Supervisors of frontline workers are often faced with the difficult task of engaging their frontline team. Add in the challenge presented by a distributed workforce that includes contractors, and it becomes even more difficult.
In a time where 80% of contractors find it hard to hire qualified workers – the people that are core to completing construction projects – it’s important to keep those people engaged. Engaged and motivated frontline workers are more likely to deliver quality work and successful projects.
According to a 2018 Gallup study, there are 2.7 billion frontline workers around the globe, but only 13% of them feel engaged at work.
A study by Forbes Insight and VMWare found that by implementing technology into the field, workers are five times more productive.
Technology in the field boosts frontline productivity and efficiency, but managers and supervisors also gain timely access to live data and expanded communication opportunities to connect with workers in the moment.
Engaging and listening to frontline workers builds trust and ultimately shapes culture.
Workers are not just using technology; they’re really engaging with the underlying business processes and feeling empowered to share feedback, knowledge, and information. This results in increases in employee engagement and retention as well as improved safety in hazardous construction environments.
Worker Focused
Construction workers and contractors need technology that is simple and straightforward. Extensive training and complex documentation should not be needed. Information and processes should be quick to access in order to allow increased productivity and focus on the job.
Collaborative Work
Timely information is critical for productivity and efficiency. Real-time feedback and collaboration are important functions for deployed technology. Prompt interaction between workers, their peers, and supervisors is needed so that information can be shared when it matters most. Employees also need to be reached where they are – whether on the jobsite or in a remote field location.
Workers should be empowered with the ability to post questions, leave comments, and provide feedback to management and coworkers. A new coworker joining a job should be able to access these details and understand pertinent information about the work environment.
There are clear productivity gains with this level of collaboration, but more importantly, it can be the distinction between someone completing work safely versus getting injured.
Once a workforce is equipped with this type of valuable information, worker engagement and trust in management can dramatically improve.
Implementing tools that are easy to learn and use and giving employees access in real-time to their peers and managers is crucial. From keeping employees safe to improving employee engagement and retention, implementing a technology solution has significant benefits.
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Learn how Anvl can help you engage your workforce in safe, productive, and efficient work.
