WATCH | Innovate Africa: Fixing the HR gap for deskless workers — Jem HR’s Simon Ellis speaks
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Most HR systems are made for office workers with emails and laptops. But in industries like retail, security, manufacturing, and health care, many employees are on their feet — not sitting behind desks.
Simon Ellis, co-founder of Jem HR, says these workers are often left out.
Jem is changing that. It's a simple HR and employee benefits platform built for deskless teams and runs entirely on WhatsApp. Employees can get their payslips, check leave days, read job updates, and receive messages from their employer — all in one chat, on WhatsApp.
But Jem goes further. It also gives workers access to part of their salary before payday, affordable mobile data and airtime, free financial education, and support from a personal financial coach.
These services come at no cost to the employer and are often up to 10 times cheaper than what workers might pay elsewhere.
“We use WhatsApp and payroll deduction to reduce credit risk,” says Ellis. “That helps us lower the cost of services — and we pass those savings straight to the employees.”
For years, deskless workers have been last in line. Jem is helping employers and employees close the HR and benefits gap.
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