While most of the focus about the changing workforce has usually been on office workers, there are many of those who don’t work in an office or have a desk. Organizations with many frontline workers are facing numerous challenges.
According to a recent report by Dayforce, workers and managers have similar challenges, but there’s a larger gap between the perception of both managers and executives. Closing that gap will help organizations unlock value from their workforce and help solve this so-called complexity crisis.
Helping managers realize their full potential can result in increased efficiency, lower turnover, and improved performance. And simplifying their work can give executives improved visibility while also helping frontline workers.
Here are five challenges executives should focus on to help support managers:
Employees prefer a schedule that works for them. Having an irregular schedule can lead to staffing shortages and increased employee turnover. The report finds that 89% of managers and 86% of workers would consider leaving their current job for one with a better schedule.
Being more flexible can help solve the problem, but organizations should ensure this doesn’t become a manager’s responsibility. Giving them the tools to make timely and data-driven decisions can help improve staffing coverage and labour costs.
Pay motivates workers when they make decisions whether to leave a role. Although inflation has steadied recently, Canadians are still paying more for goods and services than they were before the pandemic.
While 83% of executives think employees are paid fairly, only 62% of managers and 64% believe that to be the case. As a result, managers are forced to deal with recruiting challenges, increased absenteeism, and employee burnout. Providing on-demand pay is one solution. Another is paying people on time and accurately every time. That can improve relationships with workers and give managers a problem they don’t need to address.
Many frontline employers are having difficulty finding people to work for them or those with the right skills. Being flexible can help solve these issues.
Internal mobility is a popular strategy with workers as 65% of them want to advance at the company. By designing personalized career paths for employees, organizations can improve worker retention and not spend time and money on recruitment.
Workplace compliance is becoming more challenging. Executives say their top challenges are variable pay, a higher volume of data to manage, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), and safety.
Both executives and managers agree that the solution to their problem is technology, with 82% of them approving of the organization investing in it to make managing compliance easier. Adopting technology can simplify work, and leaders must ensure it gives managers more time to focus on their employees instead of compliance.
The good news is most employees (72%) and managers (66%) feel they’re appreciated by their organization. However, executives are more likely to think their organization shows strong appreciation for workers.
Without accessible communication and employee listening tools, it will be harder for managers to be effective and efficient. Organizations need to invest in the right technology to gather real-time and actionable insights from their employees.
Actions to take
Overcoming these challenges isn’t easy for organizations with a frontline workforce, but there are five rules for beating the complexity crisis.
Although organizations face many challenges, using these strategies can give your organization a competitive edge. Download a copy of the report, Conquering the frontline manager complexity crisis, for more details.
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