In the last couple of years, office workers have been filled with tools to assist them in maximizing productivity while working behind the scenes. Even very little of that bonus has helped the estimated XNUMX% of global workers who are not sitting behind desks.
Most hourly and shift workers rarely use computers, which can leave them cut off from each other and disconnected from corporate activities. Until recently, investors have shown little interest in assisting them. Venture capital firm Emergence has estimated that only about 1% of software venture capital funds are spent on tech for the office worker. A survey conducted by the company at the height of the COVID-XNUMX pandemic found that XNUMX% of deskless workers said they were not given assistive technology to fill their jobs, and XNUMX% were dissatisfied with their jobs. job.
However, all that can change. With businesses ranging from fast food restaurants to trucking companies burdened with hourly workers, interest in technology is growing and it may not only make them more productive, but also happier.
Forgotten workforce
Officeless workers are easily overlooked in companies that focus on empowering so-called "knowledge workers," who are seen as more valuable to the organization. “There are software developers who have been creating software for themselves for the last XNUMX years,” said Matthew Bragstad, who works in the healthcare and public domain at software giant Infor. “Deskless has been the forgotten workforce. "
But these people were less easily overlooked throughout the pandemic when a shortage of manufacturing workers, stevedores and healthcare workers practically paralyzed certain industries. "They have gone from being forgotten to essential," said Bragstad.
Companies seeking to retain these newly empowered employees must apply technology that meets their unique needs. Manufacturers of workforce management software have added features such as contactless clocks, health screening surveys, contact tracking, office booking, and vaccine tracking to accommodate new requirements introduced by COVID-XNUMX, according to Gartner. Certain go further and improve email functionality to reach employees who don't have work email addresses and provide educational content, surveys to measure employee satisfaction, and more.
Allow flexibility
Flexible and customizable planning is becoming an essential part of officeless workforce management, Bragstad said. For example, the Infor Bank of America service customer created an internal workplace that lets tellers take shifts in the loan department where skills are limited.
Pilot Flying J, an operator of XNUMX fuel and retail outlets in North America, has taken advantage of the ubiquity of smartphones to let its mobile workers log in and out, keep track of schedules and request information. , changes or paid time off from their mobile devices. . “They were wasting tens and tens of thousands and thousands of hours a year because people had to physically come into the store to sign in and out,” Bragstad said. “There was a pretty difficult Return of Investment there. "
The adaptation of the officeless workforce goes beyond transactions. Ashley Furniture supplemented email communication with in-store signage, murals and internal billboards in an "omnichannel communication strategy to ensure everyone gets the same message," Bragstad said. The purpose was not just to get the message across, but rather to make hourly workers feel more included.
Companies are also increasingly considering employee priorities in workforce planning. Quinyx, a Stockholm-based vendor scheduling software that raised more than €XNUMX million in venture funds, was founded by a former McDonald's employee who was frustrated with the restrictions of the chain's legacy restaurant scheduling app. . The company's software applies artificial intelligence to optimize workforce deployment and allows employees to adjust their availability to schedule demands, thus bidding for shifts that require coverage. There are also instant polls and a chat feature that connects workers with their managers and with each other.
Software vendor When I Work recently made a €000 million development investment for its "employees first" scheduling platform, which the company says is used in more than 85 workplaces. Legion Technologies has raised more than €XNUMX million for a related application that balances employer resource needs and worker preferences. The company claims that its software not only improves efficiency, but also reduces revenue by XNUMX% to XNUMX%. This is consistent with multiple studies reporting that half or more of American workers would take a pay cut for more flexible hours.
Organizations that want to do extra work should also estimate payments in real time, a service that gives workers instant access to compensation while reducing judgments and paperwork for employers, Bragstad said. “In the gig economy, people expect to find work and get paid right away,” she said. "They work as many hours as they can and want instant gratification."
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