You already know that hybrid work is here to stay. In the UK, 40% of workers work hybrid, with 30% in the EU-27 and a similar proportion in the USA also working flexibly. It’s little wonder why: a model that organisations adopted to weather the pandemic has stayed with us due to the benefits it has had for our productivity, job satisfaction and wellbeing. You also know that adapting internal communications has been key to this transition.
However, it hasn’t been without challenges – not least of all in keeping fully remote workers and frontline members in lockstep with your central organisation. Remote and frontline teams have as much need to be included in your organisation’s communications as your desk-based employees. If that is a challenge you are having, we will explain why and how a frontline employee communications app can help you bridge the communications gap.
Empowering frontline employees
In the conversation around remote and hybrid work, the needs of frontline employees – who make up 80% of the global workforce – are often overlooked.
And yet, they are what McKinsey calls “disproportionate” drivers of value: they don’t only handle most of your transactions, but as the face of your brand, embody what your organization is to your customers. However, it’s not just their value we underestimate – we underplay how ambitious they are, too.
A Kahoot! survey suggests that, far from just taking a job to make ends meet or have security, the vast majority – 94% – are invested in their company’s success, and 91% want to advance their careers through upskilling. That being said, the technology in many organizations simply isn’t in place to support them.
Far from being able to offer enriching L&D tools or links to a mentor, many frontline employees have limited access to a computer, or an insufficient tech stack – despite having the tool they need for an exceptional digital employee experience in a smartphone.
For example, organizational tools such as payroll, a central directory and self-service tools are convenient to have in one place, and can help these employees embed more effectively into your organization’s fabric.
However, when that same app can let them build and use onboarding workflows or inventory management systems that support rapid growth of a new operation, that gives frontline teams the agency to create their own solutions – saving both you and them time and resource.
Creating agile, reactive teams
It’s not just frontline employees who need a direct line of rapid communication to respond to call-outs, crises and opportunities.
Remote workers, and those who simply prefer working from mobile devices benefit, too.
However, that direct line of communication to employees is a tool that organizations need to use carefully, as:
- Abusing it to send too many communications can contribute to information overload
- Irrelevant communications can actively disengage employees, and make them more likely to miss genuinely important communications
- Too many communications out of hours can disrupt an employee’s work-life balance
Poor communication can damage the employer-employee relationship. However, effective communication empowers mobile workers. With clear information, they can react swiftly to new opportunities or crises. They can work seamlessly with on-site teams at a moment’s notice.
That’s why your employee communications apps need to be highly-targeted, personalized and prompt a response only when needed.
Most direct employee communication methods, like text messages or emails, have limitations. An employee app, however, can overcome these limitations with features like reporting, customization, and push notifications. These features allow the app to deliver targeted information, cater to individual preferences, and ensure important updates reach everyone.
Building a (digital) employee experience
For your remote and frontline employees, the communication tool you choose becomes their entire connection to the company. They may never set foot in the central office or meet colleagues in person. Because of this, the chosen platform takes on immense importance, shaping their entire experience of your organisation.
That’s why, in remote and hybrid workplaces, the digital employee experience becomes such an important marker of an organization’s culture.
Make no mistake. Our own research in the LiveTiles Global Pulse Check shows that frontline and remote employees are more in need of opportunities to connect and socialize in their workplaces than ever.
Workplaces that connect them meaningfully drive retention, workplace happiness and productivity.
That’s why employee apps need to unite employees everywhere in a shared ecosystem. With Microsoft Teams integration, for example, it ensures that they can participate in meaningful meetings such as company all-hands, and a central directory can connect them to colleagues and skills no matter where they sit in the business.
At the same time, employee social networks can be a bonus for remote and frontline workers. Especially those platforms with strong content creation features empower employees who primarily rely on mobile devices. These networks foster casual conversations with colleagues and allow employees to organise events and groups based on shared interests. This, in turn, helps them build connections that extend beyond the limits of their remote/frontline role.
These ensure that your organization doesn’t operate at two speeds, and your inclusion efforts are truly all-encompassing.
Including employees everywhere
Connecting frontline and remote employees represents simultaneously the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity for hybrid, distributed organisations. 2/3 of frontline employees would leave a role without another lined up if they weren’t happy. Most are crying out for opportunities to connect and develop in their roles.
In the same fashion, remote employees may be more difficult to supervise and make productive. However, if their need for flexibility is met, it’s a far greater motivator for productivity and loyalty. Responding to these needs is as simple as creating a central hub for remote and frontline employees to engage with your organisation.
LiveTiles Reach can be that hub, uniting productivity, HR and social network applications into one streamlined digital employee app. It provides every tool they need to collaborate and socialise on par with their desk-based teams.
With AI capability, it’s built to help time-poor, hard-working remote and frontline teams do more with less. It helps them to create their own content and allows them to to find information quickly using an AI virtual assistant. Doing what an employee app is there to do in the first place.
We’re trusted by 1000+ organisations globally, and our new and improved Reach app is deploying soon. Adapt your Internal communications to bridge the communications gap and reach employees everywhere. See how LiveTiles Reach can transform your Internal communications with an early access demo.
For a more in-depth exploration of the benefits of communication apps for frontline workers, you can also refer to this article: Choosing the Right Communication App for Your Frontline Workforce.
