Five ways to retain and engage the ‘deskless’ workforce

During the height of COVID-19, workforces across the world stepped up admirably to ensure operations continued during the most volatile of circumstances. As a consequence, not only have many organisations rethought their entire attitude towards agility, for the desk-based workforce, entire new ways of working have sprung up. This is good news for office workers but with 80% of the workforce being roster-driven/shift-based (or ‘deskless’), has this majority seen the same improvements in working practice as their desk-based peers? Research from the Josh Bersin Company has shown the experience for deskless workers is similar but different to deskbound workers. “Part of the problem lies in the technology that deskless workers have – or haven’t – had access to,” says Nathan Miller, managing director, UK & Europe at Humanforce. “Other research from venture capital firm Emergence back in 2018 showed that only about 1% of software venture funding goes to technology aimed at deskless workers. Their survey found that 65% of deskless workers had not been provided with any additional technology to complete their jobs, and 60% were unsatisfied with their work.“While deskbound workers are typically using computers or laptops to do their work, deskless workers rely heavily on their mobile phones, so unless workplace technology is mobile-friendly, they don’t have access to the tools that their deskbound colleagues take for granted,” Miller says.This means that almost every touchpoint an employee has with their employer in a deskless environment has suffered – from the recruitment process to rostering/scheduling and checking hours worked and pay details, through to learning and development, communication from peers, managers and headquarters and accessing benefits. “It’s all either been done in a haphazard manner, or it’s still being done using manual methods, or methods that were created for deskbound workers. When you’ve got people working different hours, shifts and roles in different locations, that’s far from ideal,” says Miller.It also means that many of the workers in these deskless industries feel under-appreciated, burnt out, and not provided with the learning opportunities and career paths that they deserve. So what’s the answer?Invest in mobile-first techPeople need to be able to access their work-related apps from anywhere at any time, ‘in the flow’ of their normal work processes, says Miller. “This means they should also be cloud-based. Your employees need to be able to access this technology easily. It needs to be intuitive, and it shouldn’t take a huge amount of time for them to access what they need. So, the user experience needs to be exceptional.”Know what your employees actually doPut simply, employers of deskless workers just can’t offer the same level of flexibility as employers of deskbound workers. Hybrid or remote work options are out of the question for work such as nursing, physical retail and childcare. “What you can do,” says Miller, “is offer greater flexibility in their work schedules. You can empower them to choose and bid on the shifts that best suit their circumstances. You can provide them with their roster well in advance, so they know the hours they’ll be working ahead of time. Technology like Humanforce enables all of that.”Listen to your employees Engagement means genuinely listening to your employees via surveys and polls: “It means more effective communication channels, it means understanding what makes your employees happy – or otherwise – and understanding what can be done to improve their working environment,” says Miller. HR technology provides a rich pool of employee data to gain insights into what’s working, what’s not working and how things could be improved. This data includes things such as attendance summaries and leave management trends so workforce manager decisions are based on data and not gut instinct. Which is something that can be easy to rely on if you’re glancing at your staff across an open office, but less easy when they’re out in the community or in a warehouse. Learning and developmentLearning and development has traditionally been an afterthought for many employers of deskless workers. Micro-learning means that learning can be broken down into bite-sized chunks. “Again,” says Miller, “this is perfect for workers who aren’t sitting behind a laptop every day. They can use their mobile phones.” Offering a learning and development pathway makes a huge difference to whether employees feel their employer is investing in future-proofing their skills. Tech such as the Humanforce suite can help by keeping track of who holds mandatory certifications and qualifications, and sending reminders for when training might need to occur. All of this inevitably leads to more engaged workers who stick around for longer. Give greater controlWe’ve all witnessed the impact COVID-19 had on employee wellbeing, and it was the frontline workers who bore the brunt of this. The upside of this is that employers have become more involved and interested in worker wellbeing. “Humanforce has an extensive partner ecosystem who can assist our customers with things such as earned wage access so that employees can put themselves in greater control of their financial situation,” says Miller.Strategic human resource management involves a future-oriented process of developing and implementing HR programmes that address and solve business problems and directly contribute to major long-term business objectives. With so much of the workforce deskless, it’s important not to focus too much energy on the workers you can see from your office window. With talent a concern for CEOs – 49% agreed with the statement that “it is very difficult for us to find and hire the kind of people we need in our business” – it’s imperative to be able to see the wood for the trees. Concerned about high employee turnover in your organisation? Click here to download Humanforce’s eBook, Improving Worker Retention in Challenging Times. It’s packed with useful insights and tips on how to hold onto talent in a deskless work environment, with special focus on the new employee experience and the push for more flexible work schedules. Humanforce is a leading provider of shift-based workforce management solutions that simplifies onboarding, scheduling, time and attendance, employee engagement, and communication. Contact us to find out more.

Five ways to retain and engage the ‘deskless’ workforce

Confirm cancellation

Interests

Interests