Frontline Innovators
This is Frontline Innovators. Hosts Justin Lake and Gene Signorini speak with experts who are leading the way and driving digital transformation to the frontlines. We explore how to overcome challenges and achieve success when we empower our essential workers. This podcast is sponsored by Skyllful, on a mission to help frontline workers learn and use the technology needed to succeed in their jobs.
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Episodes
Friday Jan 28, 2022
Friday Jan 28, 2022
Hillary Carper is the Expert Product Manager at a major transportation logistics company. She knows the human side of change is incredibly important and can make a massive difference in a company. She sits down with host Justin Lake to discuss some of the challenges that frontline workers are facing and how they can be better helped.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing the frontline workforce today is the struggle of working from and identifying between their corporate self at work and their life at home.
Working from home can be challenging at times. Everyone is using the same wifi and slowing down the network, which makes work difficult.
Change management is dealing with the people side of change. It requires a great skill set but it is very rewarding.
Data driven results are a good way of measuring success. It shows all the data you will need and you can track the success of change.
The people side of change is the crux of whether or not you are going to be successful. If people don’t change then there will be no ROI.
You need to understand what others are doing in order to be successful. Building a foundation takes time but it starts with understanding others.
The sender of the message matters. Certain people will have a better way of communicating messages rather than others.
Quote of the show
38:04 “You know the analogy where you have the jar and you put the big rocks in of the things that are most important to you. And then the smaller rocks and the pebbles. I always used to tell people, change management in an organization is the sand. We’re the sand that touches all the places and that kind of keeps everybody together and connected.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillary-carper-308852224/
Company Website: https://www.jbhunt.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/EqHkpEbcGsQ
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
Danielle Cimek is the Business Change Manager at Gordon Food Service. She has over 14 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. She sees the importance of technology in the workplace and what difference it can make for a company. She joins host Justin Lake to sit down and talk about some of the issues facing frontline employees today.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge that deskless workers are facing today is that it is difficult to get people in to fill the jobs that need to be done, which leave frontline workers with even more on their plate.
Leveraging technology in the workplace can help employees to move forward and be more productive in their work.
If the technology doesn’t meet the users' needs then it will be shelved and forgotten. It’s important to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Understanding the “why” is important and you need to carry that forward. If you don’t understand the reason you are advocating for a change, it won’t do well.
Technology is constantly changing so you need to be able to be agile and adapt to any change.
S.A.F.e - Scaled Agile Framework. It brings each team of people that are impacted by change together and they talk about how they will handle the change.
Increasing the sample size of who you talk to in an organization can help to make a smart-decision that is well informed.
Quote of the show
8:12 “We can build whatever technology we want, but if it doesn't meet the end users' needs, or if they're not ready for it mentally, then that technology will fail and be shelved and not used. So it really was just that interest of trying to figure out, what is that balance and how do you figure out that sweet spot of being able to try and keep that pace of being able to evolve and grow technology?”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellecimek/
Company Website: https://www.gfs.com/en-us
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/9hPJrML-99c
Friday Jan 21, 2022
Friday Jan 21, 2022
Debbie Simurda is the Vice President, Sales Enablement at Mainstreet, Inc. She enjoys helping stores reach their full potential with technology and making sure employees are happy with what they do. She joins host Eugene Signorini to sit down and talk about some of the issues that frontline workers are facing today.
Takeaways
In terms of retail, it has been a difficult few years for those employees. They have had to deal with constant changes to their environment and rules.
Retail isn’t for the timid. It can be very taxing on a daily basis having to deal with ever changing rules and regulations.
Maintaining your work equipment is extremely important. Paying to repair the technology takes it out of commission and affects all aspects of retail.
Being on the back end of technology allows you to really see benefit to it and how it helps the stores that are using it.
You can’t sell something if you don’t know it. It’s important to know your product and how it could benefit others to use it.
The pandemic helped to implement new technology that some companies were hesitant to try out at first.
There is a shift now of making stores more highly optimized and consumer friendly, such as including curbside pickup.
