It’s time to admit the manager cascade isn’t enough
For as long as internal communication has existed, there has been the line manager cascade: The passing of information down the hierarchy from leaders to manager, from managers to frontline workers. Sometimes this approach to communication works, sometimes it doesn’t. It can sometimes mean that important messages get forgotten or diluted.
This kind of communication system has been front-and-centre in organisations with frontline workers; people like nurses, retail staff, plumbers, manufacturing workers, delivery drivers, construction workers, salespeople on the road… you get the idea. They’re not at desks looking at emails all day, which makes it more challenging to reach them with communication.
But reaching these people is SO important. Maybe it’s time to admit that the traditional method of line manager cascade simply isn’t enough anymore?
If we want to keep our frontline workers informed, engaged and connected to the organisation’s mission and vision, we need to be more intentional about how we communicate with them. The good news is that mobile-first technology, particularly employee apps, offer us a consumer-grade approach to communicating with frontline workers – something that would have been unthinkable 20 years ago.
Let’s do a deeper dive and unpack this together.
Why line manager cascades aren’t enough
For years, line managers have been the go-to channel for cascading information to deskless workers. However, relying solely on line managers has challenges. Firstly, there’s a risk of inconsistency in communication isn’t there? The accuracy of messages relayed from manager to team often depends on the manager’s ability to interpret and relay information. Key details can get lost, misinterpreted or simply not passed on. Secondly, the cascade can be SLOW. Information may get delayed, by days or even weeks, meaning employees aren’t getting key information in a timely way. This can result in confusion and lack of clarity on what’s happening in the company. And thirdly, maybe most common and the least talked about, is the fact that managers are often overwhelmed and overburdened, juggling operational duties and getting the day job done – as a result, they simply may not prioritise communication. They have long to-do lists and communication may get pushed to the bottom of that list.
Now once upon a time we HAD to rely solely on line managers to cascade information. We didn’t really have any other option, did we? But those days are gone. We are so lucky now to have mobile-first employee comms apps and technology to give us a new way to reach deskless workers effectively – and we can reach them directly, rather than having to go through layers of leaders and managers.
Mobile-first technology is a game-changer for internal comms
Employee comms technology, especially mobile-first technology, is completely changing the way we can communicate with our frontline workers. Over 80% of the world’s workforce (more than 2 billion people) do not sit at desks looking at computers all day. But guess what, most of them own a smartphone. Using mobile-first technology for internal communications means we can meet employees where they are, delivering instant, accessible, and relevant information to help them do their jobs effectively and feel connected to the wider organisation.
One of the biggest advantages of this kind of technology is that it cuts out any delays in the traditional cascade model. You no longer have to wait for the information to go down from the senior leader to their manager and then to the frontline, which as we already mentioned can cause delays, but now we can just cut to the chase and communicate with frontline workers immediately. In real time. And frontline workers can have direct access to the information they need when they need it; if they need to find out about rosters, HR policies or company updates, they don’t need to ask about this in a team meeting, they can access the information directly on an app.
If you’ve got frontline workers and you’re not using mobile-first technology to communicate with them yet, here’s 4 pieces of practical advice for how to get started:
1. Choose the right tool for your organisation
Spend time understanding what your tool needs to do for the business, and what your employees want it to do. Define a clear purpose first before you go shopping. When it’s time to start looking at options, look for a tool that is easy to use so that you don’t need to invest lots of time training frontline workers and one that is easy to use from the back-end so that updating and sharing content on a regular basis is easy and quick.
2. Make onboarding simple
You want to make it easy and intuitive for workers to use the app, and you want to get this right from day one. If using the tech feels like a chore or feels like extra work in the day, people are likely to tune out. Make it easy for people to download the app and have a clear path to success after download: What do you want people to do during the first week of use? Do they need to create a profile or will this already be done for them? Do you need to create some short videos to give people a tour of the app and help them navigate successfully? Be sure to communicate where people can get extra help or ask questions if they need to.
Introduce the app with a clear onboarding process:
Provide a warm welcome: Begin with a friendly message that highlights the app’s benefits and how it will enhance their experience
Outline key actions: Offer a simple checklist of initial steps, such as logging in, exploring essential features and customising settings. Some vendors even offer tour functionality that will do this for you!
Utilise push notifications thoughtfully: Send gentle reminders to encourage engagement with app during the critical early days
Incorporate gamification elements: Introduce rewards or badges for completing onboarding tasks
Maintain open communication channels: Provide access to FAQs to address any questions or concerns promptly
3. Lead with value
When you’re thinking about the content and updates on your app, please remember these three words: Llead with value. Your content for your frontline employees should be valuable to them. It should help them do their job or avoid confusion or save time. Keep the content relevant and valuable to encourage regular use of your new app. To do this well, you need to invest time and energy into understanding the content your audience needs and wants. Try to also understand what kind of content will frustrate or annoy them; , this will be helpful in your content planning process.
4. Integrate the app into day-to-day work
To integrate your new app into people’s work, try not to make it separate from the actual work they do. Instead, make the app an intentional part of the employee experience. For example, it could become the go-to place to look at your shift schedule, to request time off or get updates on safety protocols. This way, it’s not just a source of corporate content but rather it’s a central app that employees use on a regular basis.
So is the line manager cascade dead?
Line managers may not always be effective at cascading information, but they are great at forging connections in a team, listening to team concerns and answering questions from team members. This is work that can’t be replaced by an app. So think about line managers and a mobile app as two separate but complementary communication channels for frontline workers. You need both, and they will each work better when supplemented with the other.
We’re so lucky really, because once upon a time we didn’t have all this technology at our disposal to help with these hard-to-reach workers. Now, it can truly transform how we communicate with ALL of our employees and keep them connected and engaged.
