There are many options for maximizing employee performance levels across an organization. But when it comes to including non-desk employees into your workforce management improvement process, the task can seem daunting and fraught with risks. Deskless workers in industries such as manufacturing, construction, healthcare, retail, and hospitality, amongst others, are both valuable assets while at the same presenting a connection and engagement challenge to employers.
Making sure that this workforce is engaged, communicated with, and managed as efficiently and effectively as possible will deliver more productive employees and improved product quality, better customer service, and increased profitability. The benefits of improving workforce management are well documented. With employee turnover and staffing challenges at an all-time high, there has never been a better time to address this.
With the rise of mobile cloud-based technologies and the widespread use of smartphones, workforce management and connecting with non-desk workers who typically operate without access to company email has been dramatically simplified. Add solutions (like Shelbe AI) to these advancements, which automatically handle the ever-changing delegation of responsibilities and permissions, eliminating manual management and saving anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.
With their real-time data and analytics, today’s workforce management platforms seek to put the power of knowledge and organization to work. Companies will no longer have to worry if they have the right person with the right skills for the right job. With employee participation baked into the scheduling process, you are all but guaranteed a more motivated and engaged workforce. With increased data transparency, it is becoming easier to monitor and analyze the impact of certain decisions, processes, or communications and make adjustments accordingly.
So why then are many companies still struggling with improving workforce management?
The answer is that non-desk workers have entirely different work habits, needs, and wants than workers already connected to their company through corporate email, HCM tools, and a corporate environment. Outdated modes of engagement such as break room message boards, communication via video monitors, or word of mouth approaches do little to drive a feeling of connection amongst the deskless workforce. Additionally, most open-architected messaging apps fail to provide relevant content for non-desk workers and only create noise for a part of the workforce that frankly has little time for communication frequency and styles that desk workers are accustomed to receiving.
With the proper architecture that caters to the needs and behaviors of the non-desk worker, over time, the company can create a sense of trust with the workforce. At Red e App, we call this WorkTrust. WorkTrust is the feeling of support and wellbeing that results from an organization’s commitment to the needs of its workforce. As research by Gallup has shown, creating an authentic, equitable, inclusive connection that enables a virtuous cycle of engagement, an individual’s sense of work purpose can more easily align with the organization’s.
This creation of WorkTrust needs to be built from the beginning around the unique wants and needs of people who work on factory floors, construction sites, healthcare facilities, and retail. With the right solution, and the use of built-in data and analysis, tracking the improvement of your workforce management should be easy. Increases in productivity, safety, retention, training, and savings will be apparent, but there will be many areas where the benefit of improving workforce management will also show up; these include improved transparency, employee morale, and increased opportunities for advancement.
With 2023 rapidly approaching, now is the time to ask yourself if you are focusing enough on maximizing your approach to workforce management. Here is a short video of one of our clients talking about the positive effects creating employee engagement with Red e App can have across the company.
Sign up for a free trial of Red e App today to learn how our powerful tool will help you address high turnover, increase employee retention and create an engaged workforce.
Jim White
Communications Director
Red e App
About the author: Before joining Red e App as Communications Director, Jim acted as Chief Creative Officer for some of the country’s largest brand agencies. As a creative, agency owner, and Vice-Chairman, Jim has led the marketing efforts for many of the world’s most well-known brands, including Budweiser, British Airways, Philip Morris, Hanes, Mars, Miller, JOOP!, PepsiCo, Siemens, and many more. His campaigns for Miller, Shoney’s, Hanes, and Wachovia set historical marks for the highest scores achieved to date.