Quote of the show
9:19 “If a retailer has a device in their stores that isn't functioning, then that not only impacts customer service, it impacts uptime. It's a lot more money for them to maintain it. They need to invest in spares. And so with our clients, we tried to get them to kind of look at a ruggedized mobility solution like zebra. And I think more and more of them are embracing it”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiesimurda/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/posatmainstreet
Company Website: https://www.mainstreetinc.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/POSatMainstreet/
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/-BRAqF0Ai10
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
Sarah Lang is the Learning and Change Manager at BNSF logistics. She’s a Master of Science, Chemistry from Texas A&M University, and she found her way to helping manage change and says she uses her science skills everyday. She joins host Justin Lake to sit down and talk about some of the biggest challenges that frontline workers are facing today.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing the frontline workers today is that they are overloaded with information. There are so many apps and different software that it can be daunting.
You need to understand the audience. You need to know who is using the technology and tailor to benefit them and make it easy to use.
It’s a good idea to have a system in place that goes over a step by step guide on what process to follow should frontline workers have any questions.
It’s easier to manage the change of new employees because they are like a blank slate and they will learn how to properly get things done.
You want to focus your change on each individual person rather than a large group as a whole, that way everyone will understand the change thoroughly.
Managers are critical in making change happen. Management is the one who has to sell it to the employees.
When working with a manager to get their buy-in on the change, you need to benefit of it to them and their employees.
Quote of the show
32:58 “If you have a situation which typically you have seasoned people at your company, middle of the road for three or four years in, and then you have brand new people and you have a change coming, you really have to sit down and do that change impact for every single role. And then down to that individual level, I know that sounds really time consuming, but I promise, there's a benefit to doing that.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraholivard/
Company Website: https://www.bnsflogistics.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/WIUUjAg860o
Friday Jan 14, 2022
Friday Jan 14, 2022
Sonya Shelton, CEO at Executive Leadership Consulting, joins host Eugene Signorini to discuss the importance of being a good leader to those on the frontline. Also the author of “You’re An Executive But Are You a Leader?,” Sonya shares her invaluable insight on what it takes to be a true leader.
Takeaways
Burnout is the biggest challenge facing the frontline workforce today. Going through the pandemic and supply chain issues has been a struggle and those on the frontline are the ones dealing with all the challenges.
Frontline workers experience anxiety just like everyone else, and their mental health should also be paid attention to.
Culture and Strategy shouldn’t be enemies, but they should be working together in order to create a great employee experience.
You want to inspire people and be a leader. You want to have followers, not people who are compliant with you.
A lot of companies lose sight of what it means to be a frontline worker. You want to make sure deskless employees are given everything they need to succeed.
It’s easy to lose sight of the small wins in a company because of what is happening in the world right now, but it’s important to celebrate even the little victories to motivate your employees.
Having a set process in place is critical. You need to have this so the employees know what steps to follow and it eases the burden on them.
Quote of the show
9:20 “If you're just relying on your position or your title, or the power that the organization has given you through that title, then you have compliance, you don't have followers. It's really about how can you inspire people and lead them towards a vision.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceosonyashelton/
Twitter: @SonyaShelton
Company Website: https://executiveleader.com
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Executive-But-Leader-Communicating-ebook/dp/B00K5DRNAC
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/CUzKUGh0CU4
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Sydney Henry is the Organizational Change Practitioner at Norfolk Southern Corporation. She’s an experienced and passionate change leader, and she comes from a family of railroaders. She joins host Justin Lake to talk about issues that frontline workers are facing today.
Takeaways
Communication is the biggest issue facing the frontline workforce today. Constant communication is really important to keep them updated in the field.
It’s important to ask questions throughout the year, as different issues can arise at different times with technology.
A change manager should do a walk along with a frontline employee or talk with them in person, as it’s important to see what a day in their life is like for them.
Always make sure there is a backup plan. Not everything can be stopped until a new process is implemented, so having a backup plan is extremely important.
Observe frontline workers and how they do their job before you implement change. That way you can see if the change is necessary and how it will help.
There are many different ways of communicating with frontline workers, so it’s important to take advantage of those tools rather than using emails.
It’s important to be empathetic for those on the frontline. They are the ones facing the customers and having to answer questions while working in the field.
Quote of the show:
0:47 “I've been a victim of the same thing: communicating in the very beginning with the frontline workers to get their opinion about something, but not following up enough throughout the process.
