Deskless workers are a vulnerable part of your workforce. Since they aren’t physically connected to the in-office work environment, it can be tough for these employees to feel engaged, recognized, and motivated.
The lack of communication with a disconnected workforce is a serious issue that causes high turnover rates while hindering productivity. That’s why streamlining communication solutions for deskless workers deserves to be on top of your company’s agenda.
Let’s take a closer look at the importance of rethinking communications tools for your deskless workforce.
Who Are Deskless Workers?
Deskless workers are employees who don’t sit at a desk. Instead of having a designated workspace equipped with a computer and a comfortable chair, these people are at the organization’s frontline.
Common examples are:
- Retail staff
- Consultants
- Construction workers
- Nurses
- Manufacturing workers
Their absence from the traditional office environment encourages the “out of sight, out of mind” approach. When management is pressed for time (and always is), they may not remember the importance of communication with the workforce they don’t see daily.
The lack of communication leads to several serious issues:
- High turnover rates – deskless workers are often dissatisfied with their jobs. Studies show that 36% of them want to quit. These numbers are disturbing, with 80% of the global workforce being deskless.
- Lost information – without communication tools, deskless workers can’t share or receive valuable information in real-time. This can have a severe impact on work quality. Additionally, it prevents knowledge from staying in-house. When a worker quits, accumulated knowledge leaves with them.
- Disengagement – the absence of proper communication coupled with a lack of designated workspace in headquarters can promote disengagement. Employees who don’t understand their contribution to the company’s bottom line quickly lose interest in their work.
- Recognition – without strong communication tools, it’s impossible to recognize what deskless workers are doing and reward them for it. The absence of proper recognition affects engagement and satisfaction, leading to high turnover rates.
Eventually, deskless workers stop contributing to the company’s success. This affects operations, makes it harder to retain top talent, and creates a disengaged workplace environment.
What Does Deskless Worker Communication Typically Look Like?
Deskless worker communication is usually complicated since it requires a different communication strategy. When companies don’t design a separate strategy or invest in appropriate tools for the deskless workforce, they start experiencing common challenges:
- Low communication speed
- Erroneous data
- Hard-to-reach employees (the majority don’t even have a corporate email address)
- Misunderstandings
- Poor communication flexibility
To make sure your deskless workers are satisfied, engaged, and recognized, it’s imperative to focus on streamlining the employee communication experience*.
7 Reasons You Need Communication Solutions for Your Deskless Workers
Building a robust communication strategy that involves high-quality tools is integral to holding on to your top deskless talent and streamlining business operations. The main reasons you need to review your approach to deskless workforce communication include the following.
1. Deskless Workers Have a Voice
Deskless workers require high-quality communication as much as the rest of the workforce. In fact, they need a unique approach since direct face-to-face contact is rarely available.
Meanwhile, deskless workers have valuable information to share with the company that management may need for successful decision-making. Giving deskless workers a voice isn’t just a way to help them feel engaged; it’s a prerequisite for better company operations.
For many companies, deskless employees make up a significant part of the workforce. Failure to hear their voice could lead to disengagement and high turnover rates.
2. Deskless Workforce Deserves Recognition
One of the main downsides of poor communication is the lack of due recognition, leading to high deskless workforce turnover. In some industries, turnover rates reach 500%. While you may have a stellar employee recognition program, a lack of communication could leave deskless workers out of the loop.
A simple “thank you” goes a long way when it comes to worker appreciation. Saying it to an employee who isn’t physically present is problematic. By employing relevant communication tools, you can recognize deskless employees the same way you do your on-site workforce.
The benefits of robust employee recognition programs are endless. They range from higher engagement and satisfaction rates to streamlined operations and inflated revenue. You lose many of these advantages if you don’t recognize the deskless workforce.
3. They Need a Strong Connection to the Leadership
Many deskless workers don’t see their leadership in person for months. Short phone calls and a couple of emails are not sufficient to create a connection. Without proper communication with leadership, it’s easy to become disengaged.
Today, companies experience severe communication gaps. A recent survey demonstrated that 76% of leaders believe they use emails to communicate with their workers, while only 43% of workers agree. Meanwhile, 57% of leaders say they use verbal updates, while only 17% of workers say they receive them.
A solid connection to leadership allows employees to feel more invested in their work and understand how their effort impacts the company’s bottom line. Such a connection to the deskless workforce is faulty without appropriate communication tools.
4. Deskless Workforce Can Support the Company’s Culture
Great company culture contributes to employee engagement, business growth, and competitive edge. The company culture flourishes if workers and management are connected and adhere to the same values.
Integrating the company’s mission and values into all communications is integral to maintaining an excellent culture. If deskless workers don’t communicate well, they can’t support or feel connected to the culture.
While they may be wearing a uniform and wielding branded tools, these workers need support to become a part of the culture. Only a strong communication strategy can keep them in the loop continuously.
5. You Boost Employee Engagement and Morale
Streamlined employee communication can help improve deskless worker engagement. The more information you share with the employee, the more connected they feel to the company. Employees who learn about upcoming tasks, audits, or holidays several hours after the rest of the workforce can feel disconnected and frustrated.
Besides affecting productivity, such poor communication can negatively impact employee satisfaction.
Deskless workers often have more responsibilities and accountability than the in-office workforce. If they get less attention, the morale plummets. High-quality communication tools can help you avoid the problem and arrange seamless communication with the entire crew regardless of location.
6. You Improve Knowledge Retention
While you are working on implementing employee engagement ideas and streamlining productivity, you may not be paying enough attention to knowledge retention. Meanwhile, the amount of knowledge your deskless workers generate is tremendous.
If you don’t allow them to share and record this information, you can’t use it to improve your business operations or make critical decisions.
Robust communication tools don’t just help you recognize and engage employees. They allow you to collect valuable information and use it for company growth and development.
7. You Receive Much-Needed Feedback
Listening culture in the workplace can go a long way toward improving engagement and increasing productivity. While you may be training leaders on active listening, they simply can’t use their skills with deskless employees unless you give them the right tools to do it.
Gathering feedback from deskless workers on time could help you streamline your work operations and prevent top talent from leaving.
It may be harder to establish a culture of trust with a deskless workforce than with employees you see daily in the office. That’s why listening to and acting on their feedback is even more important.
How Do You Begin Deploying Your Deskless Worker Communication Strategy?
To begin deploying your deskless worker communication strategy, you need to:
- Explain the importance of deskless workforce communication to the management
- Provide the right communication tools to both employees and leaders
- Help deskless employees learn how to use available communication tools and channels
- Create a mandatory communication schedule and plans for virtual check-ins
Taking advantage of the right communication solutions is the key to streamlining deskless worker communication.
The tools you provide to the workforce shouldn’t have a high learning curve or require complex technology. A smartphone, an app, or a browser and an internet connection should be sufficient.
Rolling Out Communication Solutions for Your Deskless Workers Improves Morale, Collaboration, and Productivity
Improving communication with your deskless workforce is integral to your company’s success. Connected employees are engaged, motivated, and satisfied with their work.
By giving your deskless workforce high-quality communication opportunities, you are integrating them into the company culture, improving morale, boosting productivity, and much more. Choosing the right communication solutions for your deskless workers is key to strengthening the connection and avoiding downtime.Refresh’s communications tool helps you maintain a seamless connection with your employees regardless of location. To learn more about this robust communication solution, please request a free demo at any convenient time, or check out our communication tools here.