The Tribe Report 5. The Non-Desk Worker Issue | Page 12

which the brand is based, these employees are
poorly equipped to deliver the customer experience
promised by the brand.
The good news is that this presents a fantastic
opportunity to improve your customer experience,
just by keeping these frontline employees in the loop.

7 INSIGHTS FROM TRIBE’S
RESEARCH
The aha moment of this research was a realization
that’s fairly obvious at face value: the customer
experience could be dramatically improved by
increasing communication with, and thereby the
engagement of, non-desk employees. Frontline
employees are the ones having those customer
interactions, day in and day out, but even the folks
in the distribution center or on the manufacturing
line impact customers. The guys flipping burgers in
the back of the QSR and the housekeepers making
the beds in hotels are affecting that customer
experience. Why would any company not make it a
business priority to engage these people?
Along the way to that conclusion, the research
findings pointed to seven insights, most of which
build on each other:
1. NON-DESK EMPLOYEES WANT MORE
COMMUNICATION FROM THE TOP
When asked if they receive too much or too little
communication while on the job, 84 percent said
“not enough.” In response to a question asking about
the value of consistent information from corporate,
72 percent said that it is important to them.
Only 22 percent of respondents feel their job is
seen as an important element of the company
vision. In interviews, respondents said things like
“Treat employees like grownups” and “Have more
respect for people.”

12 | TRIBE REPORT

2. DEPENDING SOLELY ON SUPERVISORS TO
COMMUNICATE IS A FLAWED SYSTEM
Especially with sensitive news or major changes,
non-desk employees dislike the fact that some
divisions or groups in the company might know the
scoop before they do, and that individuals on their
own team are not even informed simultaneously.
They also mention issues with consistency. Advice
for top management included “Be consistent in
the message communicated through managers,”
and “Make sure that managers communicate
changes to others in a timely manner and not
leave anyone out.”
3. LACK OF COMMUNICATION INTERPRETED
AS LACK OF RESPECT
The tragedy is that lack of communication from
top management is seen as evidence that corporate
doesn’t respect them or value the roles they play.
With no ill intent, corporate management is
alienating non-desk employees simply by delegating
all their communication to the direct managers of
this population.
4. THEY SEE CORPORATE EMAIL ADDRESSES
AS ONE OF THE BEST SOLUTIONS
When asked what advice they would give their
employers on the best ways to communicate with
them, email was mentioned more than any other
method. The challenge, of course, is that assigning
company email addresses to all non-desk employees
can be a cumbersome endeavor, rife with issues
of turnover, security and limited access, not to
mention expense.
5. THEY WANT CORPORATE TO UNDERSTAND
THEIR REALITY
One interview subject said, “Quit living in your own
fantasy world and come see what it’s like on the
actual sales floor.” Another: “Get to know the little
person better, since they’re the ones interacting with
your customers.”