Table of Content
Introduction
Deskless workers are the frontline of any organisation. They bear most of the brunt in the market. They are most often hard taskmasters, keeping a sharp focus on achieving the deal and accepting criticism on the go. However, at ample times, these frontline workers fall prey to isolation. They are individual contributors most of the time and thus have limited time to connect with each other in the workplace. A talent manager and developer can help engage deskless workers with a social intranet that has anywhere accessibility.
At first, deskless workers need to learn the importance of the social intranet and socialising within the organisation. Most often, they work with the client and sharpen their knowledge of the target audience and market demand.
They have limited connections within the organisation. However, these deskless workers are the best source of information for internal stakeholders like branding, marketing, and reputation builders within the team or organisation.
So, enable a system like the social intranet, one that is easy to operate, has instant access, and allows swifter and more secure information exchange. Read other features that a social intranet can offer to deskless workers to engage organically, building a purposeful relationship even within the organisation.
Also read: Why do deskless employees leave sooner than expected?
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How do we engage deskless workers with a social intranet?
- Ask their opinion through votes, polls, and surveys.
Engage your deskless employees by creating polls and surveys on the intranet. Ask your team members to cast their dedicated votes. Improve their engagement when they share their voice genuinely and help you make strategic decisions.
Assign the survey templates at every log-in or log-out until and unless the deskless worker completes it. This is a smart way to make them engage without manually following up with each employee registered on the intranet.
- Let them share their concerns on the newsfeed.
Give your staff a platform to share their concerns. That means the newsfeed that allows users to upload their thoughts and content media. This will improve their visibility and equity in the firm, even on the move.
- Provide them the right to comment and like posts.
Give your staff the right to comment and like each other’s posts. This improves and enhances the engagement of each registered user on the instance, even on the move. With likes, comments, and views, employees can create a more genuine and reliable bond with one another.
In fact, each like and comment can be an unsaid boost to one’s motivation to show up at work despite working without a desk.
- Allow them to create discussion groups.
Employee engagement for deskless workers can be different than that of the backend staff. They need the right platform, tools, and tech to vent and raise their concerns. They are constantly on the move to meet clients or handle escalations in the field.
So, let such employees create accessible discussion groups anywhere. They must be able to put new messages, suggestions, concerns, or queries on these groups, even from their mobile devices.
This shows the reporting manager or the group members that the person is active. The person comes across as someone serious and dedicated to resolving issues and bringing change with workable suggestions and solutions, even if they do not have a desk.
- Let deskless workers enroll in new courses.
Give your deskless workers a fair and equitable chance to learn and improve their skills. Do that by incorporating the eLMS function in your intranet, which we provide with our HRMS.
This helps everyone on the field to consume new content, learn it on the move, and implement new strategies for better business performance.
- Show them whose birthday and work anniversary it is.
Deskless workers engage more on special occasions. This could be on someone’s birthday or work anniversary. The intranet must pop up a notification for them to know about the latest event to celebrate. This creates a widespread emotion of belonging and communal celebration, even for someone’s birthday/anniversary from different departments.
- Announce the latest events and ask for their participation.
Publish clickable banners and events on the announcement, soliciting active participation from deskless workers. These workers can click on the announcements, check the latest information, and feel the new wave of excitement for new office events.
It makes them a special part of the team. They are not left alone anymore. Instead, they can participate and win prizes if there is a special event like a potluck, treasure hunt, scavenger hunt, etc.
Additionally, it gets the conversation rolling between deskless workers to know more about the event. In short, this is an opportunity for workers to connect, collaborate, and coordinate for a shared purpose, especially if they haven’t done that before.
- Create public and private group chats with a shared purpose.
Improve the chances of engaging your deskless workers with public and private chat groups on the stream. Each group must have a purpose and help the backend staff to support the frontline workers at all times.
This increases the coordination and communication flow for each deskless worker with the in-office staff and creates a better reputation of the firm in the marketplace.
- Use hashtags and tag users in your posts for instant engagement.
Engage deskless workers and staff members by tagging their IDs in your post on the intranet. They receive instant notification for that and then can readily leave a like and comment on the same to engage actively.
Similarly, when you use hashtags on a post, it can go viral for that category. Again, this improves the chances of certain groups of users to check that post first and respond accordingly.
- Encourage workers to grow their professional network and leverage references.
Adding each other’s profiles on the intranet is helpful for deskless workers to increase their professional network, build better visibility in the organisation, and leverage referrals for activities, events, or internal mobility purposes.
Conclusion
This blog shares 10 top ways to engage deskless workers with our social intranet. You can leverage it too right away when you set up your instance at uKnowva. Start engaging, inviting users, and building a purposeful community at your workplace, even with remote and deskless staff. For more information, reach out to our sales and customer support team.
FAQs on Engaging Deskless Employees or Workers
Q: What defines deskless employees or workers?
A: Deskless employees or workers refer to individuals who do not have a fixed office desk and are often on the move or working in various locations, such as field workers, retail staff, or those in manufacturing.
Q: Why is engaging deskless employees crucial for organisations?
A: Engaging deskless employees is crucial for fostering a sense of belonging, improving communication, and enhancing overall productivity. It helps create a motivated and connected workforce, even without a traditional office setting.
Q: How can organisations effectively communicate with deskless workers?
A: Effective communication with deskless workers involves utilising mobile-friendly platforms like our social intranet, regular updates through messaging apps, and providing accessible channels for feedback. Ensuring information reaches employees in real time is essential.
Q: What challenges do organisations face in engaging deskless workers?
A: Challenges may include the lack of consistent communication channels, difficulties in tracking performance, and the absence of a centralised workspace. Overcoming these challenges requires thoughtful strategies and technology integration.
Q: How can organisations measure the engagement of deskless workers?
A: Engagement can be measured through feedback surveys, performance metrics, and tracking participation in company-wide initiatives. Regular check-ins and one-on-one communication also provide insights into the engagement levels of deskless workers.
Q: How can organisations adapt to the unique needs of deskless workers in the long term?
A: Adapting to the unique needs involves investing in ongoing training, leveraging technology for seamless communication, and incorporating flexible policies that accommodate the varied work environments of deskless employees.
