While the world of work has increasingly gone digital and desk based, there is one sector of the global workforce that sometimes gets forgotten: deskless workers.

This huge sector of the workforce doesn't necessarily have access to timely company information or stats, but still make up a huge and important part of a modern business.

And in the era of improved employee engagement, where business leaders and managers are obsessed with data, communication and company culture, bringing deskless workers into the 21st century is becoming an important part of overall business strategy. In fact, the Great Resignation, the post-COVID job market shake up, was largely a result of disenfranchised employees taking the opportunity to take new directions and looking to companies that offered better company culture.

And this incorporates things like employee communication, not to mention giving workers the ability to connect with management or feel like their work has meaning, beyond the pay packet.

Putting it simply: deskless workers remain an important but often maligned part of the workplace. So how can we change this using modern technology solutions?

Deskless workers refers to workers who never, or rarely, work from an office desk. The implication is that most deskless workers have minimal access to computers or company communications, and that they are often seen as either frontline or blue collar workers.

It covers a wide range of job roles, including:

In fact, 80% of the global workforce is considered a deskless worker, making it the dominant form of workplace environment.

Stats also show that the deskless worker turnover rate is high, with estimates ranging between 100% to 500% on an annual basis. This is largely down to the fact that deskless workers tend to be in low paid, manual or temporary positions, often on factory or shop floors, or other frontline settings.

Many deskless employees play an integral role in many frontline services and operations. Despite this, they’ve largely been unaccounted for when it comes to digital transformation.

How digital transformation forgot the deskless employee...

Since the beginning of the pandemic and the transition to remote work, companies have invested in SaaS tools, online platforms, and apps that aim to keep employees engaged, connected, and productive. However, the majority of these tools are designed to support workers behind a desk who use a screen or their mobile devices to communicate with colleagues.

These tools and systems can’t be harnessed by deskless workers who spend their workdays largely on their feet and nowhere near a work computer. Many of these workers don’t have time to constantly check their mobile devices, or are prohibited from doing so in the workplace, and the majority of them don’t even have a work email address. 

On top of this, most deskless workers work longer shifts and spend large parts of their day either alone or minimally interacting with others, which can lead to higher levels of stress, burnout, and unhappiness at work. 

The stress and added pressure that has come from the disruptions of the pandemic have only added to the low levels of employee satisfaction around the world.   

It’s clear that digital transformation strategies adopted by businesses have largely geared towards supporting desk-based workers, while failing to account for the needs of the deskless workforce, many of whom work long hours and take on additional risk, being unable to perform their jobs remotely. 

Organizations who employ a deskless workforce need to do more to support and motivate their employees. This is especially true as the modern workforce (eg. Gen-Z and Millennials) tends to prioritize personal health and welfare, as well as valuing a strong company culture and openness.

Taking your company's frontline and deskless workers seriously is no longer an option.

Keeping your employees engaged and informed goes beyond simple good manners. Multiple studies show that employee engagement has a huge impact on both productivity and employee retention. (Workday)

And in the post-Great Resignation era, keeping hold of your best workers and improving job satisfaction is crucial.

In fact, retaining employees saves your business time and money, factoring in hiring, training and the associated costs with onboarding new hires.

And of course, good employee communication and engagement helps to:

Improve safety and reduce workplace accidents (yes, really)

Boost workplace security (including on-site safety and the increasingly important cybersecurity)

These are just a few of the benefits associated with engaging employees in general. And of course keeping your frontline employees has additional benefits such as improving customer service, brand image and much more.

Enabling your frontline workers, or deskless employees, to feel part of the business takes some strategy. Working with office based workers, it's easier to call a meeting, make an announcement or even send an email, as you know they'll have access to their email (and you can remind them to read it).

With deskless workers, the challenges can be many and varied.

Are some of them temporary workers or working part time?

Do you have a multilingual workforce, or at least one that doesn't speak your local language?

Are your workers mobile, such as delivery drivers or transport workers?

There are many things to bear in mind when it comes to connecting with your deskless workforce, and finding the right communication channels. Of course, you still want to encourage employee engagement and ensure that they feel part of the company.

These methods offer several simple yet effective ways to connect and even empower deskless employees.