I think that initial testing, in the field or on the frontline testing, the technology or the process changes. It's very important, but even, especially using an agile methodology, that constant communication of, Hey, did something new come up or is there some special circumstance we can talk about that you didn't talk about before? I absolutely think that communication is key.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-a-henry/
Company Website: http://www.nscorp.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/0wK1d1V0F3s
Friday Jan 07, 2022
Friday Jan 07, 2022
Ken White, Change Manager at Lowe’s, shares his experience having worked for the state department of Tennessee to bring all their workers online. Ken joins host Justin Lake to discuss some of the issues that are facing the frontline workforce today and ways that we can work on solving those issues.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing the frontline workforce today is technology driven change saturation.
Communication is the backbone of change management. It helps to have a good back and forth communication to incorporate change and have it be positivity received.
Project lighthouse was Duke energy’s flagship product to digitally transform itself.
Never stop listening to the customer. You are there to digitally transform products to make their life easier.
There’s no such thing as a bad idea. You want everyone in the company to feel heard and you can always learn something new from any idea.
An empathy map is when you take a typical employee and you take how they feel about their job and what they do into account and try to make them happier.
Every company is turning more and more to technology to get work done because of the pandemic.
Quote of the show
17:57 “An empathy map is taking your typical job roles, say line technician, and we divide them up into four categories. And as the development team, we talk about the typical line technician, and we talk about what the line tech is thinking, what they're actually doing on their job on a daily basis, what they're feeling about what they're doing and what they're saying about what they do and the organization.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-white-66a98510/
Company Website: https://www.lowes.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/Lr0-y1kEvT4
Tuesday Jan 04, 2022
Tuesday Jan 04, 2022
Kate DeGon is the Founder and CEO at Changesync. She’s a prosci certified management consultant. She was formerly the President of the Arizona chapter of the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP). She sits down with host Eugene Signorini to discuss what some of the challenges are that frontline employees are facing.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing the frontline workforce today is time. These employees are incredibly busy and when change comes in, that adds extra work onto their plate.
Most frontline employees are remote, so you want to make sure the change you are working on is something that can be done remotely for them and with ease.
Most people are not a huge fan of surprises in the workforce. It’s best to take the time and slowly incorporate the change, so everyone is on the same page.
It’s imperative to use technology that is easier to use. There’s no need to use software that makes your job more complicated.
The employees are the ones who make the change stick, so making sure they are happy and they understand what is happening is key.
Change management teams are typically small, which allows them to quickly pivot to new changes and focus on what employees are saying.
You want to find people who will champion the change. They will help facilitate the change and address any issue with it.
Quote of the show:
5:15 “Readiness is really helping to prepare the employees who are impacted regardless of the level of impact, really helping to prepare them for the impending change. And this precedes the actual formal training. Let's be honest, most people are not huge a fan of opening up their computer or getting a message somehow and hearing that there's a big change. Those surprises just really aren't welcomed in the workforce.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-tripalin-degon-bbb64046/
Company Website: http://changesync.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/yG-P74NaAV0
Friday Dec 31, 2021
Friday Dec 31, 2021
Mario Aguirre is the Project Manager of Programs, Change & Analytics at a Major Electric Utility. He has over 15 years of management experience in diverse areas. He is driven by his profound desire for a positive impact on others. He joins host Justin Lake and together they talk about some of the biggest challenges the deskless workforce faces.
Takeaways
The deskless workforce is becoming less and less deskless. Innovation in technology is great but with it comes technology that makes those frontline workers tied to certain areas such as trucks or cars.
Listening to employees on the frontline is a key company for management. They have some great insight into what works and doesn’t work in the field.
If you’ve worked as a frontline employee before, you understand the impact of change and decision making and what it really means to those on the frontline.
There’s always going to be a bell curve when it comes to change, so it’s important to make sure that frontline employees are aware and prepared for any change and the challenges that come with it.
There are opportunities for any industry to improve. Change enablement is a growing field and it’s important to take advantage of that.
It’s important to build a great relationship between management and those working on the frontline.
Showing appreciation for those on the frontline is something that can motivate them and make them feel heard and understood.
