Deskless workers have too much month left at the end of the money – survey

Deskless workers who work in the food, hygiene, security, logistics and retail sectors enjoy their jobs but have too much month left at the end of their money, while they also battle with unreliable transport.

According to the 2024 Deskless Worker Pulse, a research report by Jem HR, 98% of the 1 600 deskless workers and the HR teams who support them who participated in the survey reported that they enjoy their jobs, but 33% have problems with unreliable transport to get to work.

Most of them say they earn low wages of between R5 000 and R10 000 per month and about half of them report running out of money before payday, while 44% have no emergency savings and 72% report that financial pressure affects their mental health.

When they need money before payday, it is usually for transport (733 respondents), food (384), healthcare (183), airtime or electricity (156), school fees (76) or rent (64).

“Deskless workers are essential workers who often operate under challenging conditions,” Nonsuku Mthimkhulu, head of customer at Jem, says.

“They battle to make ends meet, earning around R5 000 to R10 000 per month. They are often in public-facing roles, depend on erratic public transport and seldom have reliable access to computers or company emails.”

According to the survey, deskless workers often have to start their day as early as 03:00 to get to work.

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Wages and possible promotions motivate deskless workers

How do they stay motivated? Mthimkhulu says the survey shows that after wages, opportunities for promotion and believing that their work is meaningful are the most powerful motivators for deskless workers.

“They feel pride in their jobs and career trajectory. Most say there are promotion opportunities and 60% say they know what to do to be promoted. However, many deskless workers feel under-recognised, with more than half reporting being appreciated only rarely.”

Caroline van der Merwe, co-founder and chief product officer at Jem, says deskless workers, like any workers, thrive when they know their hard work is seen and appreciated. “Recognition programmes, accessible training and clear promotion paths can help them feel valued and encourage a long-term commitment.”

What stresses deskless workers out are unreliable transport (33%), unclear communication with their managers (27%), low wages (20%), challenges with customers or members of the public (15%) and safety (11%), the report shows.

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Transport a major issue for deskless workers

Van der Merwe says many workers said their routes and transport changes to and from work are stressful because different drop-offs are dangerous at certain times.

“They might receive late notice that their shift for the day is at a different location, or the time has changed. They do not have enough money for the most efficient transport option and therefore they arrive late without a way to communicate with their managers.”

Deskless workers who participated in the survey said this stress could be alleviated if employers arranged help with transport, especially on weekends or for very early shifts when taxis are unreliable.

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Financial stress and crippling debt of deskless workers

One of the most concerning issues was the financial stress and crippling debt deskless workers face. They are in a constant state of financial duress, with 97% needing money for essentials rather than leisure or luxury expenses 44% having no emergency savings at all and 72% saying that financial pressure affects their mental health.

Simon Ellis, co-founder and CEO of Jem says many deskless workers simply do not make enough money to get through the month. “This leads them to rely on loan sharks (22%), payday loans (8%), or friends who charge lending fees (36%). This incurs massive fees and puts them in a worse financial position.”

Van der Merwe believes that while employers might not be in a position to offer wage increases, there are other measures they can adopt.

“One option is Earned Wage Access (EWA), which gives employees early access to wages they have already earned. Over 70% of deskless workers who have access to EWA said that since it was introduced, they no longer take out payday loans or visit loan sharks, while 72% said they worry about money and finances much less.

“Improving communication and helping to alleviate transport challenges are certainly within the realms of possibility for employers as well.”