Deskless workers make up more than 80% of the workforce, and there are currently more than 2.7 billion of them around the world. Yet, less than 1% of companies’ enterprise software spends are allocated for solutions that serve deskless workers. In fact, many deskless workers don’t even have a company email address.
The pandemic brought that huge disparity to the forefront, as essential workers like healthcare workers, grocery store clerks, and delivery drivers—none of whom work at desks—were heralded as every day heroes. But COVID-19 also highlighted the lack of communication and visibility between corporate and their deskless workforce. When safety measures and health-related information needed to be communicated quickly, most on-the-floor workers were not easy to reach.
Even as deskbound workers discuss returning to offices, permanent remote work, or some kind of hybrid model, the deskless workforce will continue to work in frontline positions and their needs have to be addressed.
“The pandemic has shed much-needed light on the needs of deskless workers,” WorkForce Software CEO Mike Morini told Forbes. “And we’re hopeful that other SaaS companies will also invest more in this worker group.”
Morini also noted the benefits of workplace management solutions for effective scheduling and compliance with quickly changing regulations.
For example, automated shift-filling not only relieves pressure on a sick worker who can’t come in for their shift, but also removes the burden on management for finding a replacement and offers additional shifts to workers who want to and are able pick up more hours. It’s small moments like this—that improve the employee experience—that organizations should strive to create going forward.
“When you have a company with thousands of deskless workers, building schedules necessitates automation for efficiency and compliance,” Morini added.