Quote of the show
0:42 “The deskless workforce is becoming less and less desk-less as innovation is being deployed much closer and closer to those frontline employees… As leaders of innovation, we have to ensure that our leaders are engaging those frontline employees and making sure to have a process to do that. What we're deploying is ensuring that our leaders observe the frontline employees and that they seek input from those frontline employees, they solution the opportunity, then they communicate the solution.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-aguirre-782b90149/
Company Website: https://www.tampaelectric.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/2eYgOg4Q6S4
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
Sally Fahey, a Global Black Belt - Modern Work Specialist, and First Line Worker at Microsoft, has had the privilege and experience of working with some of Australia's most iconic brands. After graduating from school she worked with a large telecommunications company, where she discovered she really likes how technology can help organizations. Sally is also a Prosci certified change practitioner and she joins host Eugene Signorini to discuss some of the biggest challenges that frontline workers are facing.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing the deskless workforce is being understood. It’s important for management to understand the role frontline workers play in the company so they can better help.
Those who work on the frontline are multifaceted and can handle many different types of tasks, but that doesn’t mean they should be overloaded with work.
Communication is key. You need to have an open channel of communication that is effective in order to better understand and cooperate with deskless workers.
The pandemic has created a fear among frontline workers because they are the ones facing the public which means they are likely to contract the virus.
A problem in many organizations is trying to solve niche issues. Rather than doing that, it’s better to have a frontline manager look at this issue and try and solve them.
There are many different frontline personas within an organization, and this helps to make it so that change can be incorporated into a company in a smooth manner.
Technology is an enabler, but you can’t use technology just to say you are using it. It needs to have a purpose and serve the company in a good way.
Quote of the show
0:54 “I think it's as simple as being understood. So it's having people understand the work that they do, the environment that they do it in, and the tools and processes they need to do the work they do today. But also how their role fits in the broader ecosystem of an organization, because these are the people that are making the products for our customers.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-fahey/
Company Website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/7_Ja7vvuXsI
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Kristine Dunn is the Manager, Organizational Change and Learning at DTE Energy. She is a certified professional and talent developer with ATD. She has a background in developing cultures, leaders, and teams to create a positive employee experience. Kristine and host Justin Lake discuss some of the challenges that plague frontline employees.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing the frontline workers today is balancing their daily work while also staying connected to the extended teams back at the office.
Investing in technology that can make communication easier for those who work on the frontline.
You want to make sure you are interacting and engaging with those on the frontline in a way that’s reasonable to them as that will positively impact how they react to change.
Those who work in change management are shepherds of change, leading the employees to a successful transition.
There’a a two pronged approach for change managers trying to help employees handle change; one is how do you personally show up and the other is how do you take action on the work that needs to be done.
Communications have really been disrupted in the last few years because of the pandemic, and that makes the lives of deskless employees harder.
New technology is constantly being introduced, it makes the learning curve steeper and those on the frontline are going from being an expert to being novice on a constant basis.
Quote of the show
20:39 “Right now we're introducing a lot of new technology to help them work more efficiently. And with that comes this major transition of going from an expert and having that expert status to a learner or a novice… but the reality is it takes time to move back into that expert status again.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisdunncplp/
Company Website: https://newlook.dteenergy.com/wps/wcm/connect/dte-web/home
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/X5Zrk-yVoBE
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Doug Eichhorn, Vice President of Change Enablement at Whole Foods Market has extensive retail experience with over 25 years in various leadership roles. He is both BMI and Prosci certified. Doug joins host Justin Lake to discuss what frontline workers are going through and some of the challenges they face, like the rapid pace of changing information.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing the deskless force is making sure that they have enough time to adapt to the changes that are coming towards them.
When we get hyper focused on a project, we think that’s the only thing a frontline worker has but they have lots of projects going on all at once.
There is an inherent resistance to change. It’s the job of those in change management to show the frontline workers that change isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
A common issue is when people are trying to solve an issue they think the end users are experiencing when that actually isn’t an issue at all.
You have to remember that some frontline workers are part-time, so dropping new information on them constantly could confuse them and slow down their average work day.
If you have a way to communicate in an effective way and cut down on the number of messages sent out, you can increase proficiency and productivity.
Change managers are looking at three big things on a daily basis: utilization, proficiency and value.
Quote of the show:
0:38 “I think one of the biggest challenges they face is giving those team members that desk-less workforce enough time to absorb the changes that are coming down.
