Why IT leaders in manufacturing must invest more in frontline technology
Did you know that only 1% of enterprise IT spend is allocated to technology for frontline workers? Equipping ‘digitally detached’ employees on the plant floor – often without access to company email, intranet, or personal devices on-shift – with the right tools for the job is key to driving bottom-line impact.
"Historically, people haven't understood the value in connecting frontline workers; and the role technology can play."
In this episode of FastFwd: Forecasting The Future of Work On The Frontline, Luke Farrugia, VP Marketing at ScreenCloud, interviews Microsoft’s Lina Huertes (Industry Executive for Manufacturing) and Sarah Miller (Product Marketing Manager). Both care deeply about digital employee experience and the transformative power of a frontline-first HR tech stack
The conversation covers:
- The Great Reshuffle. Now is the time when IT and business leaders are “rethinking everything”. At the same time, employees are rethinking not just how they work, but why, looking for roles that best match their needs – whether that’s greater flexibility, better pay, or deeper fulfilment. Employers now need to double down on levelling the playing field between knowledge and frontline workers, which includes providing those on the frontline with the same tools and opportunities to develop their technical/data literacy as those sitting behind a desk.
- How to improve digital EX. Better technology ranks third on a list of things frontline workers say could reduce stress (just behind better pay and vacation time). How can IT leaders build a frontline tech stack that presents a genuine competitive advantage?
- The power of sharing BI data. Research by Harvard Business Review in 2020, found that nearly 90% of organizations say their future success depends on data-driven decisions being made by frontline employees. However, the same research found that only 7% of organisations are fully equipping their teams with the analytic tools and resources needed to drive decision-making and autonomy on the frontline.
Tune in now!
