5 August, 2021
Engaging Off-roll Workers Effectively Through R&R programs
Off-roll employees form a major part of today’s workforce, be it offshore engineering teams, factory workers, agents, secondary sales channel partners or dealers and distributors. However, in recent years, it has become crucial to engage this cohort of employees owing to high attrition rates and the often challenging nature of work. In particular, industries like manufacturing, construction, automotive, logistics and pharmaceuticals are labor intensive and need their contractual workers to do the same type of monotonous labor day in and day out. While wages are an important factor for their job satisfaction, there are multiple other reasons they remain loyal to their employers like peer bonding, respect and recognition from management, non-cash benefits and professional development.
Engaging this part of the workforce has always been a challenge for organizations, as they are either contractual employees or located in the field/ separate manufacturing units. This blog talks about how digital R&R programs can be used to engage off-roll workers and create a unified employee engagement strategy which is easy to administer and track.
Multilingual Notifications-
One of the focal challenges of having a digital engagement programs for off-roll workers is their possible discomfort in using technology or complex applications. They need a simple tool in their local language for redeeming their rewards, responding to surveys or for peer-to-peer recognition. This can be addressed through multilingual notifications and in-app text. For increased usability, these notifications can also be sent to them directly via SMS or WhatsApp.
Kiosk Connect-
Owing to the high-pressure environment that off-roll workers often operate in, it becomes difficult to weave employee recognition in their day-to-day workflow. While supervisors play an important role in recognizing their subordinates here, the process can be simplified with the use of physical kiosks on factory floors. Recognitions can also be displayed publicly on the screens. Managers and peers can give kudos using just a few buttons, without investing much time. This allows digital recognition to happen seamlessly while creating a log of compliments for employees to cherish.
Specially curated Catalogs-
Having a points-based rewards system works great for off-roll workers, if they have something exciting to redeem those points for. R&R vendors can curate customized product catalogs catering to their preferences. For example- they might prefer cookware or home appliances over headphones or travel bags. These can be curated as per the company’s budget and branded with the company’s logo for added employer pride among the workforce.
Knowledge Base
Millennials, who now form a major part of the workforce, increasingly look at professional growth and skill building as important to their job. Having a common knowledge base which is digitally accessible 24×7 will assist in better sales, better job execution and facilitate cross-learning, which can accelerate performance and prepare off-roll workers for promotions or even on-roll hiring.
Contests-
Off-roll workers often don’t get recognized as their work may not be visible and tracking individual achievements may be a lengthy process involving offline calculations. With a rewards and recognition platform, it’s possible to get real-time performance results in a gamified manner, encouraging an atmosphere of excitement and fun while achieving targets.
Engaging off-roll workers involves a human approach to talent management and often a more sensitive one. HR team sitting out of the firm’s headquarters may not always experience the same challenges as this workforce and hence, employee listening is of increased importance. Digital R&R platforms can cut across these traditional barriers and help off-roll employees feel important and valued for their ever-important work.