Four tips to keep non-desk employees happy

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Although as many as 80 percent of the global workforce are non-desk employees, most software is geared toward office workers. Many non-desk employees do not have the time and resources to use the same IT solutions as office workers, leaving them out in the cold. However, keeping non-desk employees informed, engaged, productive, and safe doesn’t have to be complicated. We’ve gathered four tips that organizations can use to keep their non-desk employees happy.

• Put the employee first
• Give recognition
• Gather feedback (and put it to good use!)
• Pay extra attention to their well-being

Put the employee first

Non-desk employees often do not have a business email address. Due to the nature of their work, they often literally don’t have their hands free to use devices and look for the information they need for their work. That’s why we believe internal communications should not be about devices or channels. It should be about employees. Empower your non-desk employees to use the devices they want, at the times they want, in the places they want!

Sounds complicated? The right software can make it easy. Netpresenter allows you to target your communication on persons, departments, and locations in a smart way. Employees will see the messages on different devices that suit their workday. One employee may read the at their laptop, someone else on their smartphone during a break, and yet another may see the same message while walking by on a large digital signage screen. You don’t have to add content to those channels separately. Messages are distributed automatically via the most appropriate channels based on the selected target audience, meaning your information will always reach precisely the right people.

This displayed info can be anything: important company news, announcements, fun news from different teams, but also live KPIs from Power BI, SharePoint articles, and the most popular posts on Teams. With integrations like that, even the people who don’t work behind a PC all day stay well informed of what’s going on within the organization.

Give recognition

A powerful communication platform is also very useful for giving employees the recognition they deserve. Giving recognition is essential. When employees see that their work matters and contributes to the organization, they are more engaged in their work. There’s usually quite some distance between non-desk employees and C-level, or even their direct managers. A powerful communication platform that reaches everyone enables you to unite all layers of the organization. Moreover, giving recognition openly isn’t just nice for the one being praised. You also make everyone’s work more palpable. Across all departments and business units, people see what their coworkers are working on and see everyone is on the same team. 

The Brooklyn Hospital Center uses Netpresenter to highlight employees after a remarkable achievement. Eric Sommer, Senior Writer & Editor at Brooklyn Hospital Center, says that displaying such messages on TV and PC screens has a massive effect on improving employee satisfaction and morale as well as creating a sense of community. ‘when a team does something noteworthy, the so-called ‘small victories’, I go by, take a picture, go back to my office and put the news and the picture on Netpresenter. The team knows everyone on staff will know about their achievement. This makes the team feel appreciated. No other tool I know of has this immediate ‘Boom, make them feel good’ effect.’

Gather feedback (and put it to good use!)

The distance between non-desk employees and the rest of the organization can also make them feel isolated and unable to voice their opinions. Therefore, actively inquire about their views and feelings. For example, ask if they have everything they need to do their job, if everyone can complete their tasks, what everyone thinks about the organization, etc.

Netpresenter’s polls give you a clear overview of the results. After all, you should not stop at just asking questions. See what you can improve or ask new questions to gather more intel. Communicate actively about what you do with the feedback, even if you can’t change things immediately. By being transparent, you show that you take your employees seriously.

Pay extra attention to their well-being

Non-desk workers are often in the front lines. They perform physical work, work with dangerous machinery, or cannot work from home and are at increased risk of the coronavirus. These issues are unfortunately inherent to their work. That’s why it’s essential to show that, as an employer, you care about the well-being of your employees and are doing everything you can to keep them as safe as possible. You can do this in several ways.

Pulse surveys, for example, enable you to keep track of your organization’s pulse. How is everyone feeling? Is the workload too high? Are sufficient measures being taken to make everyone feel safe at the time of the corona pandemic? These sentiments are always subject to change, so a single poll (as discussed in the previous point) is usually not enough for these issues. Periodic pulse surveys, on the other hand, chart precisely how everyone feels or thinks about specific topics over a more extended period. You’ll immediately see when the mood changes. As with the previous point, you still have to do something with this feedback, otherwise collecting the data is pointless.

In addition, a platform like Netpresenter is ideally suited for repeating safety rules. ‘Repeat’ is the keyword here because messages only stick if you repeat them often enough. From life-saving instructions such as ‘wear a safety helmet when entering the site’ or basic first aid rules to a motivating ‘drink enough water’; messages like these show health and safety come first. 

Our client VCU Health has created a ‘Safety First’ program with the help of Netpresenter. ‘One of our main goals is to improve the overall safety of our organization,’ explains Jenifer Murphy, coordinator of the Safety First program. ‘With Netpresenter, we make sure that safety is top of mind within the organization. It creates a real organizational push, a social factor that is hard to ignore and that ensures everybody is dedicated to improving safety at VCU.’

Looking for more tips on keeping your non-desk employees happy? Download this free guide in which we take a closer look at some of the biggest challenges to keep them informed and engaged. Or contact us to see what Netpresenter can do for your organization.