Following the turmoil of the pandemic, many salaried employees have had the opportunity to work remotely and enjoy newfound flexibility in their day-to-day work lives. For many, the ability to be more in control over where and when they work has been life-changing, enabling them to find better work-life balance and feel more productive.

The experience of the shift, or “deskless,” workforce has been much different. Those who work in retail, production, construction, healthcare, and other jobs that require being onsite, also desire flexibility, particularly with respect to their schedules, but feel their employers have overlooked them. This inability to gain control over their schedules has driven many of them to quit, contributing to a labor shortage that ratcheted up during Covid and continues to this day.

It’s not hard to understand their frustration. Without these workers (who make up about 80% of the global workforce), we wouldn’t have many of the things we take for granted—healthcare workers when we’re sick, assistance at retail stores, and the production of goods we regularly use and depend on.

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