A Balancing Act: Critical Communication Guidelines for Frontline Workers

A month! That’s the duration for which most of the world has been in lockdown mode. For many countries, the lockdown period has been longer than a month and “coronavirus” is being discussed ad nauseam across channels. Amidst all the chaos, panic and disorder, the employees that are most affected across sectors, are the Frontline Workers!

Deskless workers make up around 80% of the global workforce. For these employees, the office is not a place of work, and a computer is not a necessary for daily task execution. Then what does remote working mean for non-desk workers? The answer is- it doesn’t mean anything at all. Deskless workers has no choice but to work from their designated locations. Therefore, managing this section of your workforce becomes tricky, especially during a crisis situation.

Your frontline is most affected during a crisis

Frontline workers are usually the single point of contact (SPOC) for your customers and are engaging with people throughout the day. As a result, their risk of contracting a highly contagious virus is high, owing to theirs being a people facing role. But for many non-desk workers, downtime is not an option!

The virus spreads from person to person through close contact and through droplets that originate from coughing or sneezing. Frontline workers are in the midst of the turmoil and are obviously in a risky position until the situation abates. For workers that are on-field at the moment, this means heightened apprehensions while at work, which does not bode well for productivity.

WORKING WITH A FRACTION OF YOUR FRONTLINE

Organizations in the essential services sphere cannot shut down operations altogether. However, they have to manage with a fraction of their frontline staff. A strategy to safeguard the non-desk workforce from COVID-19 without disrupting workflow should be top priority on a company’s to-do list this quarter.

Handling operations with a reduced workforce is challenging even if the quantum of work has decreased. With no one to guide them, employees may feel lost and unable to come to terms with things. In this situation, companies have to motivate and guide workers till the severity of the issue comes down, and all their doubts and apprehensions are addressed.

Fear Factor

Fear is rippling across societies right now especially with a daily spike in cases. People are fearing for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. But another fear that is a by-product of the outbreak is that of sustenance. Measures like curfews and quarantines that are being taken to combat the outbreak are slowing economic growth, recovery from which seems like a long winded process.

Frontline workers are not immune to this fear. As they go through their days with no social distancing or isolation, the possibility of contracting this disease will be a nagging thought in the back of their minds. For frontline workers that are on a downtime right now, worry may take a different form. Their main fears could be about returning to work, job security and the likes. Either way, fear is the common denominator at the moment.

Slay the apprehensions of your Frontline workers using Critical Communication

Don’t you wish that, out of the blue, a manual manifests itself with an elaborate description of methods detailing frontline workforce management during COVID-19? Until that occurs, talk to your frontline about best practices to follow like washing hands; using masks, social distancing and other guidelines for safety.

The WHO has outlined a list of preventive measures that can be adopted. Using the Groupe.io platform, you can communicate this information to your entire frontline effectively.

With the Groupe.io app, your non-desk workers can be updated about COVID-19 developments from the convenience of their phone. Make sure that users ALWAYS receive urgent company updates by using push notifications on the Groupe.io platform. Digital read receipts tell you how many users have read the updates. Groupe.io feed groups lets you send out subject specific information to specific departments within your organization.

Groupe.io rolls out in just under 24 hours, making it easy to adopt, given the urgency of the moment. To add to this, no official email id is needed for employee on-boarding, making it the ideal app to engage non-desk workers.

Reaching Out: Frontline Workforce Management during COVID-19

In times like these, an Outreach Program is your Only Salvation! So, aside from sending company-wide critical updates, you can talk one-on-one or to specific groups and individuals within your company as well.

Talk to your frontline using peer-to-peer chat or group chat functions on Groupe.io. Show them you care. Giving them a feeling that there is a person or entity to turn to during these times makes them hopeful and instill in them the energy to trudge forward easily. You can do this by engaging them through group chats, letting them vent their distress or just being a source of inspiration, all from a single, easy to use platform.

The chat option, whether it is a group chat or a peer-to-peer chat option, also helps managers and team members engage on daily deliverables and workflow. Sustaining operations and keeping your head above water until COVID-19 becomes a thing of the past is the way forward.

About Groupe.io

Groupe.io is a mobile friendly platform for employee communications that can be used to engage both desk and non-desk workers within an organization.

No official email is required for employees to on-board the app. The app can be used for real time broadcasts, collaborations, file sharing and more functions that enhance employee engagement across departments and groups. It can be used for casual and official communication, making it an ideal tool used by managers and HR folks to talk to workers in creative ways.

It is also the perfect platform for Critical and Crisis Communication owing to its user friendly features. Groupe.io is easy to use and rolls out within 24 hours.

To know more about Groupe.io, write to us at [email protected] or schedule a personalized demo Now!