While much of the conversation about the future of work focuses on office workers, 70 to 80 percent of employees don’t sit behind a desk, according to consultants at BCG. And they face big challenges that executives often don’t fully appreciate, which can hinder productivity, efficiency and retention.
That’s the bottom-line results of new research conducted on behalf of Dayforce by Hanover Research, involving almost 7,000 frontline or “deskless” workers, managers and executives from around the world.
The survey results show that disconnection between frontline workers—people who work from floor to field in industries like retail, healthcare and manufacturing—and the executives at their companies exist at high levels.
A prime example: Only 62 percent of workers agree that company leaders understand the challenges faced by frontline workers compared to 83 percent of executives. Also, 83 percent of executives agree that employees are paid fairly for the work they do compared to only 64 percent of workers. What’s more, executives are 17 percent more likely than workers to say they feel appreciated by their employer.
These gaps in experience and perception put managers in a tough sport, caught in the middle between delivering the top line results executives want and meeting employee needs. At the same time, everyone is dealing with an explosion of different types of work and workers, ongoing labor shortages, a mismatch between available skills and evolving roles, and changing compliance requirements.
This “complexity crisis” results in pain at all levels, with each group experiencing it differently. Executives feel it on the bottom line and with productivity. Managers face workflow inefficiencies, outdated tech and balancing competing priorities. Employees grapple with a rising cost of living and workplace pressure to do more.
Tackling Issues
All organizations operate more efficiently if workers, managers and executives are aligned. The key to closing gaps is to empower managers with data, tools and support to drive better decision making, increase efficiencies, lower turnover and optimize performance.
Stemming from the recent Hannover survey data highlighted in “Conquering the Frontline Manager Complexity Crisis,” here are five ways to mitigate frontline worker risks—including high turnover, avoidable costs and negative customer experiences.
- Improve scheduling. Almost nine in 10 frontline workers and managers say they’d consider leaving their current job for one with a better schedule. Seven in 10 frontline workers and managers say they’ve had scheduling issues with their current employer. These results suggest that significant worker-manager turnover can be traced, at least in part, to scheduling. Managers need leadership buy-in and support to improve schedule flexibility for workers—and for themselves. The right tools will empower managers to more easily make timely, data-driven decisions to meet both the scheduling desires of workers and the demands of the workplace.
- Re-think pay. As the survey shows, executives and workers don’t align on what constitutes fair pay. Add in today’s high cost of living, and compensation will have an outsized impact on turnover. Also, to make the best compensation decisions, managers need good data. Here, too, a gap exists. While most executives (88 percent) feel they have the data to make competitive compensation decisions, managers don’t feel as confident (72 percent). Managers need better and more access to data. What’s more, more money isn’t the only way to address workers’ financial stress. Previous Dayforce research found that 82 percent of workers said they would be less likely to look for a new job if their employer offered more financial wellness tools, including on-demand pay, which gives employees the option to get paid after every shift.
- Tackle skills gaps, support internal mobility: More than six in 10 workers (65 percent) want to advance in their company. That’ll help organizations avoid talent shortfalls, but workers need to be supported with skills development to advance. Executives need to help managers optimize their workforce by prioritizing internal mobility and creating personalized career paths.
- Leverage technology to improve compliance. Nearly all (92 percent) of executives said their organization faces compliance challenges around such things as variable pay, increasing data volumes, impacts of artificial intelligence and safety. Technology can make compliance easier and save time for managers to focus more on the needs of their frontline workers.
- Build culture and connection: Nine of 10 executives say they feel a moderate or high degree of connection to their employer, compared to just 72 percent of frontline workers. Executives must engage in improving the employee experience and building connections that will help reduce turnover and ensure business continuity. Ensuring that managers and executives listen to employees and engage in frequent communication is key.
Closing Gaps Benefits All
Given the complexity crisis, it has never been more challenging for organizations to realize the full potential of their frontline workforces. But the payoff of doing so will be high. The employee-manager relationship is essential for fostering employee retention, motivation and productivity. As such, alignment among workers, managers and executives is key to unlocking the power of the frontline workforce. Customers want better service and workers want to feel secure, appreciated and connected in their workplace. Companies can achieve these goals if they reduce the impacts of the complexity crisis with greater workforce alignment, top to bottom.
