What is a Deskless Workforce?
Deskless workforce refers to employees who do not have a desk in the office, meaning they work from home or from a remote location. Working from home is a trend that many companies capitalize on, especially in our current situation.
This frees their office space and investment in infrastructure. Companies taking advantage of remote work prefer to have more remote employees, which explains why there are more than 2.7 billion such employees globally. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a huge segment of the workforce working remotely, and the pandemic is likely to increase the number of people working from home after it subsides as companies begin to realize the value.
While employees working from home is convenient for both the employer and employee, there are certain issues that can arise. One of the primary issues is communication.
The employee and the employer may never meet, and communication happens over telephone, email, and other modes. This increases the chance of communication failing, leading to work disruptions and productivity issues. It is a challenge for companies to engage with employees who are deskless. Let’s look at a few strategies that can keep communication flowing smoothly under remote conditions.
Communication Strategies for the Deskless Workforce
Engaging with the deskless workforce requires have a proper policy in place. There are many communication strategies that can help the organization communicate effectively and engage with their remote workforce. Three such effective strategies are presented below:
1) Create a Digital Workplace
A digital workplace enables employees to use digital media to carry out their work. All tasks performed, from planning to execution, would be done using computer software or mobile apps. The advantages are that it ensures accurate work with minimal errors, reduces workload, and most importantly makes work simpler for employees. The digital workplace should have software to schedule work and share files with colleagues and superiors. There are many such apps and software in the market to get this done. An employee engagement app can be very useful for this.
The engagement app would have features to schedule work and share it with employees. Any employee who wants to change a shift or work schedule can make a request through the app. This would be approved by the superior, changes done, and everyone would get a notification informing them of the change. This is an effective system of working. Such an app also allows sharing of files and documents. Above all, it has additional features like reward system, recognition system, training, etc. to engage with employees and keep them motivated.
2) Communicate using an App or Online
Deskless workforce requires effective communication. Since they are physically far away, they feel disconnected from the organization. An employee communication app would help the organization to communicate effectively with employees. Studies have shown that communicating through an app is more effective than e-mail and telephonic calls. Since most employees have mobile phones, they would welcome the opportunity to communicate through a mobile app.
3) Involve Deskless Workforce in Training
Training is very important to enhance skills. Deskless workforce also needs training. Online training can help train such employees, however, it tends to become impersonal. In such a situation, training using an engagement app can be very helpful. Training delivered through an app ensures instant interaction between the trainer and trainee. It makes employees feel involved in the training process. Employees can take up live training or can undergo training at the time of their convenience and can participate in live interactions. This is a great way to engage with deskless workforce and make them feel involved.
The 3 communication strategies listed above are those that are effective in engaging with employees. If your organization has deskless workforce, you can consider using these strategies to engage with your team and achieve more.
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Related posts:
- 3 Communication Strategies to Engage Your Deskless Workforce - May 27, 2020
