Most of employees are deskless workers – that is, employees whose job is not done sitting at a fixed workstation every day. For instance work in service industry, sales, construction, industry, health care, and retail are mostly deskless or mobile.
Training and on-boarding deskless workers can be a hassle if it is not well planned. It can also be expensive and impractical – particularly when staff turnover is high.
How to improve training for deskless workers better – and optimally without breaking the bank? In this article we will argue that flexible training online will adapt best to the needs of deskless workers.
Why can training deskless workers be challenging?
Decentralized work can be a challenge for management, if the organization lacks tools for training.
Workers are not in the same place at the same time. Employees may work shifts, work on the field, or be distributed in multiple offices. The main challenge then becomes logistics. Supervisors have to train small batches or even individual workers, which increases the cost of training.
Duplicate efforts in training. When it is not possible to train multiple employees at the same time, the same things are repeated often. Every moment a senior expert spends training other employees instead of doing their regular work, productivity drops.
No time or place for on-boarding. Few deskless workers have a dedicated space or time to study training materials. They may not have their own desk or computer, and it is not efficient to arrange “training days” for individual employees.
Limited communication. When training is not provided in a systematic manner, there is little documentation or formal communication. Technical or detailed information must be often repeated. Changes in processes are difficult to communicate.
How online training makes training better?
Providing training on digital learning environments is an excellent way to provide training to deskless workers for a number of reasons.
Online training helps reduce costs in the short run, reduces administrative work, increases transparency in learning and development, makes learning easier to monitor, and helps automate processes. At the same time it becomes possible to make training and learning better and richer, which can foster employee well-being and reduce staff turnover.
Online training can help deskless workers in particular for the following reasons:
Training is flexible. It can be difficult to find the time for on-boarding and continuous training. Deskless workers often require flexibility in terms of schedule as work conditions. Online training makes participation easy, as learners can complete study modules at their own discretion.
Workers have access to courses during work. Workers can consult study materials whenever they need to, even during work. Study materials constitute a resource repository that can be used to check details whenever necessary.
Parts of training can be automated. Senior experts save a significant amount of time when junior employees can complete training modules on their own. Face to face training can concentrate on more practical problem solving.
Monitoring training is easier. When supervisors and employees do not work constantly in the same space, it can be a challenge to understand training needs. Online learning makes training transparent and helps identity needs for support.
Training can be adapted to individuals. Online training does not need to be a one-size-fits-all solution. Digital learning environments allow for individualized study paths and customized feedback. Adapting to individual needs improves quality of training and employee well-being.
How do I get started with better training in my company?
Workseed is a flexible digital tool for new employee on-boarding and continued corporate training, particularly suitable for training deskless workers at their own terms. The mobile responsible LMS makes training flexible and cost effective.
Workseed has been adopted by a number of businesses in retail, industry, and services. For instance the staffing agency Joblink manages a large quantity of corporate training programs for deskless workers in the retail industry – you can read the full customer story here.
If you want to know more about Workseed features, you can also book a demo here. Our experts will help you design better training for your company’s needs.
