The State of Technology for the Deskless Workforce 2020

SAN MATEO, Calif., Dec. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Emergence Capital, the leading venture capital firm focused on early-stage enterprise companies, today published survey results on The State of Technology for the Deskless Workforce. Deskless workers refer to employees who do not sit at a desk to do their jobs, and they represent approximately 80% of the global workforce. This year, it was especially important to follow-up on the 2018 survey of IT buyers to better understand the technology from the perspective of the deskless workers themselves.

 In the survey conducted by Emergence Capital, deskless employees reveal how technology influences job satisfaction and productivity and what they believe employers—and entrepreneurs—could be doing to better meet their needs.

Noteworthy findings:

• Deskless workers are increasingly reliant on technology to do their jobs. 75% of deskless workers we surveyed spend most of their time at work using some form of technology. However, they are overwhelmingly reliant on technology built without their use cases in mind.
• Employers are primarily providing desk-bound devices to deskless workers, but mobile devices are gaining ground. 83% of deskless workers were primarily provided with desk-bound devices to do their work. However, in a sign of progress, nearly 60% of respondents have access to a smartphone or tablet. Newer devices such as smartwatches and drones are still emerging in terms of overall penetration among deskless workers at around 8%. That said, industries such as construction, manufacturing, real estate, and utilities are using these new platforms more heavily than others.
• More than 60% of deskless workers surveyed reported being unsatisfied or feeling there's room for improvement in the technology they use to perform their jobs. Top dissatisfaction stems from inefficiencies and slow speeds: 44% reported slow and outdated software, 20% said it is not efficient, 14% said it is not available to use on a mobile device, and 12% reported frustrations due to lack of collaboration tools.
• Unlike their corporate counterparts, deskless workers have received few new technology tools during the pandemic. 65% of respondents have not been provided additional technology to complete their jobs. This is despite the fact that deskless workers in critical industries such as healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing have seen their workloads increase dramatically during the pandemic
• Deskless Workers understand the value improved technology can bring to their jobs. 70% of deskless workers surveyed felt that improved technology would help them do their jobs better.
• Frustrated deskless workers are filling the technology gap themselves. 56% of respondents have used technology not provided by their employers to perform their jobs. We asked how they found these technologies and learned: 53% turned to technologies they were already using in their personal lives. 32% proactively sought out new hardware and software specifically for the purpose of helping them do their work better, and 22% learned about new technologies from a coworker.
• Additional technology allowed deskless workers to improve productivity during the pandemic. Of the deskless workers that did receive additional technology for their jobs, the majority—60%—reported that it enhanced their productivity and allowed them to operate at their pre-pandemic level or better.
• Technology is now a critical factor when deskless workers choose a job. 78% of the deskless workers surveyed consider the availability of technology when choosing a job. Given the high cost of recruiting new employees and the significant amount of employee turnover that exists in many deskless-heavy industries, companies would be wise to consider how better technology might help them improve their ability to attract and retain deskless workers.

For years, Emergence Capital has established itself as the leading voice raising awareness of the unmet technology needs of deskless workers. Emergence has already invested in fourteen companies, such as ServiceMax, UpKeep, and Retail Zipline, addressing this under-served market.

"It's hard for most of us to imagine doing our jobs without great software, yet it's a fact of daily life for the nearly three billion deskless workers around the world," said Kevin Spain, General Partner, Emergence Capital. "It has been our pleasure to raise awareness for the deskless workforce and to invest in incredible entrepreneurs designing software for these vital but all-too-often overlooked workers. This survey gave us the opportunity to hear from them directly, and their message to employers was clear: 'An investment in us is an investment in your future.'"

About Emergence
Emergence is the leading venture capital firm focused on early-stage enterprise software companies. Its mission is to be the most important partner to the companies that are changing the way the world works. The firm's investments' current market capitalization is over $400B and includes companies such as Zoom (ZM), Veeva Systems (VEEV), Box (BOX), Bill.com (BILL), SuccessFactors (SFSF, acquired by SAP), Yammer (acquired by Microsoft), ServiceMax (acquired by GE) and Intacct (acquired by Sage). For more information on Emergence, visit http://www.emcap.com and follow @emergencecap.

SOURCE Emergence Capital

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