Tech News
Sizwe Dlamini|Published
EVERY morning, Katlego navigates crowded taxis and trains to clean offices in Sandton. She represents the invisible majority of the workforce.
An estimated 70% to 80% of South African employees are frontline or deskless workers, including cleaners, security guards, retail cashiers, factory workers, and nurses. Yet, most modern payroll and HR software continues to marginalise them.
“Most business software assumes people sit at a desk with an email address,” says Sandra Crous, a payroll and HR industry expert. “That outdated mindset makes it significantly harder for employees to access basic services, ultimately harming their dignity and overall productivity.”
This disconnect creates a fragmented workplace where a significant portion of the staff feels disconnected from core operations.
Even when companies provide shared computers, the solutions are often inadequate. Consequently, 60% of deskless workers remain dissatisfied with their employer’s provided technology channels. These workers frequently need to check pay statuses, a daily necessity for shift workers, or apply for leave.
Without streamlined digital tools, these routine tasks consume valuable time for both the employees and the HR staff assisting them. The administrative burden compounds when hundreds of workers make individual inquiries, slowing down critical payroll processes and increasing the likelihood of costly errors.
To bridge this persistent gap, businesses are turning to an unlikely internal tool: WhatsApp. Today, 93% of South African employees rely on WhatsApp for business interactions. This shift is largely because deskless workers are 20% more likely to have access to a personal smartphone than a corporate laptop.
Globally, over 200 million businesses now use WhatsApp professionally. While typically viewed as a customer-facing channel, companies are combining the platform with self-service tools to support frontline workforces.
WhatsApp solves the fundamental access problem. It is already installed on the employee's personal device, and it requires a phone number rather than a corporate email address. When integrated with secure, automated self-service platforms, workers can instantly request payslips, apply for leave, and access vital information.
Recently, platforms have introduced AI chat agents via WhatsApp to answer specific employee queries. This seamless digital experience transforms how companies manage human resources, turning a historically frustrating process into a quick, user-friendly interaction.
This integration relieves administrative staff from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on strategic priorities. For the deskless worker, it provides immediate access to essential employment services without needing to find a corporate computer.
“WhatsApp is the stealth employee super-app,” Crous notes. As the confluence of intelligent chatbots, automation, and widespread communication channels grows, businesses are realising that supporting the majority of their workforce doesn't require expensive new hardware.
It simply requires meeting employees on the digital platform that they already use every single working day of the week.
Pretoria News