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Dubbed The Great Resignation, 2021 was officially the year of quitting. Thanks to severe job dissatisfaction, workers in retail, hospitality, accommodation, and food services were among the top employees to lead the walkout.
And while 2022 has turned a corner with unemployment currently hovering around 3.9% — down from 2021 — all business who have frontline and deskless workers are struggling to retain existing employees and fill open positions.
In fact, the current staffing shortage is so dire that small retailers and large chain stores alike are cutting back on opening hours or temporarily closing their doors.
The Associated General Contractors of America recently reported that 89% of construction firms struggle to fill hourly craft positions, and 86% can't fill skilled salaried positions. And some hospitality companies are resorting to extremes like flying housekeepers to alternate sites to assist with staffing shortages.
The latest surge in COVID-19 cases is only exacerbating these shortages. As frontline employees take time off, businesses continue their scramble to fill these positions and meet customer expectations.
If employers want to avoid losing business due to staff shortages, they need to embrace new ways of attracting staff and keeping employees engaged and happy at work.
Engaged Employees Are Good For Business
Increased pay, sign-on bonuses, and other perks have helped fill empty positions with frontline employees — or encouraged current staff to stay with the company but transition to new posts and take on more responsibilities.
However, the pandemic has made it clear that frontline employees need more than this to work jobs many Americans are no longer willing to do. And as the backbone of the economy, they certainly deserve it.
Frontlines workers essentially kept the world turning during the pandemic — think retail & restaurant staff, healthcare and hospitality workers, and manufacturing. And now, what frontline workers crave more than anything is a consistent connection to the rest of the company, a focus on well-being, and improved culture.
These things are not only good for employees, but they're also good for business. While employee well-being should be a high priority, the trickle-down (or up) effect increases company profits.
In fact, satisfied and engaged employees can boost company profits by 21%.
Since frontline staff are the one's who interact with customers, investing in their well-being leads to better customer service and happier customers. Engaged staff are also more likely not to miss work and are less likely to leave the company searching for greener pastures.
If keeping your frontline staff engaged at work is essential to you — hint, it should be! — your organization can get a leg up by adopting technology that can help you achieve these positive results.
Improve Employee Satisfaction With Digital Technology
Far too many organizations still rely on managers to pass along important company information to the frontline through email, voice mail, or in person. And some even resort to snail mail!
But in the new work economy, this simply won't do. Frontline employees don't want to be the ‘forgotten employees’. They want to be part of the larger conversations taking place with employees who work in offices.
Some businesses have acknowledged that intentional and more frequent communication can enhance the frontline employee experience. Yet, 63% of all frontline workers say messages from leadership don't make it to them.
Considering 97% of adults in the U.S. own a cell phone, organizations don't have an excuse for leaving frontline workers out of company communication. Mobile phones offer direct access to their staff. And with technology like goHappy, any business can instantly share information with their team.
Company announcements, health and safety updates, surveys, and employee appreciation are just a tiny sampling of how companies can use technology to keep in touch with their frontline workers.
Industries already investing in digital technology have experienced results such as:
- A 91% improvement in productivity and performance
- 88% efficiency and cost savings
- An 87% increase in customer satisfaction
- 84% have reported more job fulfillment from their frontline employees
And not surprisingly, this has resulted in decreased employee turnover by 64% and a 70% growth in sales.
Selecting the right tool to manage communication with your team is critical. You need to work with technology accessible to all employees and doesn't discriminate based on their access to a computer.
How goHappy Can Improve Company Communication
Because frontline workers don't have desk jobs and can't access computers or other devices as easily as office staff, they are often left out of company conversations. This can lead to dissatisfaction at work as they feel disconnected from the rest of the team.
With a tool like goHappy you can easily send text messages to your frontline workers.
Experience improved communication and engagement, thanks to a 98% read rate. And the best part is, goHappy can be used on any mobile device, even a flip phone!
At a time when finding staff to keep business churning, communicating through outdated channels is no longer optional. Find out how goHappy can help you by booking a demo now.
