What A Workvivo Study Reveals About The ‘Frontline Gap'

Forbes

2 days ago

Frontline workers are the foundation of organizations, industries and communities, yet many still feel overlooked and disconnected from the companies they serve. According to Workvivo, an employee engagement platform owned by Zoom, ineffective communication and engagement drive a 'frontline gap,' which makes employees feel undervalued, alienated from company culture and less motivated. The costs can be high, including lower morale, increased turnover and negative impacts on brand reputation and customer experience. Workvivo recently surveyed more than 7,500 frontline employees across key sectors to better understand this challenge. For this study, 'frontline employees' include workers in customer-facing roles across retail, healthcare, manufacturing, food service and other essential industries who operate primarily outside traditional office environments.
The findings reveal five distinct gaps spanning culture, recognition, communication, technology and career growth that organizations must bridge to empower and retain their frontline teams. To address these gaps and maintain a competitive edge, organizations must rethink their strategies as new technologies emerge. From real-time safety alerts to integrated team communications and flexible scheduling, the ability to effectively support and engage frontline workers is becoming a key differentiator.
(Note: Zoom is an advisory client of my company, Moor Insights & Strategy.)
Key Findings From The Workvivo Study
The global Workvivo study reveals a significant cultural and professional divide between frontline workers and their desk-based peers. Half of the respondents believe their organizations prioritize office staff, despite nearly as many feeling that their roles have a greater business impact. A sense of alienation is widespread: almost half can't name their CEO, 87% aren't sure their company culture applies to them and 37% say that company culture is something they hear about but don't feel.
Communication tools are a major friction point, with two-thirds of workers finding their current solutions unfit for purpose, and almost half perceiving them as designed exclusively for office staff. Career development is similarly unclear; only 13% see a clear path for advancement, and most feel limited in their growth compared to their office-based colleagues. These factors often lead to the formation of local 'microcultures' within teams, which can create a disconnect from the broader company mission.
Almost half of the workers cited poor communication from leadership, and only 10% believe managers fully understand their daily realities. Furthermore, 70% want greater insight into company decision making, emphasizing a clear demand for more transparency and engagement from leadership. The study's data suggests that these deficits in communication and career opportunities directly impact worker motivation and engagement. In my view, this highlights the need for organizations to reconsider how they recognize and incentivize their most valuable asset.
Frontline Workers Define The Brand's Reputation
Frontline employees are not just the operational backbone of a company; they are its most visible representatives. The data highlights their profound influence. Roughly 80% of the global workforce is considered frontline, yet these individuals are often the least recognized. Despite this, they have the most frequent and direct interactions with customers, making them the primary voices and faces of the business.
Investment in frontline engagement has a measurable business impact. A Harvard Business Review Analytic Services study revealed that 92% of executives believe engaged employees deliver superior service, a factor correlated with a 10% increase in customer ratings and up to 23% higher profitability. This high engagement is also linked to increased customer loyalty. Research has shown that roughly 70% of consumers make purchasing decisions based on customer service alone.
Unsurprisingly, companies that empower their frontline teams with effective communication tools see a direct correlation between improved internal communication and higher customer satisfaction scores. The consensus among executives is that frontline teams possess a unique understanding of the brand, influencing satisfaction and long-term brand perception.
Evolving How Companies Recognize Workers
The Workvivo study found that a lack of recognition is the number-one factor compromising frontline workers' sense of belonging. The report also found that 39% of frontline workers say that being praised in front of their peers makes them feel more valued than getting a bonus, underscoring that while financial rewards are a good way to reinforce behavior, non-monetary recognition is just as critical. Yet traditional incentive programs often fall short; a 2024 report by WorkTango found that while 91% of organizations have rewards programs, only 31% rate their effectiveness as high, suggesting that many traditional programs are not generating the full value they could.
Platforms such as Whistle Rewards offer alternative models to traditional rewards with the premise that linking incentives to behaviors rather than just outcomes can yield stronger results. In one case study, Korte Construction used this alternative approach to drive a 50% increase in adoption of safety reporting best practices, which suggests the positive impact of this approach in industrial settings. The increasing use of token-based systems, which allow workers to redeem rewards for tangible benefits like extra time off, also gives frontline employees greater control over how their contributions are recognized.
Technology Solutions Bridge The Communication Gap
Technology vendors, including Workvivo, are responding to the realities of this 'frontline gap' (whether they call it that or use other terms) with a new generation of tools.
The integration between ServiceNow and UKG is another example of the platform consolidation trend. UKG People Fabric integrates with ServiceNow's new AI Agent Fabric to connect their HR and workforce management platforms, allowing frontline employees to use a single interface for tasks such as requesting time off, checking payroll or managing schedules. This approach should reduce administrative friction, enabling workers to handle HR-related needs efficiently without switching between disconnected systems.
Prioritizing Worker Safety And Wellbeing
Safety and wellness for frontline workers are paramount, particularly in high-risk sectors. The National Safety Council estimates that workplace injuries cost employers approximately $176.5 billion annually, or about $1,080 per worker. This highlights the critical need for proactive safety measures, which can deliver a return of $4 to $6 for every $1 invested, according to OSHA estimates. To take one example, Samsara's suite of advanced wearables enables real-time incident response with features such as one-touch SOS alerts and automatic fall detection. Another example comes from Samsara's vehicle monitoring platform, which provides real-time GPS tracking, AI-powered dash cameras that detect risky driving behaviors, driver safety scoring and automated incident reporting. Implementing this solution helped Ireland-based Midland Tyre to reduce road traffic accidents by 54% in two years. This improvement led to a renegotiation of its insurance premiums. Additionally, instantly sharing audio, video, and location data allows managers to respond to incidents with complete context.
In the bigger picture, organizations are consolidating communication, workflow and training tools into integrated platforms. The adoption of wearable technology and AI, including augmented reality and collaborative robotics, is also rising, offering hands-free functionality and enhanced safety.
Going beyond the tools, engagement programs extend past basic safety to include mental health, belonging and emotional support, which companies now recognize as critical for retention and performance. The expansion of hybrid and gig work models also drives demand for intuitive, self-service systems for scheduling and development. Integrating AI and data analytics enables a more proactive culture of safety, compliance and continuous improvement among frontline workers.
Engaging The Frontline Shapes The Future
The Workvivo study — backed by what we know about broader industry trends — indicates a clear strategic imperative: companies must address the frontline gap. Doing so requires a complete shift from viewing the frontline workforce as a cost center to seeing it as a strategic asset. By doing so, organizations can foster a sense of belonging and bridge the divides in recognition, culture and communication. In turn, that builds more resilient and innovative organizations, driving measurable improvements in morale, retention and customer experience, which fuels long-term profitability and brand strength.