Upskilling 101: How Lemi has ensured a productive L&D approach during the pandemic

Having always operated remotely, with a team based across the globe, training at growing start-up Lemi has been, for the most part, virtual. Elaine Carag, Chief of Staff, Lemi, shares how this helped when the pandemic first struck, the brand's long-term vision for its L&D strategy, and more. 

For a growing start-up such as Lemi, L&D has always been important. Having always operated remotely, with team members based all over the globe (Hong Kong, Manila, Bangkok, and Gothenburg), training at Lemi has been, for the most part, virtual.

Elaine Carag, Chief of Staff, Lemi, says: "Apart from annual workshops where the whole team meets for planning and strategising, we mostly stay connected through various software for calls, chats, and project management in our day-to-day. That’s why, when the pandemic happened, it took little adjustments on our part to continue operations. We barely paused and even continued hiring throughout this period."

The firm has been leveraging on Zoom meetings since 2017, and it remains the primary means of communication - training or otherwise. That said, it still faced minor issues when the pandemic hit. With 80% of the team based in the Philippines, one issue was transporting equipment to and from the physical office when the lockdown was imposed.

When it comes to learning, Carag notes: "I found that it also takes a bit of adjustment for some personalities to adjust to learning virtually, but we’ve made sure to provide them with the support they need to ensure they are productive despite the changes in their working environment."

Lemi’s long-term vision is to continue improving its L&D approach and completely adapt it to a 'new normal' in the workplace. "We will continue to invest in what will keep us going, especially in terms of our employees’ productivity. The plan is to keep our established culture alive as we continue growing, even while in social isolation."

This interview first appeared as part of a feature in the May-June 2020 e-mag of Human Resources, Singapore, and the Q2 2020 edition of Human Resources, Malaysia. Read the case study in the e-mag, or the full feature here. 

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