stephanie Mello outlines three easy and inexpensive ways to engage employees in this ATD blog.

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