'No desk’ doesn’t equal ‘no voice’: communicating with the deskless workforce
How Corporate America perpetuates a disservice to the majority and how to build a better work environment.
The reality is, a large portion of employee communication across deskless industries still happens by word of mouth or notice boards, where content lacks the design elements that could do it justice, and information becomes inconsistent, inaccurate, or out of date. Core channels are also completely oversaturated and, as a result, about three-quarters of employees reportedly feel they are missing out on important information today.
This lack of equitable corporate communication offerings and the lag in seeking transformational digital solutions to rectify the issue are contributing to feelings of alienation, disconnection and discouragement, but this doesn’t have to be the case. With today’s unprecedented labor demand, the changing tide of employee expectations, an increase in union formation, and a potential recession looming, effective employee engagement has never been more paramount to fueling company success.
Carving a path forward requires companies to wake up to the fact that employees without desks don’t lose their inherent right (or expectation) to having a voice. Now is the time to take the right steps towards addressing the ‘no desk means no voice’ internal communication pitfall head on, before it’s too late.
Understanding deskless woes
Commitment to work relies heavily on the strength of any employee’s psychological contract with their employer. This psychological contract is in flux at all times, and is constantly influenced by a range of correlators; from being informed and having expectations effectively managed to nurturing a sense of belonging and purpose for deskless workers. Without a sense of “tribe,” a sense of agency, or boosts to morale, it’s easy for employees to feel underrecognized, undervalued, and without support.
Considering that deskless talent is rarely at corporate headquarters or in spaces where proximity to either centralized — or localized — communication can be enabled in-person, (instead working boots-on-the-ground in many positions) it’s not that hard to understand how they’re often excluded from direct operational and company narratives, completely siloed from valuable, motivating, or instructive information, and instead left to make sense of department and company happenings by hearsay, or rumor. Needless to say, it’s a recipe for uncertainty.
Uncertainty is stressful and it leads to disgruntled employees. In fact, a global study conducted by Boston Consulting Group found that “of more than 7,000 deskless workers from the US, Australia, France, Germany, India, Japan, and the UK, as many as 37% were looking to quit within the next six months.” Many of these respective industries have already reported 100% turnover rates - an issue very likely to perpetuate if left unaddressed.
Catering to the next generation
The youngest members of the deskless workforce is already waving their white flags. According to the same Boston Consulting Group study, the youngest deskless employees were on average more likely to leave their jobs than their older peers, and a little under half of Gen Z workers (48%) were at risk of quitting their jobs in the next six months – double the number of baby boomers.
If attrition rates like these grow, who will replace the talented and experienced workers leaving their positions across the deskless industries that serve as the backbone of society? Gen Z puts a large emphasis on company culture when considering either leaving or applying to a job, and is much more progressive when it comes to articulating individualized needs. Companies must embrace the need to deploy tailored and innovative channels to meet these expectations; to recognize and inform employees, and in doing so keep company culture alive.
Digital transformation is the antidote
So, how can companies do right by their people?
One way to bridge the divide is through positively impactful technology. Screens, for instance, might be ubiquitous, but employers still consistently miss the mark in using them effectively: they’re turned off or left blank, are broadcasting 24/7 news that doesn’t relate to the audience, or are repeating fatigued content — the same five messages that quickly go ignored, and eventually become annoying.
Digital signage shouldn’t be underestimated in a communications application. We all accept digital signage as a means to advertise and to sell, but it is well placed as an antidote to the woes of the digitally detached.
The secret is creating curated communication landscapes that enable deskless workers with the content they actually want and need to see. To do this properly, companies need to rid themselves of the notion of “work as imagined” (the idealized Head Office perspective) and instead facilitate a “work as done” approach. This can include better signposting of the benefits deskless workers care the most about, universally understood health/safety requirements that reflect the real-life deskless experience, and giving localized sites/centers the autonomy to contribute to internal comms content.
People place higher value on things they’ve helped build, and organizations can take a page from the IKEA effect by generating localized input, and driving more participatory approaches to internal comms via screens. Screens that effectively reach people where they’re at (physically and figuratively) also become screens that interact. QR codes, graphics, videos, and dashboards can completely elevate historically “dumb” screens and turn them into strategic and captivating resources that achieve outcomes; for example, increasing efficiency and productivity.
Go above and beyond
It’s clear that it’s imperative now more than ever that employers find more innovative ways to ensure the majority of the workforce feels connected, included, and valued.
Considering an overall industry emphasis on digital transformation, those that don’t take advantage of the right technology in the process will continue to miss the mark. We envisage a world where those who do, are able to emphatically and proactively share their comms techstack as part of their benefits provision, and where every company embracing digital signage for their deskless workforce can better compete for talent as a result. By building and launching a versatile and thoughtfully executed communication strategy that connects all employees, functions and multi-site locations, organizations can make all the difference – for their employees and their bottom line.
Ginni Lisk is VP People at ScreenCloud.