Deskless internet access, workforce preferences & security concerns. This is why many SA employees don’t use email and what channels work better for internal company communications in South Africa.
Need to improve communications with frontline, deskless & distributed employees in South Africa?
Though email is considered the standard for business communication worldwide, only a third of the South African workforce uses it every day.
This is despite South Africa’s growing internet penetration rate and one of the world’s highest daily social media usage rates. How is that possible? Well, an abnormally large rate of internet access is via mobile phones. SA’s mobile connections total over 195% of the population.
Yes, you read that correctly. There are almost two active mobile connections for every person in the country.
And yet, very few employers provide mobile internet access to distributed teams around the country. This leaves many companies to report struggling to communicate with distributed teams.
The fact is that a large number of SA employees don’t use email the way the rest of the world does.
So what do they use instead?
Reasons Why Most SA Employees Don’t Use Email
1. Workforce Demographics & Preferences
Depending on who you ask, between 72% and up to 97% of SA’s workforce is deskless, meaning they don’t have an office, desk space or workstation with a phone connection or reliable internet. Our own research, unpacked in the Deskless Worker Pulse, pins that number at about 75%.
Deskless workers are out in the field – construction, security, manufacturing, cleaning, etc – and are normally distributed over a wide geographical area, far away from the central head office.
This complicates internal company communication. And, for a long time, we assumed that email would provide the answer. But it’s not, and there’s a very good reason why.
2. Lagging Access to Technology
As famous as Africa is for its “rise of mobile,” the reality is that most new tech still takes a while to be implemented here – 5G coverage in the US is over 90%, for example. In South Africa, it’s less than 44% in 2024.
In fact, previous local news reports have estimated that as few as 37% of SA employees have reliable internet access during the workday (which correlates with a third using email every day).
And let’s not forget they are likely accessing the internet via mobile at their own cost (unless you’re providing them WiFi access, which is unlikely among distributed teams). South Africa is also known for its high data costs – forcing deskless workers to make tradeoffs between their platforms of choice and formal work channels.
3. Security Concerns
At the same time, South Africa has one of the highest ransomware and email attack rates in Africa, and many South Africans are wary of using it as a channel for fear of not being able to manage their online security.
What Do South Africans Use for Communication?
Instant messaging and social media far outpaces other more traditional channels in South Africa.
In fact, WhatsApp is the most used platform of any kind in the country, with an over 94% penetration rate in SA, including among deskless workers.
That’s why we at Jem HR built our platform to help South African companies digitise their HR by sending communication with employees on WhatsApp.
From sending digital payslips to timesheets and rosters, internal company communications to benefits like Earned Wage Access and even allowing employees to access vital financial education – it’s all set up to engage employees where they are already most active.
How to Get Started with Strategic Internal Communication
Ready to improve employee engagement with powerful, instant company messaging?
Contact Jem today to schedule a demo and see how you can help you engage, build trust and empower your team(s) with our WhatsApp-based solution.