Prior to the pandemic, many organizations employed management techniques that were less than considerate towards the needs of their employees. In some industries (particularly retail), there was a “churn and burn” mentality, where some made little investment to retain a dedicated long-term staff, with management instead presuming near constant turnover and a perpetual hiring cycle. Even in less extreme examples, there was a lack of emphasis on employee satisfaction because their position and paycheck were considered sufficient.
The pandemic radically changed this approach as an increase in better opportunities diminished the available pool of deskless shift workers. Facing labor shortages and increased supply chain disruptions, organizations around the world refocused their efforts on employee satisfaction in hopes of retaining and optimizing the workers that hadn’t yet left. The numerous benefits that modern workforce management provided to workers—in the form of accessibility, enhanced scheduling, and work/life balance—has led to the increased importance in employee support technologies we see today.