Pension schemes and providers should consider segmenting member engagement efforts according to workforce type, according to new research, to better serve those who are not based at a desk.
Communications consultancy Quietroom’s research highlighted that schemes should look to improve member outcomes by considering the diverse communication needs of “non-desk” or frontline employees.
Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates that around 38% of the UK workforce – nearly 12 million people – works in roles that do not involve sitting at a desk. According to Quietroom, deskless workers consistently report much lower satisfaction with employer communications.
Quietroom reviewed a range of defined contribution (DC) pension scheme governance statements across various sectors, including those with significant non-desk workforces, such as transport, hospitality, catering, construction, logistics and retail, alongside office-based sectors for comparison. In each case, member engagement was reported as a single overall figure or a general qualitative statement, with no breakdown by role, site or workforce type.
The consultancy argued that schemes should segment engagement data by workforce type to determine whether overall engagement levels reflect the experiences of both desk-based and non-desk members, or are mainly driven by the members who are easiest to reach.
It highlighted shift and break patterns, location, and access to formal and informal communication channels – all of which can influence a member’s capacity to focus on building up an adequate pension pot.
“Non-desk members can be particularly challenging for schemes to reach… Schemes should be digging into what their different members know, feel and do, and putting in strategies to close the gaps.”
Simon Grover, director at Quietroom, said: “A single engagement figure for the whole membership doesn’t tell a scheme whether it’s reaching its non-desk members specifically. None of the statements we reviewed were structured in a way that could answer that question.
“Non-desk members can be particularly challenging for schemes to reach. And we know from our work with these members that what works for one work environment might be the opposite of what works for another. Schemes should be digging into what their different members know, feel and do, and putting in strategies to close the gaps.”
Case study: First Bus bypasses master trusts for a bespoke DC route
Last year, Pensions Expert reported on First Bus’ decision to design its own DC scheme with a bespoke engagement approach that reflected the nature of its workforce – bus drivers, for example, have limited access to email communications.
Read the full article to find out more.
Quietroom’s findings are consistent with three independent workplace surveys published in the past two years. Research by Firstup found that a third of deskless US workers consider their employer less effective at communicating with them than with office-based colleagues.
Separately, a global study by Workvivo found that half of frontline workers believe their employer prioritises desk-based staff, while an international study by Staffbase and YouGov found that only 9% of non-desk employees were very satisfied with the quality of internal communication, compared with 47% of desk-based employees.