So many times there are multiple originators of work or multiple originators of change requests to that team and team member that they just don't get enough time to actually absorb the change and be able to process through what it means to them, how it impacts their day to day, what it means to do work differently before the next change is hitting them all.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-eichhorn/
Company Website: https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/0gzT-GDO_-s
Friday Dec 17, 2021
Friday Dec 17, 2021
Tulsi Keshkamat, Product Management Director - Modern Workplace Transformations at Microsoft has empathy for all the deskless workers and wants to empower them to be the best they can be. She recognizes that digital transformation impacts those on the frontline first and foremost. She joins host Eugene Signorini to talk about ways that upper management can better help those who work on the frontline.
Takeaways
Frontline workers need to be a prominent part in the conversation about digital transformation as it affects them more than anyone else.
Frontline workers are mobile first and they are the ones who face the customers, so they need to be up to date on all the latest technology.
Communication is extremely important when it comes to upper management trying to be in touch with those on the frontline. A walkie-talkie is a great solution to that.
When it comes to helping frontline workers be more effective in their job, look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as an example.
The biggest things that deskless workers need is flexibility, access to information and then connection and collaboration.
Everyone in an organization learns in different ways. It’s important to take note of this and make sure you adapt to those different ways of learning.
Quote of the show:
1:13 “One of the things that this pandemic has brought front and center is that digital transformation, as we think about it for an organization, Critical information workers or what we call the people who have desks, but it is also critical to frontline workers or what you described as the set of people who are desk-less, they're typically mobile first, but the pandemic really did a good, good job of showing us how critical they are.
The world cannot run without them. That just became immediately obvious, but also it became important for us to realize that they need to be part of this conversation of digital transformation. If we don't include them, we are going to be left behind and we can't adjust to the changes that are happening.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tulsik/
Company Website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/
Custom link: https:aka./frontline-workforce
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/MBWGV1f_qDU
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Today’s guest has been working in the natural gas industry since 1995. He worked his way from the bottom of the industry to being a foreman on sites, which is where he discovered his passion for helping people and interacting with them. Now, Brent Shoemaker is the Applications Process Improvement/Training as a Consultant at Williams. He sits down with host Justin Lake to talk about some of the biggest challenges that frontline workers face today.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing the frontline workforce today is the rapid change in technology and all different kinds of regulations to follow.
Your company trusts you but you need to make sure that the trust is also earned and verified by your hard work.
Documenting work is important so that if there is a mistake then people go back and see where it was made and know how to fix it.
It’s the frontline employees who make the natural gas industry what it is.
Those working on the frontline have to deal with the public, their own departments at work and maybe even public safety departments so you can use technology to make their lives easier.
Work can be like a massive puzzle, and you need to know where you stand in that puzzle, where the end user stands and how it all fits together.
The more you pile into a frontline employee, the more they will feel overworked and will be more likely to have worse production and a negative outlook on work.
Quote of the show:
22:17 “We had this massive puzzle and everybody's a piece of that puzzle. You need to know where you're at within that puzzle and how you understand and make sure that the end user knows where they are, how they fit with all these other pieces that creates this one puzzle.
Because the work that they would do on, in their role affects somebody either positive or negative downstream, or vice versa. So it was teaching people, here's Maximo, or here’s Piqua, or here's a locus or here's GIS. Here's these applications and here's how to use it. But here's why you're asking, being asked to use them. And this is how you use it within your role.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-shoemaker-7330361a0/
Company Website: https://www.williams.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/f43FieVShD0
Friday Dec 10, 2021
Friday Dec 10, 2021
Adrianne Kelly, Change Management Manager at a major CPG company, has firsthand experience as a frontline worker having worked at a grocery store for over 7 years. While there, she would watch as new people were hired and she developed them to become district managers or be very successful at other companies. Adrianne joins host Justin Lake to share her insights about the biggest challenges facing those on the frontline, such as the amount of time it takes to adapt to new technology.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing the deskless workforce today is the assumption that learning new technology will be easy no matter what age you are.
There is a fear that if a company becomes too efficient with new technology that it will replace those on the frontline but that isn’t the case.
Technology in the frontline space is a real challenge because it takes time to get adjusted to the changes.
It’s a good idea to learn the new technology before you introduce it. If you don’t know how to use it then you can’t properly teach it.
Before launching new technology, you want to make sure that it's bug free. That way you don’t have to go through a painful process of constant updates.
Repetition is a good idea. It drives home all the information and that way the employees know where to go if they have any questions.
Adrianne’s favorite part about working with technology is that it adds to the innovation.
