Bringing career growth to the front line: Gloat’s new AI-powered tool for deskless employees

While connectivity barriers may have once kept them in the dark, COVID-19 cast a spotlight on deskless teams and the essential work that they do. Now, on the heels of a cultural reckoning and in the midst of a labor shortage, frontline careers are approaching a turning point.

As the power dynamic shifts in their favor, employees are calling for a necessary change. They’re asking for more visibility and a greater sense of agency in the directions their careers take. Businesses that fail to meet these demands risk sabotaging their own economic recovery, and some industries are already beginning to feel the impact. In retail, 42% of frontline employees are strongly considering leaving their roles, with many motivated to make a switch by the promise of better pay and benefits.

Above all else, it is access to opportunity that these employees are looking for. As the pioneers of the Talent Marketplace, we’ve already harnessed the power of AI to help dozens of the world’s leading enterprises mitigate bias and democratize professional development. With deskless careers now at a crucial crossroads, we knew it was time to take these capabilities one step further by launching a frontline offering as part of the Gloat Talent Marketplace platform: an AI-powered career planning tool designed specifically for deskless employees.

The Backstory

Five years ago, we started the conversation around reimagining careers and finding ways to democratize growth opportunities. We got a lot of interest, and businesses were eager to capitalize on the value that marketplace-driven dynamics could provide. Corporate teams were identified as the ideal starting point, so we began rolling out platforms to them first, but the momentum to reach the entire enterprise was always there.

The Challenges

Creating a solution for deskless employees wasn’t as simple as expanding access to the talent marketplaces that we had already been designing for corporate teams. Since frontline employees have very different day-to-day experiences, demands, and responsibilities than their colleagues, we knew we needed to create something specifically for them that was tailored to their needs. And to do that, we had to develop a clearer picture of the challenges they face.

Here’s what we found:

• Turnover is high; in hospitality, the annual turnover rate reached 130.7% this year
• There are 2.7 billion frontline workers worldwide, accounting for as much as 80% of the global workforce
• One third of frontline employees don’t receive any formal training
• Only 22% of frontline employees feel connected to their colleagues
• Only 19% of frontline employees feel listened to and heard

All the statistics pointed to the same truth: our frontline employees deserve better. They perform some of the most crucial business functions, but they’re missing out on the networking, upskilling, and career mobility opportunities that are readily available to corporate team members. And managers are missing out on the unique perspectives and insights that deskless employees can bring to the table by working so closely with their customers and products.

A lack of connectivity is the common denominator that most of these challenges have in common. So we wanted to create something that would bridge existing gaps and give frontline employees access to the training, learning opportunities, and mentors that they may have once felt cut off from.

Introducing Gloat’s Frontline Solution

From manufacturing staff to lab technicians to associates working out of call centers, we’re bringing the power of the talent marketplace to the frontlines and tailoring our solution to meet their needs and experiences. Since most frontline employees spend the majority of their day on the go, we designed a fully mobile experience that makes it possible to access career planning and development on the fly.

Here’s what Gloat’s frontline solution offers:

• Lite onboarding: Frontline employees can register and use the platform on the fly
• Tailor-made career trajectories: Career Pathing shows frontline employees what their next steps could be and what they’ll need to do to get there
• Guidance on bridging skills gaps: Empower employees to take career progression into their own hands with upskilling opportunities that align with their goals
• Mentoring and shadowing: Pair employees with mentors they can shadow to gain hands on-experience and build their network

We knew we were stepping into uncharted territory when we set out to create an AI-powered career planning tool specifically for the frontline. It has taken some research and thoughtful development, but we’re so excited to launch something that will democratize access to opportunity across the entire enterprise. We can’t wait to see the new work employees take on, the hidden talent businesses will uncover, and the strides we will all make towards creating more equitable workplaces.

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