Strategies for Curbing High Turnover Among Deskless Workers

High turnover rates for deskless workers, who make up 70% to 80% of the global workforce, present unique challenges, but engaging with employees and adopting evidence-based strategies can transform those retention hurdles into opportunities for growth.

SHRM and Fidelity Investments have collaborated on the Shaping the Modern Workplace research series to explore and provide actionable solutions for the difficulties that HR professionals may face when managing deskless workers.

“The unique experiences of deskless workers are sometimes overlooked in broader workforce strategies and research,” said Ragan Decker, SHRM-CP, manager of Executive Network and enterprise research at SHRM. 

Decker and Lydia Aulisi, director of workplace research at Fidelity Investments, presented new research findings March 26 at SHRM Talent 2025 in Nashville. 

In total, 1,388 deskless workers and 1,152 HR professionals participated in the survey, which was conducted by SHRM and Fidelity Investments. The latest report in the series is called From Tenure to Turnover: Insights for Retaining Deskless Workers.

“This second installment focuses on retention and underscores the need for organizations to use data-driven strategies to address high turnover rates among this population,” Decker said. “By understanding and addressing deskless workers’ needs, organizations have an opportunity to boost retention, employee satisfaction, and overall productivity.”

Who Are Deskless Workers?

Deskless workers are employees who work outside of desk-based office settings, Aulisi explained. These workers perform a wide variety of job tasks across settings and industries and include health care practitioners, truck drivers, farm workers, retail workers, field service workers, and construction workers. 

One common misperception is that these workers are relatively lower paid or paid on an hourly basis rather than being salaried. “That’s sometimes the case, but deskless occupations vary in terms of educational requirements, income levels, and work environments,” she said.

Aulisi said that many deskless jobs share common characteristics that can present challenges for HR professionals, including irregular schedules and hours, lack of a central office location, limited face-to-face contact with HR, and limited access to work email or messaging platforms.

“Standard communications may not as easily reach your deskless workers,” she said. “That limits HR’s ability to interact with these workers, which has implications for retention. Without strong feedback mechanisms, you may not know why your deskless workers are leaving.” 

SHRM members-only toolkit: Improving Employee Retention and Reducing Turnover

Retention Is a Critical Challenge

According to HR professionals, turnover in the one-year period preceding the survey was higher among deskless workers than office-based workers, with HR professionals reporting an average turnover rate of 26% for deskless workers and 16% for office-based workers.

“For deskless workers, the risk of turnover is highest within their first year of employment, with 53% of HR professionals saying it is most challenging to retain deskless workers during this period,” Decker said. “This turnover risk is particularly acute in the manufacturing industry, where 62% of HR professionals report difficulties in retaining deskless workers during this time frame. With office workers, turnover tends to be more spread out across tenure but mostly concentrated between the first and third years.”

Decker said that the majority of HR professionals believe that high turnover among deskless workers is inevitable. “This contrasts with the perspectives of deskless workers, the majority of whom do not see their roles as temporary,” she said. “This disconnect highlights opportunities for organizations to challenge assumptions about deskless workers and invest in retention strategies tailored to their needs.”

Why Deskless Workers Leave and Stay

Among deskless workers who reported that they are likely to leave their job in the next six months, many noted that they are seeking higher compensation, better benefits, and greater job stability and security. 

“This tells us that deskless workers are not fundamentally different than office-based workers when it comes to the reasons for turnover, but how these reasons play out may be different,” Decker said. “The nuances matter because it means that the solutions may need to be tailored differently for a deskless workforce.”  

Deskless workers who planned to remain in their roles cited job stability, good work/life balance, and satisfaction with scheduling and work arrangements as top drivers. Workers also said that they are staying because of good relationships with co-workers and managers. 

“The value of positive relationships with colleagues and supervisors is particularly noteworthy, considering that these relationships often take time to develop,” Decker said. “Considering that the first year of employment is widely regarded by HR professionals as a high-risk period for turnover, structuring roles to enable employees to form these connections can play a crucial role in encouraging deskless workers to stay in their roles long term.”

Effective Strategies for Retention 

HR professionals reported that offering competitive compensation and benefits is the most used and effective strategy for retaining deskless workers.

“To build a solid foundation for retention, organizations must ensure their total rewards packages align with the needs and expectations of their deskless workforce,” Aulisi said. “Deskless workers are leaving for more money and feel like they need to move roles to keep up with the cost of living.” 

Employers could consider refining their benefits strategies, she said.

“Organizations might seek to better understand employees’ benefits-related needs and preferences that may be leading them to seek employment elsewhere and refine their offering accordingly, or they may need to focus on improving benefits enrollment and utilization,” Aulisi said.

She added that some of the must-have benefits that workers expect include health and dental insurance, paid time off, paid sick leave, and a retirement plan with a match. 

It’s also possible that a company already has a great benefits offering, but benefits engagement is a challenge with the deskless workforce. “This could be an opportunity to enhance how you communicate about your benefits,” she said. 

Scheduling is a powerful retention tool for deskless workers, who often have limited control over their schedules, which can lead to dissatisfaction and turnover.

“Many deskless workers have neither stability nor flexibility,” Aulisi said. “Effective strategies related to scheduling and flexibility include offering a consistent number of hours week to week and offering predictable schedules.” 

Decker added that retention is a shared responsibility between HR and managers.

“Building a stronger, more strategic partnership between HR and managers is essential for achieving meaningful results,” she said. “While managers play a critical role in executing retention strategies, many still face challenges in effectively implementing these strategies.”