Coronavirus Diaries 2: How to Motivate Employees on the Frontlines

Just when things seemed to be settling down, a second wave of the coronavirus began creating all new havoc across the world, more specifically in the Indian subcontinent.

Vaccines are being doled out in various countries.

Considering the dire situation in India vaccine exports have been banned from the country.

This has affected various low to middle income countries as they are relying on India for vaccine supplies.

While one-third of Americans have been vaccinated till date, India is still a long way off from even a fraction of that number.

While more Americans opt to take the jab, the possibility of a decline in cases seems to be lurking around the corner.

The vaccination drive across India has been halted by the aggressive onset of the second wave and subsequent measures being taken to combat it.

Despite all this a lot of countries across the world have brought the situation under control owing to massive vaccination drives, safety protocol and advanced sanitation measures.

However, the world as we know it has changed forever, and there’s no going back.

The world of work has also seen a massive shift.

The way we work and what constitutes a “normal” workday is no longer the same.

Apart from working from home and other measures, work has assumed a new meaning altogether.

“How to motivate employees” is the primary concern weighing on most employers’ agenda, considering the situation.

The Post-COVID Workplace

We are in the midst of a massive transformation.

The development of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning has been impacting people’s lives and the world of work.

Contingent workforces and gig working has already become very rampant.

Work permutations are becoming more varied and there are various types of businesses, workplaces and employees.

Depending on where you or your business falls on this spectrum, you will still need to adapt to a rapidly changing situation that may only stabilize by the end of the COVID fiasco.

The pandemic amplified trends such as remote working, automation and digital workplace adoption.

Some jobs require more physical proximity than others.

Workplaces like hospitals, gyms, saloons, banks, restaurants, and so on, depend on the physical presence of the employee within a specific location.

These workplaces have experienced more disruption than others that require less worker presence at the physical work location.

However, post-COVID, it is these workplaces that will undergo more transformation and change than, say, jobs that require little to no human interaction.

Another point to note about workplaces with higher physical proximity is that these places have majority frontline staff.

Most roles here are customer facing.

Hence, engaging workers and ensuring their safety becomes the primary concern.

Businesses also worry about how to motivate employees in these scenarios.

Strategizing employee experience takes centre stage owing to the dynamic changes that are underway.

Crisis management and crisis communication are also crucial to staying afloat during these uncertain times.

Reaching out to workers, no matter if they are deskless or desk-bound, goes a long way in keeping their morale high and getting them back to work in a full-fledged way.

The vaccine drives have signalled the beginning of control of the pandemic.

Vaccinations in large numbers give governments the edge to plan for economic recovery.

COVID has impacted the GDP of countries in ways that are incomparable in the history of modern economies.

Central banks in most countries have tweaked policies to support the economy up until the end of 2023.

Developed countries and developing economies will have to tackle the issue differently and their ability to spend and borrow vary significantly.

However, a strong focus on job creation and green economy will ensure that the damage done by the end of the pandemic will be adaptable and not that severe.

Some governments, like the UK for example, have modified their stimulus packages to provide low interest loans to small and medium sized businesses in order to support business growth.

Studies show that investing in public infrastructure will boost job growth.

Enhancing infrastructure that supports remote work and distributed working will also be a step in the right direction towards economic recovery for most countries.

Technology in the workplace is the key to recovery and growth in the post-COVID era!

Impact of the Pandemic on Deskless Workers

While COVID has completely transformed the world of work, companies that were more digitally equipped handled the crisis a lot better than those that were less tech savvy.

Digitization sky rocketed with many businesses adopting software and technologies to adapt to the new scenario.

With a spike in remote workers, the need for communications and productivity tools also went through the roof.

However, manufacturing, construction and automotive industries reported a slightly slugging uptake of digital technologies.

Manufacturing companies rely on a large number of deskless staff.

So do retail, construction, transportation, healthcare, agriculture and so on.

However, technology aimed at non-desk workers has been limited so far, most of it being targeted at their deskbound counterparts.

With the onset of the pandemic, this trend has slowly been shifting.

Frontline staff are in need of digital tools in the present scenario.

The advent of IoT (internet of things) is making the transition of manufacturing jobs to remote working scenarios, more plausible.

Due to IoT, even site inspections and safety checks can be performed remotely, eliminating the need for an on-site presence in many cases.

How Groupe.io can help with Business Recovery in 2021 and Beyond

Groupe.io is a mobile first employee app primarily designed for non-desk staff.

Communication is an essential aspect of recovery.

Using the right technology in the workplace can help businesses achieve this.

Safety measures, new updates, policies and other details need to be communicated with frontline workers on a regular basis.

Groupe’s communications features lets you reach out to all your employees in real-time, send updates and also talk to individual workers on a one-on-one basis.

Employees don’t need an official email address to access Groupe.io, which can be accessed using a QR code or mobile number only.

Since deskless workers don’t use personal computers at work, Groupe’s mobile first interface is ideal in this scenario.

The user interface is akin to a consumer app and easy to adapt to.

Productivity is a serious concern for most businesses during these testing times.

Groupe.io’s productivity features like process automation, workflows, mobile forms and more, help businesses stay on top of operations and ensure pre-pandemic levels of productivity.

Groupe.io is free for 100 users and rolls out in 24 hours.

To learn more about the product and how it helps your business, sign up for a demo or write to us at [email protected]!