More than six in ten (62 per cent) of Britain’s HR leaders and senior decision-makers admit their organisation recognises and rewards desk-based employees more frequently than deskless or frontline workers, according to a new report from employee recognition and benefits platform Boostworks. Yet almost eight in ten (79 per cent) also believe deskless and frontline employees have equal access to recognition opportunities.
The full report “The Deskless Disconnect” findings suggest that while many organisations believe recognition opportunities are equally available to everyone, the reality is very different for the millions of people working on shop floors, hospital wards, factory lines, warehouses and out in the field.
The independent study of 2,000 employees across Britain found deskless workers consistently experience a poorer employee experience than their office-based colleagues. They are almost three times more likely than office workers to say they have no real relationship with their manager (10 per cent vs 4 per cent of office workers), while more than a quarter (29 per cent) say they aren’t rewarded in any particular way, compared with 19 per cent of office workers. Their work is also less likely to be recognised by senior leaders (26 per cent vs 36 per cent) or in team meetings (24 per cent vs 37 per cent).
Jo Werker, CEO of Boostworks, commented: “What’s striking about this research isn’t simply that employees see a problem. It’s that HR leaders recognise the gap too.
“When the people designing recognition strategies acknowledge that desk-based employees are recognised and rewarded more often, it shows just how difficult this gap can be to close. Recognition often happens through everyday interactions – meetings, conversations with managers and company communications – which can be harder to access for employees who aren’t desk-based. The opportunity for employers is to make sure where someone works never determines how visible, valued or appreciated they feel.”
The disconnect appears particularly stark because deskless employees (27 per cent) actually place greater importance on recognition than rewards, compared with one in five office workers (20 per cent).
Despite placing greater value on recognition, deskless employees were consistently less likely to receive it – whether in team meetings, from senior leaders, through formal awards or on company communication channels. One in ten receive no recognition at all, while one in five (21 per cent) deskless employees say recognition rarely happens where they work, almost double the proportion of office-based employees (11 per cent). Recognition is also less likely to motivate deskless employees to perform better (33 per cent vs 41 per cent of office workers), while 17 per cent say they would stay but stop going above and beyond if they regularly felt undervalued, compared with 13 per cent of office workers. Deskless employees are also less likely to raise feeling undervalued with their manager (20 per cent vs 28 per cent).
For employers, that means risking disengagement among the very employees who often represent their business to customers every day.
The report also suggests recognition gaps begin with weaker day-to-day management. Almost one in ten (9.8 per cent) deskless employees say they have virtually no relationship with their line manager, making them almost four times more likely than hybrid workers (3 per cent) and almost three times more likely than office-based workers (4 per cent) to report little or no relationship with their manager.
Only 28 per cent describe their manager relationship as offering a healthy balance of support and performance management compared with around 40 per cent of office and hybrid workers (who describe their manager relationship as a genuine balance of support and performance management). Across every measure tested, from feeling valued to receiving praise, deskless employees reported significantly weaker relationships with managers.
Werker concluded: “If organisations are serious about creating inclusive workplaces, they need to stop designing employee experience around the people who are easiest to reach. Recognition, reward and communication should be built around every employee, regardless of where they work. Being out of sight should never mean being out of mind.”
