There are some people you want with you in a crisis: Howard Hines – Director of Training EMEA is one; Catherine Wilson – Client Project Manager, Masterclass is another.

Last week, Westcon-Comstor, a $3 billion IT distribution business, moved at speed to get over 2,500 employees working remotely. Westcon-Comstor doesn’t just talk about Global Reach, Local Touch – it lives it. 

Howard and the leadership team recognised that working remotely in these unprecedented circumstances is tough, not just for individuals but for managers, too. 

Howard turned to Masterclass Training to build two live, one-hour virtual training sessions – Managing Remotely and Working Remotely. These were to be broadcast around the world to fit local work times. The aim was two-fold: a clear message of support from leadership, and a set of practical tools to help individuals and managers. 

Embracing the challenge, Catherine Wilson worked round the clock with the team at Masterclass to create and deliver five sessions, starting at 4am to reach New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and South East Asia, mid-morning to connect Europe, Middle East, Africa and Nordics, and the afternoon for the Americas. 1,751 people dialled in live and
hundreds have now watched the recorded version. They also have back up
materials and guides to help them.

An amazing job. Training and development doesn’t have to stop just because
we’re working remotely. Westcon-Comstor is making sure that everyone, wherever
they are, can stay safe, connected and secure and still do their work.