Think about the most successful companies you know. More likely than not, they’re built on the strength of frontline employees, working collaboratively toward shared goals with support and guidance from their leaders.
For any business to thrive, its infrastructure must adapt and be resilient in the face of ever-changing market needs and business realities. Yet lately, many organizations are suffering from a growing disconnect between management and their frontline workforce. How can employers fix this? Recent research offers useful answers.
New Frontline Workforce Insights
Each year, Beekeeper conducts an in-depth survey to understand frontline workforce motivators and stressors, as well as productivity among employees, managers, and corporate staff. The survey focuses on various details of frontline workforce life, shedding light on key challenges and factors that influence performance.
Year after year, this survey helps employers understand key frontline workforce sentiments, needs, and trends that matter. And the 2024 Frontline Workforce Pulse Report is no different.
We surveyed 5,615 frontline workers, 2,318 managers, and 210 organizational head offices across multiple industries, including hospitality, manufacturing, logistics, construction, healthcare, and retail.
The results cover a spectrum of issues, including engagement rates, workplace environment, productivity, work-life balance, fair wages, and other concerns. And with more than 8,000 participants, this is one of the largest surveys of its kind.
Key Survey Findings
Among other concerns, this year’s data reveals a growing disconnect between employees and managers, in terms of their perceptions and expectations. But it doesn’t stop there. The report also offers recommendations to help employers build an environment where all employees feel valued and motivated.
The findings show that managers often fail to address frontline employee needs and concerns — and many lack a firm understanding of those needs. As a result, productivity is slipping, attrition is increasing, and profitability is suffering within organizations around the globe.
However, employers can turn these circumstances around by addressing factors that drive worker disengagement. By taking steps to build a healthier, more productive frontline workforce culture, employers can more successfully attract, develop, and retain critical staff.
We found three major concerns leaders will want to address. For details, read on…
3 High-Priority Frontline Workforce Issues
1. Expectations Don’t Align
The survey asked workers, managers and HQ staff about their personal stress, motivation, and productivity sentiments. It also asked managers and HQ staff what they expect workers to be thinking. This revealed the topics and situations where disconnects between frontline workers and leaders are most severe.
One of the most alarming discrepancies is the gap in employee needs compared with managers’ expectations. Disconnects like these manifest in various forms such as miscommunication or a lack of shared goals. This, in turn, threatens the cohesive dynamic that is an essential foundation for any organization.
To bridge this frontline workforce disconnect, employers need to cultivate a shared understanding of business objectives, develop mutual commitment to success, and foster open workplace communication. This agenda is both a corrective action and a strategic objective. Shared goals, mutual respect, and open communication ensure that organizations can navigate today’s demanding business environment as a cohesive team.
Addressing this issue demands a strong commitment from both leadership and employees. Leaders must actively engage with their teams, fostering open dialogue and understanding. By listening to the concerns, ideas, and aspirations of frontline workers, managers can identify and resolve potential disconnects. This builds trust, which strengthens the foundation needed for collaboration and organizational success.
The right technology can help managers address these issues by surfacing critical insights about team productivity and underlying challenges. For example, specialized communication platforms can help unify everyone in an organization. This helps managers remain productive, while simultaneously staying engaged and receptive to input from their teams. At the same time, these communication channels empower team members to participate by making it easier for them to regularly express their ideas and concerns.
2. Employee Retention Rates Are Still Sliding
Retaining frontline employees poses another challenge for frontline managers and leadership. The nature of frontline work typically involves demanding, high-stress tasks that can lead to fatigue and burnout.
Our study found that over 41% of frontline employees have changed jobs in the past 12 months. Why? Many respondents cited these factors:
- They’re seeking better work-life balance.
- They perceive limited opportunities for career advancement or view their roles as transient.
- Some feel compensation and benefits fall short
- Many mentioned a lack of adequate recognition for their contributions.
To improve workforce loyalty and retention, employers should work strategically to offer a more empathetic environment that acknowledges the challenges frontline employees face. When people feel seen, valued, and heard, they tend to be more committed to their work responsibilities, more motivated to succeed, and less likely to quit.
Frontline workers who are seeking new job opportunities told us they’re driven by a desire to improve their work-life balance. This means employers can combat turnover by offering a more stable, supportive work environment, along with flexible hours and other scheduling options that help employees balance work and personal priorities. By responding to this need for healthier solutions, organizations can improve employee satisfaction and job commitment.
Still, it’s important to note that many workers and managers (35-50%) believe they can find better career opportunities and compensation elsewhere. This underscores the need for employers to reassess and enhance talent strategies, so they can attract top talent and encourage people to stay. Addressing the root causes of turnover and implementing measures to improve workplace conditions can help create an environment where both employees and managers will thrive.
3. Managers Aren’t Clear About What Drives Employees
The lack of understanding between frontline managers and team members was most evident when comparing responses to questions about sources of employee stress. For example, managers aren’t in tune with the fact that employees are most concerned about low wages, inadequate staffing and the need to feel safe at work. Specifically:
- 48% of employees said low wage growth causes the most stress (their top concern), while only 36% of managers expected this to be the case.
- Workplace safety is the 3rd biggest employee concern (with 23% choosing this option). Yet managers and HQ staff expected it to rank only 6th among causes of stress.
These misaligned opinions further highlight the challenges frontline organizations face. It’s not just a communication problem. If managers don’t recognize that inadequate pay and unsafe working conditions are central issues, how can they expect people to be committed, motivated, and productive? Improvement begins with constructive dialogue, but depends on management’s active role in addressing these issues.
Bridging the Frontline Workforce Gap
An engaged, collaborative workforce is the cornerstone of organizational success. It ensures adaptability and resilience in the face of business challenges. But for many frontline workers around the globe, this vision isn’t reality.
For a healthier work environment that invites engagement and productivity, employers must bridge serious perceptual gaps. The solution? First, implement open communication channels. Establish feedback processes that keep managers in touch with employee sentiment and ideas. Then, encourage ongoing interaction that can keep you moving in the right direction.
Your frontline workforce deserves this. These employees propel global business. They literally serve as the face of your organization. With hard work, skill, and commitment to excellence, frontline teams provide the fuel that drives business growth and profitability. But their ability to succeed has been at risk for several years.
Repairing the damage isn’t a quick or easy process, but it’s essential for any company that wants to remain competitive. With insights from research like ours, organizations can develop multifaceted strategies that respond to the interests of employees and managers, alike. And by leveraging empathetic leadership and effective communication to create intentional alignment, you can pave a successful path forward for frontline teams.
Post Views: 6,081