Quote of the show:
15:12 “In all honesty, my first few months or so I literally got trained by the people who worked for me. They showed me everything.
I was like, okay, you're going to have to take, if it's a half day, if it's 15 hours, if it's 20 minutes, just take me through every app that a frontline leader uses and how they use it in the field. Take me out to the field. Let's look at product lines. Let's look at sales, let's look at everything that we need to look at.
And that's how I got acclimated to it. It was truly like what we were talking about earlier. It was truly like I had to get my hands on it. I had to kind of bypass my own fears and say the only way that I'm going to be able to teach this is to learn it. So I need to go learn it.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianne-kelly-65b709a/
Company Website: https://www.pepsi.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/grAOI56SXMs
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Jennifer Pickert earned her degree in theater and has adapted those skills to help in her role as Manager of Change Leadership - Front Line Operations at Southwest Airlines. While directing plays in college she learned how to have interactions with people that built great relationships. Jennifer shares with host Justin Lake that sometimes the best way to solve issues facing those on the frontline is by simply asking them what you can do to better help them.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing frontline workers today is finding a way to communicate effectively with management about what changes are happening and what it means for them.
You need to understand the struggles that everyone goes through at different locations. Not all frontline workers are going through the same issues.
There is a fear that with the advancement in technology it could replace deskless workers but that isn’t the case, and it needs to be made more clear
A solution to an issue doesn’t always have to be complicated. Sometimes the answer is simply asking how those on the frontline can be better helped.
Not every company has a corporate email or device for frontline workers to use, and those aren’t the best method for reaching those employees.
It’s going to take time for employees to adapt to new changes, so that needs to be kept in mind because those employees will remember how it went last time.
Jennifer likes to see the changes in technology and making employees lives easier through these changes.
Quote of the show:
2:29: “Truly at the end of the day I really believe what moves that needle, are relationships. It's not going to be about the fancy newsletter that you put out with a digital sign that you show, it's really about understanding the culture and the dynamics at a specific location. Be that an airport, an area headquarters, like wherever that environment is and going there and understanding what people are up against, understanding what their days look like, understanding what's most important to them. You can't win hearts and minds without knowing their language.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-pickert-6273391/
Company Website: https://www.southwest.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/_2CgquYxQSo
Friday Dec 03, 2021
Friday Dec 03, 2021
On today’s episode of Frontline Innovators, the guest went to school for chemical engineering and has spent his entire life in technology. Alok Pant, the CEO at Unvired Inc, joins host Euegene Signorini. Together they go over some of the biggest challenges that deskless workers face, such as learning new apps designed to make their lives and jobs easier out in the field.
Takeaways
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed every company to switch as much as they can to digital rather than paper, and this creates more technology for those on the frontline to learn with very little training and constant updates and changes
There are 4 challenges that frontline workers face; making sure they can do their work effectively, user adoption change management, how do you train those in these field on the new app, and how do you deploy the app.
Training and change management are not one in the same, although mos think that they are.
Communication between everyone ranging from the vendor to the CEO is key to running a successful business, and that doesn’t stop with deskless workers.
A mobile app is a great way to stay in touch with those who work in the field. Oftentimes they might not even have an email, but you can send a notification right to them.
When developing new technology, you want to make sure it is user friendly and intuitive for those on the frontline.
Projects are more successful when an executive sponsor or somebody else on the customer’s side are heavily interested in the project.
Quote of the show
17:03 “If you think of change management, OCM, it starts with leadership. Right from the CEO to the vice presidents, everybody has to be committed to something they're trying to change, the process. And that's why digitization is happening. So I think it starts from leadership.
A very important component of change management is communication to all stakeholders, to all your employees, even to maybe board members, investors. the money spent is significant, and of course, to your vendors. Communication has to be key. That's what we found.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alokpant/
Company Websites: https://unvired.com, https://chymebot.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/Gvtt3WXigl0
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
The pandemic has had an effect on all frontline workers that we are still trying to understand today. That’s what today’s guest sees as one of the major issues that frontline workers face. Cristina Rivera, the Manager of Future Ready Workforce at PepsiCo, has a passion for finding new ways to make others lives easier. She joins host Justin Lake to sit down and talk about how not only the pandemic, but the speed of change are some of the issues that currently plague today’s deskless workforce.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing the frontline workers today is the speed in change of skills.