For deskless employees on the job, staying on top of important company announcements and updates can be frustrating, especially if companies use some form of company intranet or internal memos to communicate.

An accessible way to convey information is to use bulletin boards with regular updates. While most deskless employees might not spend much time in the office, they can pass through a main office area, or staff room, which is a good time to use direct communication.

Increasingly, digital displays are being used for bulletin boards which can be a great way to fill the communication gap between businesses and their deskless employees.

Digital signage can be used in a staff room or canteen area to share important information, news updates, birthday messages, and company achievements with the entire workforce at the same time, even if they're not spending long in the office. 

Encourage on-the-job-learning and engagement

Employees who are engaged while at work are more motivated and productive. Offering job progression isn't always an option, but giving them the opportunity to learn new skills has several benefits.

First of all, the employee feels like they are being invested in by the company, which can help employees feel connected with both the role they're doing and their future at the company.

And, according to studies, helping them to learn new skills on the job usually contributes to an improvement in productivity and engagement.

There are many ways to enact workplace training, including offering access to courses at work, on the job training, or using workplace displays for employee training.

In fact, workplace digital signage can play a key role in facilitating employee engagement in the workplace by displaying interactive games, general knowledge questions, facts of the day, and employee tutorials and educational short-courses that encourage employees to improve their working knowledge. 

Yes, they might be deskless workers, but they may still have access to an office area or staff rec room where they can take time to be trained.

Employee safety is a top priority for most businesses who operate in frontline industries like manufacturing and distribution, and getting employees to follow certain workplace safety protocols correctly is a common challenge. 

Investing in health and safety training doesn't just reduce the chances of workplace accidents. It can also contribute to improved employee engagement and help with team building and job satisfaction too.

By using digital signage within a manufacturing or other non-desk based workplace, employees can receive consistent messages relating to important safety procedures that must be followed. This is key to increasing employee adoption rates of health and safety protocols, as opposed to dedicating one or two days a year to outlining said procedures.

Make every employee feel supported and valued

As deskless workers don't experience the traditional office setting, they can also slip through the net with regards to job recognition. In fact, 84% of deskless workers feel that they are not recognized for their efforts, despite the essential nature of their work. (report)

So, making every employee feel important and valued within a company can greatly improve employees’ happiness and sense of purpose in the workplace. 

Of course, remuneration is a huge part of how workers feel valued. However, using other methods can help employers or managers to provide their support, such as:

Keeping employees informed of business performance and developments

Offering regular assessments and feedback

Offering a channel for communication and engagement whether this is Slack, Whatsapp groups or email

Recognizing successes and achievements (including those outside of the workplace)

Take a look at our guide: What are the best employee retention strategies?

How to use digital signage to improve employee engagement

Even though the deskless worker might not spend much time in the office, digital displays can be a useful way to convey key information and communicate. This is especially the case for employees in hospitality, retail, transportation and manufacturing industries, or within a setting where there is a base where employees meet.

Adding in digital signage to your staff break area can be one of the most cost effective communication channels.

For example, companies can use workplace digital signage to celebrate and show appreciation for their deskless workforce, or to share updates and key information.

This can be a congratulations for a team success, or wishing individuals a happy birthday. Or it could also be sharing a reminder about a safety update, deadline to request time off or details of holiday opening hours.

Improving the employee experience through communication is a simple and cost effective way to improve your company culture. It builds stronger working relationships between employees and the company and helps to create a positive workplace that employees will want to remain a part of. 

Read our complete guide: What is digital signage?

Using ScreenCloud as part of your deskless worker engagement strategy

As companies continue to embrace digital transformation, they shouldn’t overlook the needs of their deskless workers. Digital transformation shouldn’t exclude the deskless workforce and transformation strategies should be implemented that bring specific benefits to deskless employees. 

ScreenCloud’s cloud-based digital signage software can help you reach and maximize engagement with your deskless workforce with ease. 

Make your workplace digital displays do more! Get set up with digital signage and start adding in important communications for your deskless workforce.

Book a demo with us to learn how we can help you supercharge your deskless employees using digital signage. 

Deskless employees make up over 80% of the global workforce. But how can business managers engage these essential workers to ensure they feel valued?

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