How to Reach & Engage Deskless Employees in Retail

There are unique employee engagement challenges for the retail industry, not least due to the large number of employees working on shop floors, in warehouses, or in other ‘deskless’ roles not based in head office. Organizations in this sector must use innovative strategies to ensure their workforce is engaged, motivated, and productive.

The importance of listening to your employees

Employee surveys are a great way for organizations in the retail industry to understand employee sentiment and motivation, as well as to identify employee engagement issues.

Surveys can be used to gain feedback on policies, job satisfaction, employee recognition programs, and much more. They can also provide invaluable insights into employee morale and engagement levels.

Organizations should strive to regularly run employee surveys to ensure they’re staying ahead of employee engagement issues and providing a positive work environment.

Making employee engagement programmes more accessible to deskless workers

Having a great employee engagement programme is a waste of time if your employees can’t take part. It’s important to make employee surveys accessible for deskless employees in the retail industry.

Many of these workers are unable to access employee engagement tools due to them being inaccessible or difficult to use on a smartphone or tablet – and many won’t have access to a corporate email address.

To ensure employee engagement is successful, organizations should provide mobile-friendly resources and leverage platforms like WorkBuzz, which offers a ‘kiosk’ mode and unique entry code so employees can access surveys from their own device.

This approach should extend to your wider communication strategy. How do you better connect head office, leadership and the deskless workforce? You should consider:

• Who your deskless employees are. Build a picture using demographics, role descriptions and the challenges they face.
• Why you need to talk to them. What information will you need to share?
• When you’ll communicate. Take into consideration different shift patterns and time zones.
• How you’ll communicate. Choosing the right channel is essential – specifically designed apps, internal communications tools (like Slack or SharePoint), kiosk stations, printed materials, bulletin boards, in-person conversations, texts and calls are all options.
• What you’ll say. Tailor the content with clear impact and outcomes for your deskless audience.
• Make it a two-way conversation. Ensure your strategy includes methods for employee feedback, either through regular pulse surveys or on an ad-hoc basis.

Digital platforms like WorkBuzz can be powerful tools for improving employee engagement in the retail industry. Organizations should look to leverage these platforms to listen to their employees, understand their needs, and act on their feedback. Book a demo by using the form below to get started.