The best continuous improvement leaders in manufacturing are tapped into their workers’ needs and level of engagement. At least they should be. National surveys indicate that at least 70 percent of workers are unsatisfied with the dearth of mobile solutions that could help them at work. They wish they had mobile work apps that would help them use data and get things done more efficiently—just like they do in their personal lives. This work-life technology disconnect is one reason for a whopping 60% of workers feeling disengaged at work.Continuous improvement leaders need to recognize that your workers are ready to go mobile – and you should be too.
Drive Digital Transformation for Continuous Improvement
It’s clear that forward-thinking leadership is one of the keys to a successful digital transformation. A recent study from McKinsey shows that leaders who understand the urgency of adopting mobile solutions go successfully into the future. One place where some businesses struggled in their digital transformation was that leadership was not clear with workers about why and how the transformation needed to happen. Interestingly, you can bridge this communication gap by the very thing you may be trying to accomplish: introducing a digital solution to your workers.
Another strong indicator of success was choosing engaging mobile solutions. Almost 70 percent of workers actually want more advanced technology at work. McKinsey also found that 7 out of 10 companies that implemented a mobile solution were able to successfully achieve and maintain digital transformation because it put more important data and analysis into the hands of workers in real time, while also improving communications. Breaking those communication barriers is key to empowering workers to be culture change drivers and improving engagement at work.
Why Digital Transformation Matters for Worker Engagement
At this point in time, 96% of people in America have a cell phone of some type, and most of them are smartphones. The average person spends a good 3 hours using those devices each day. While some of that may be for entertainment, studies show that most of the time spent on mobile devices is about communication (88%). Workers are used to sending and receiving texts, emails and photos and even doing complex banking operations on their phones. This is why they feel disengaged when they arrive at work and have to fill out paper forms and track supervisors down personally when there’s a problem and time is of the essence. It would be so much easier if they could quickly blast a message with some important real-time data about an issue to a supervisor or co-workers to let them know about a safety hazard or a quality issue. Not only would it be easier, but it could prevent injuries and non-conformities that can hamper productivity and competitiveness.
When workers are disengaged at work, as more than half of them report, safety suffers. Reports indicate that disengaged workers end up having almost double the number of accidents and injuries than engaged workers do. When workers are disengaged, non-conforming, defective products increase by nearly 60%. And as any supervisor knows, disengagement is contagious and can spread from worker to worker.
Go Mobile for Continuous Improvement
While it’s true that inattentive use of mobile technology can increase safety concerns (especially where texting and driving is concerned), the right mobile solution can resolve those concerns to actually improve safety and operations across the board while boosting worker engagement and satisfaction. Mobile solutions also increase worker engagement and provide enhanced communications between supervisors and frontline workers. Continuous improvement is driven by giving workers real-time data insight that can help them stay safe and be engaged with improving quality and processes within their realm of influence.
Your Workers are Ready to Go Mobile – And You Should Be Too
With continuous, in-the-moment training on Anvl’s easy-to-learn and use mobile solution, workers feel engaged and energized in their jobs. They want to be part of the digital transformation already, so leaders really won’t have much trouble convincing them to adopt a new way of working, especially if it makes their jobs better and resolves common pain points like communication barriers and insufficient data. So, give your workers what they want and see how it improves the overall outlook at your company. Click here to watch how Anvl works, and contact our experts to discuss your needs today.
