Have you ever heard of the term deskspace workplace? Well, I wouldn’t be much amazed if your answer would be ‘No.’ For some, a deskless workplace is a way of life, while for others, it is not even in their lexicon. In case you don’t know, deskless workers are employees who don’t stick to a desk while going through a 9 to 5 grind. They also don’t work from home, casually sitting on their bed. These workers are people who work while standing and sticking to a particular place. Yes, I am talking about people you see as cashiers, in retail, healthcare, call-center operators, hospitality, manufacturing, teachers, etc.
Are these people happy with their lives? The answer is not so promising. According to Boston Publishing Group, around 40% of fixed-location employees are open to new employment opportunities and 37% are thinking of switching to another job. Reason? Not a financial issue. The reason is more emotional than the issue of salary. They feel that being a deskless employee gives them less voice to communicate their issues, concerns, and demands to the higher-ups. This ultimately leads them to feel less respected, valued and fairly treated. So, if you lump sum a previous couple of lines, the core issue is: not being heard.
That’s where employee survey software can help employers give this cohort of employees a voice so that they don’t feel left out and continue giving their services without feeling disrespected.
Here are a few ways employee surveys can become a catalyst in changing the workplace culture for the good:
1. Opportunity to Provide Input
Gone are the days when employers were considered as ‘BOSS’ and you were obliged to stand with heads down and crossed hands until he/she crossed you. Generation Z is more tilted towards freedom and equity. This generation makes up around 32% of the world population. So, if you don’t listen to their thoughts, opinions, and outcry, they will rather like to leave that job instead of filling their head with thoughts. So, surveys help them give their output with a belief that their voice would be heard and their input would be worth it on a large scale.
2. Feeling of Inclusion
You take surveys of people you feel to have some weightage in their opinion, have some value. Right? That’s what you inculcate in the deskless workforce when they are taken surveys — the feeling of being valued, and included in the work process. Unlike Millennials, Gen Z has a strong opinion and believes in meaningful work rather than just career growth. Conducting a survey, not only saves you from the headache of filling up empty spaces. In fact, your employees work with more zeal and enthusiasm because they feel they are working for their own place.
3. Being Respected
Generation Z is also concerned about their respect because they are more socially active and informed about their rights. You can’t treat them with disrespect and expect silence in return. You would have to deal with an uproar or commotion within the employee community. Moreover, the new rules, regulations, and changed norms have also changed and widened the meanings of respect.
Now respect is not only about talking and dealing with someone. It also includes letting others speak their heart out, listening to different perspectives, and paying attention to someone’s voice. According to stats, 80% of Gen Z employees leave their jobs because of a lack of values. That’s where surveys can become a helping hand. You can use survey software to conduct a survey that helps employees to voice their thoughts, firming the feeling of respect.
4. Secured Feeling
Living in a world where economic recession is getting higher globally and now and then you hear news of employees being laid off by big giant companies, like Facebook and Google. Inevitably, it is hard to not get insecure about your position. This insecurity not only hurts your employees’ productivity but could also impact brands when these insecurities turn into rumors and fly into the market.
The best way to avoid such incidents is to keep your employees in the loop through surveys so they feel themselves as a part of the whole team rather than feeling insecure or left out from the whole square. Generation Z wants things bigger and better. The deckless workforce might seem trivial to people who are not important, but when you see the scenario from a bird’s eye view, you come to know that they keep things flowing and can’t be kept out.
5. Fair Treatment
Surveys are also a significant element when it is to push employees to be fairly treated. It hurts employees’ self-esteem when higher-ups follow a top-down hierarchy and only the top layer of the hierarchy is allowed to convey their thoughts — right or wrong. However, with a survey, employees feel fairly treated because they are given opportunities to convey their thoughts to the higher-ups, and important actions are taken based on the conclusion of employees’ surveys. This is the best way to eliminate their fears and secure them from falling into the pit of the feeling of not being properly treated.
Never forget that it is the 21st century and people’s mindsets have also changed based on the changes brought about. 88% of Gen Zers like that employers use preferred pronouns and there is reduced workplace bias. People, their ways of thinking, and how thinking is molded have changed a lot. So, now employers also need to change the way they treat employees — treat them fairly to get better responses.
Conclusion
Remember that the human mind is the most complex part of the human body. Humans work, feel, and react according to the brain’s signals. If you learn to turn employees’ brains’ signals in your favor and generate positive reinforcement, you can increase their productivity, will work, and loyalty to your workplace. It’s just a matter of finding the right ways and processes — just like surveys.
Surveys might seem like just a piece of paper with some random questions. However, for employees, it can be an amazing way to trigger positivity in them, generate feelings of being embraced, turn negative feelings into positive ones, and a lot more. Therefore, why not use this cheap, hassle-free, and less time-consuming way to make your employees feel that they are being valued, cared for, and respected?
Tell us how you feel about this method. Are you going to make it the next big way to excavate employee loyalty?