Learning new skills while being a frontline worker is a multi-generational issue. It doesn’t only affect the older workers in the position.
Those on the frontline often feel overworked, feeling like they are doing more work with less people. A way to combat this is to make sure those on the frontline are up to date on their skills and fully trained.
Those in a position of change management need to take into account the fear that frontline workers have that technology will replace them, and help them understand that it won’t take their job away.
Frontline workers need to hear from other frontline workers who have gone through the changes to know what to expect, hearing it from someone in corporate isn’t as impactful to them.
You would use different strategies to communicate change in a typical corporate job than you would use with frontline workers.
The biggest question right now is how do we get more people back in the workforce and increase the amount of workers taking frontline jobs.
Quote of the show
15:34 “Any time we want to roll out something with the intent to make their lives easier that with the intent to make things smoother or more effective, the fear comes in. I think that fear is one of the biggest things that people who are in charge of change management and any culture shift in an organization, those human elements are the pieces that we have to tend to the most because that's what is changing much more than my behaviors and me pushing whatever buttons.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinamrivera/
Company Website: https://www.pepsico.com
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/cMji9_ZK-Qg
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Kristi Walker, Change Management Consultant at Arizona Public Service, joins host Justin Lake to discuss the constant changes that frontline workers are seeing and what tools are out there to make their lives easier. With over 20 years of experience in change management, she was also the assistant executive director at the Arizona Exposition and State Fair.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing the deskless worker today is the transfer of information between people.
Always know your audience. If you are trying to sell change, you want to know what your selling can actually help those deskless workers.
Promote the “desire” piece of change. Those on the frontline should have a desire to try the new change you are promoting, and it makes it harder to accept if they don’t look forward to it.
Working from home was a difficult task for frontline workers. They still have to go out everyday while others don’t have to, so making sure they are acknowledged and rewarded for their hard work is a key to keeping them happy.
Having field workers on your change champion network is a great idea. Not only do the frontline workers feel more valued in that case, but there might be an issue they are having that upper management might not have known otherwise.
Face-to-face communication is always better than electronic communication.
Quote of the show:
0:43 “The biggest challenge for them right now is communications. We have such a hard time making sure that they get the information they need to be successful. We've worked with their leadership to get involved, they have these tailgate meetings before the start of every shift. You really have to get in front of them, kind of face-to-face if you can, to get the information across. So that's our main way of working with them, but we're always exploring new ways to really reach out and make sure they have what they need.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiwalsh/
Company Website: https://www.aps.com/en/residential/home
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/RESVX4nnaCA
Friday Nov 19, 2021
Friday Nov 19, 2021
Listening to deskless workers can provide valuable feedback for those in the management position. On this episode of Frontline Innovators, host Justin Lake is joined by Shelby Matzell, Manager, Gas Transformation Change Office at National Grid. Together they talk about how utilizing feedback from the frontline workers can make those hard workers feel heard and understood, while also answering questions that management may not have known where being asked.
Takeaways
The biggest challenge facing deskless workers today is being able to reach them with communication.
With frontline workers not being in the office, it’s important to stay in touch with them. All teams should be on the same app to make that easier.
Repetition is key. You can’t expect people to understand new technologies or new plans on the first try, so it’s important to have a process and plan in place to explain it all.
Listen to those on the frontline. They might need a refresher on an app or a tool, whatever it may be, as long as you listen to them and help it only makes everyone’s job easier.
Video presentations are an easier way of learning to use technology rather than just sharing screenshots.
Drip-feed learning is when you provide information to those on the frontline in a slow and methodical way, rather than overloading them with change.
Quote of the show:
11:51 “I would say if we could just take their feedback from any form that we're able to get that from, whether it's a survey, live feedback, anything that they're requesting more info on, or just like we talked about a tool.
If it's a tool that they need a refresher on, whatever it is that they're asking for. And if we have the ability to deliver that for them doing the best we can to meet them where they need to be. Because I do think if we were able to take their feedback or their suggestions and deliver, then they would be more receptive to anything else that we bring to them in terms of communication or in terms of what they need to know for their role, and being able to deliver that as well.”
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelby-matzell-22b35122/
Company Website: https://www.nationalgridus.com/Default.aspx
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
YouTube - https://youtu.be/avPhMNGadf4