Shift work management platform, Deputy, has introduced mobile learning courses with educational mobile app platform, EdApp.
The two ‘microlearning’ courses, which are split into the Shift Workers Track and the Manager Track, are focused on wellbeing and career development. Each lesson in the course takes between three to seven minutes to complete, meaning that workers can take them during breaks or quiet periods at work.
Deepesh Banerji, Chief Product Officer at Deputy, explained why the organisation had decided to introduce these courses.
“Deputy’s 2022 Big Shift Report found that 50 per cent of global shift workers want their employer to place a greater focus on wellbeing.
“The two courses, the Shift Workers Track and the Manager Track, were developed off the back of these findings to foster the creation of more mentally healthy hospitality workplaces, with an emphasis on building trust and improving the feedback loop between shift workers and their managers,” Deepesh continued.
Time pressures in the hospitality industry are part of the reason why Deputy used the EdApp platform to produce these short-form courses.
“Given how time-poor managers and shift workers are, both EdApp and Deputy believe that microlearning is the way forward when upskilling the hospitality workforce,” Deepesh stated.
“EdApp’s courses have been proven to be 17 per cent more efficient than traditional longer courses and they are designed to be bite-sized in order to create a culture of learning in just a few minutes per day.
“Deputy’s Big Shift Report also found that more hospitality workers are working multiple jobs to cope with the increased cost of living, meaning they have less free time than ever before.
“In line with this, course participants have expressed an appreciation for how short and effective the courses are.”
The EdApp courses are completely editable, so that operators can tailor the lessons to their venues.
Deepesh is also hopeful that the courses will remedy the widespread ‘burnout’ than many in the industry are contending with.
“The lack of staff has meant that many hospitality employees are experiencing burnout, and the desire for greater mental wellbeing in hospitality businesses proves that a greater emphasis needs to be placed on training employees to address this problem.
“The partnership between Deputy and EdApp aims to fill this gap.”
Deputy hope that the new courses will provide operators with the tools to improve their workplaces, heighten staff relations, and creative positive change.
“Managers are given tangible tips that they can use to create healthy and inclusive work environments, while shift workers are given the tools to share their opinions and feedback in a constructive manner,” Deepesh said.
And according to Deepesh, there are significant financial benefits for venues that implement these positive changes.
“When both sides of the workforce put these learnings into practice, businesses will become much healthier, ultimately reducing employee turnover and contributing to a business’s bottom line.
“In fact, workplaces that prioritise employee wellbeing and resilience have been found to have 30 per cent higher productivity and 4.4 times higher profit, according to Deputy’s Big Shift Report, showcasing the business value of such courses.”
Traditionally, hospitality has had a reputation for being a job rather than a career, but Deepesh thinks this is something that will have to change if venues want to retain high quality staff.
“In order to reduce turnover and contribute to the business’s bottom line, it is imperative that businesses bake training into their workforce culture and strategy from the beginning.”
“It is critical that managers take a top-down approach to encouraging training in the workplace and action feedback accordingly, so hospitality workers feel their concerns are being heard and feel comfortable sharing feedback,” he concluded.
