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A modular tool that immerses the learner and delivers a change of habits that will ellivate stress from technology and instill confidence in managing home working routines
About
The POWER Tool (Personally Optimising Work Environments & Routines or TPT) was initially developed and successfully trialled with a grant from Innovate UK’s ‘Business-led innovation in response to global disruption’ fund. Our business is a small internationally recognised project team that blend highly technical eLearning within novella style fictional scenarios produced to broadcast standards. The gaming team add a level of immersion unusual in traditional office eLearning programmes. We recognised early on that would be a market need for a suite of tools that addressed in a measurably effective way large scale migration to remote collaborative working, post the pandemic. We had recently developed a solution for MOD Commanders that was deemed ‘pioneering’ and knew the cross over techniques that could apply to the UK office-based workforce. The POWER Tool (TPT) reduces technology triggered stress by changing behaviours related to the practical longer-term cyber, GDPR and collaborative sharing set-ups required to stay safe in a home office. The tool then combines this technical assurance with mental health routines, supporting many who have previously relied on office routines or mentors. The team deploy incremental 'Nudge' learning architecture to extend and measure the retention value achieved through ‘spaced’ learning. The layered tool design enables managers to localise the tool iconography and environment references and delivery can be achieved through a ‘live’ internal collaborative workshop using our simulcast studio or via self-directed learning from a single URL. Different levels of capacity growth measurement can be configured to operate that include analytics related to emotional intelligence and cognitive resilience, as well as digital skills performance. We are seeking early adopters and collaborative partners to extend the range of products that address the market needs of the immediate future.
Key Benefits
This tool is a basic training solution to the mental and emotional challenges of employees who have had to opt for partial or total home working in the medium term future. The tool uses storytelling of fictional scenarios that bring to life the issues that arise immediately you start to set up a home office and offer techniques and advice on handling a wide range of issues identified in many research projects, including combating a sense of isolation, taking the stress out of cyber security; creating & managing daily routines; limiting screen time addiction; handling collaborative video team meetings; and safeguarding productivity. The tool is manufactured on an xAPI platform to allow for internal integration to most in-house systems and can be configured, localised and white labelled to suit client's needs.. It can also be delivered via our 'live' simulcast studio to an employee workshop group; or as a self-directed learning programme that can be downloaded or accessed through the organisation's LMS. Data capture within the tool can be configured to support a range of analytics and performance measurements. We have used innovative techniques to create the broadcast storytelling at 30% of the cost of traditional transmedia manufacture and this allows us to be competitively priced, whilst offering a much more immersive and ultimately effective behaviour change and support programme. This tool has been designed as the first of several tools that will ultimately deliver a suite of learning that addresses at both technical and emotional depth the challenges of remote working.
Applications
With Global Workplace Analytics estimating that "25-30% of the workforce will be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021" our target market is potentially international, as has been the case with our environmental and cyber behaviour tools. The sectors already adopting more permanent homeworking strategies, backed up by ONS statistics, are Information & Communication (14.8%0; and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (12.8%). We have already had inquiries after the trial from several UK Universities to produce a Student Edition, which is currently in development. There have also been discussion with two major App developers to create a mobile app for general public consumption.