The Crisis Of [Dis]Connection Facing The Global Workforce

Solving the crisis of connection with deskless workers

The past decade has seen significant changes in the world of work and there has been a major increase in the number of employees who are using mobile devices. In 2018, VC firm Emergence published a Deskless Workforce report showing that 80 percent of the global workforce does not work in front of a computer on a daily basis. About 2.7 billion people earn a living in deskless fields, such as agriculture, hospitality, healthcare, retail, transportation, and education. Even in-office workers are more mobile today, using personal phones for work more than ever before.
 

The web of work now extends to every member of an organization. This has led to a huge demand for technology solutions that cater to everyone, whether they are across the hall or across the globe, at a desk, a coffee shop, or in the field. The problem is that, traditionally, very little of the $300 billion annual spend on business software has been allocated to deskless workers. This has left us facing a crisis of connection, adding to the 60 percent of people already reporting being emotionally detached at work.

When it comes to providing the optimal employee experience for the deskless, why should leaders care?

Disconnection Is Expensive

One Boston Consulting Group survey of more than 7,000 workers in the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, India, Japan, and the UK showed in July 2022 that a whopping 40 percent of deskless workers may soon quit their jobs. Cigna reports that disconnectedness causes high staff turnover, with lonely employees costing U.S. companies up to $406 billion a year. Considering that worker loneliness is but one symptom of disconnection, the cost of disconnection is significantly higher.

How might organizations transform the employee experience for deskless workers and solve the crisis of disconnection with this critical constituency?

Purpose-Built Tools Rule

To unlock the full potential of a deskless workforce, businesses should work proactively to foster connection and empower their employees with the right purpose-built tools, systems, and elements that foster a culture of connectedness.

Global enterprises, such as Adidas, Merck, T-Mobile, and Walmart, are making great headway in this regard. These companies have all implemented digital transformation initiatives dedicated to the needs of their deskless employees. Their programs focus on streamlining processes, automating tasks, and making data more accessible and actionable. As a result, they have seen increased employee satisfaction, reduced turnover, and in many cases, a direct increase in business metrics, such as sales, customer satisfaction, and inventory accuracy.

Mid-size companies with large numbers of remote and deskless workers are going through a similar transformation.  

Essential to this “cultural glue” is a centralized, lean “source of truth” (traditionally, intranet) to house communications and resources, while fostering personal connections and empowering staff to work more seamlessly.  It is easy for messages to become distorted as they pass through layers of communication. If deskless employees do not have an official resource they can trust, they will build those connections organically without leadership’s input.

No single tool or app will solve the problem of disconnection. Technology may bring us closer together, but management does not stop there. Two further aspects are critical for building and growing connections between in-office workers, deskless, and management.

Leading from the Top

The companies that are most effective at building strong connections with remote and deskless staff are the ones that are led effectively - from values, to resources specifically for deskless workers, to crafting an engaging workplace experience for everyone. Great leaders encourage and seek out participation through active listening. Employees, who feel heard also feel safe to contribute fresh ideas, leading to them being more engaged and productive.

Great leaders also amplify diverse perspectives. Deskless employees hold a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge that is often overlooked, dismissed, or unreported. Whether it is a community that is being underserved, early warning about a safety issue, or anything in-between, that perspective can be transformative. Create an environment where everyone’s voice can be heard and the best idea wins, not the loudest.

Champions

Tech solutions cannot stand alone - champions are essential to bringing all employees along on the journey.  This crisis of connection is a costly risk, but also an opportunity for business leaders to implement the right tools and processes, and make improvements to the modern employee experience that will benefit everyone. It is not enough to throw money and tech at the problem. Leaders, champions, and team members driving organizational change matter equally.

Author Bio

Cameron Lindsay is the Co-founder and CEO at Haystack.