Frontline workers make up 80% of the global workforce, powering essential industries and driving organisational success. Yet too many still feel disconnected from company culture and undervalued in decision-making. The opportunity for leaders is clear, when organisations build trust with their frontline workforce, they unlock stronger retention, higher customer satisfaction, and long-term business performance.
Research from Workvivo, UKG, and Great Place To Work highlights that companies who truly engage their frontline employees achieve outstanding results. For instance, at Australia’s Best Workplaces™, 91% of employees say they want to stay long-term, compared to just 56% in typical workplaces. Globally, UKG found that while 75% of frontline employees report feeling burned out, organisations that invest in flexibility, recognition, and purpose see dramatically higher engagement
Closing the Trust Gap
Too often, frontline workers feel like company culture isn’t meant for them. Workvivo found 87% don’t believe their workplace culture applies to them, while half say office-based employees receive more care and attention. Similarly, UKG revealed 42% of frontline employees feel their organisation treats them like a number, not a person.
This disconnect has a measurable impact: only 38% of employees want to stay in workplaces where trust in executives is low. By contrast, in Australia’s Best Workplaces, 92% of frontline workers feel their voices reach decision-makers, leading to stronger loyalty, higher innovation, and better business outcomes.
Trust as a Business Accelerator
Trust isn’t just “soft culture”, it’s a performance driver. Great Place To Work data shows Best Workplaces in Australia report 95% psychological safety, compared to only 39% in typical workplaces. Globally, UKG found that nearly half of frontline employees (46%) consider quitting on tough days, often citing poor leadership interactions. Yet when trust is high, employees are more resilient, adaptable, and committed
Customer experience follows suit. At Best Workplaces, 94% of employees believe customers would rate service as excellent, compared to just 62% in typical workplaces. In today’s competitive economy, that 32-point advantage directly links to revenue and loyalty.
Four Pathways to Frontline Engagement
1. Bridge the communication divide
Workvivo found 69% of frontline employees rely on personal apps to communicate because company tools don’t meet their needs. UKG’s global study echoes this: 83% say workplace technology improves their experience, and 80% want employers to invest more. Mobile-first, intuitive tools are critical to making every voice matter.
2. Create recognition that resonates
Recognition is one of the most powerful levers of trust and retention. Yet UKG revealed nearly 1 in 5 frontline employees globally have never been recognised by their manager.This creates a culture gap that directly impacts motivation.
The Best Workplaces show what’s possible: 90% of employees in these organisations say everyone has the opportunity to receive special recognition, compared to 52% in typical workplaces. When appreciation is both frequent and equitable, tied to company values and accessible to all employees, it fosters belonging and pride. This is why 94% of employees at Best Workplaces recommend their company to others, compared to just 54% elsewhere. Recognition is not just about rewards, it’s about creating a culture where every person feels valued.
3. Develop frontline leaders as culture carriers
With high turnover and short tenure, middle managers shape the frontline experience. UKG data shows that 23% of frontline employees report their supervisor has negatively impacted their mental health, highlighting the need for leadership training. Companies that invest in frontline leaders strengthen retention and cross-generational engagement.
4. Connect frontline work to purpose
Purpose is retention’s secret weapon. Yet Workvivo found 56% of frontline workers aren’t confident they know their organisation’s mission. At the same time, UKG reports 68% of frontline employees are eager to learn new skills, showing they want to grow and contribute beyond their current roles. When leaders connect daily work to organisational mission, employees stay engaged and motivated.
The Opportunity for HR Leaders
The data is clear: frontline employees are asking for more trust, recognition, flexibility, and purpose. For HR leaders, this creates both a challenge and an opportunity. By focusing on five strategic priorities, organisations can transform frontline experience into a competitive advantage:
1. Measure trust levels to set the baseline
Trust is the foundation of every great workplace. At Best Workplaces, 59% of employees report high trust in leadership, compared to only 24% in typical workplaces. The first step for HR leaders is to understand where their organisation stands today.
The Great Place To Work Trust Index™ Survey provides this baseline by capturing employees’ lived experiences across recognition, leadership, and communication. With this insight, leaders can identify blind spots, close cultural gaps, and track progress over time.
2. Invest in communication platforms that include everyone
Too many frontline workers feel left out of the conversation, only 50% in typical workplaces feel heard, versus 92% in Best Workplaces. HR has an opportunity to champion inclusive, mobile-first tools that meet frontline employees where they are. Doing so not only builds connection but also creates a stronger sense of belonging and alignment to purpose.
3. Address equity gaps to unlock untapped talent
Women make up 53% of frontline roles but only 34% of executive positions, creating a missed opportunity to reflect the workforce in leadership. For HR leaders, closing this gap isn’t only about fairness, it’s about ensuring the perspectives of those closest to customers and operations are represented in decision-making. By implementing pay equity audits, transparent promotion pathways, and sponsorship programs, organisations can elevate frontline talent into leadership roles. The result is stronger connection between strategy and day-to-day realities, higher engagement from frontline teams, and ultimately better business performance.
4. Prepare the frontline for AI-driven change
AI transformation is not only a leadership challenge but a frontline one. While 90% of leaders expect AI to impact revenue, frontline workers are already proving they can adapt, 94% who use AI tools say it improves their employee experience. HR leaders can accelerate readiness by demystifying AI, providing training, and ensuring frontline teams see technology as an enabler, not a threat.
5. Tailor development to a multigenerational workforce
Frontline teams span different generations and career stages, meaning a one-size-fits-all approach to development rarely works. HR leaders can strengthen engagement by offering flexible, experience-based learning pathways, such as on-the-job training, peer mentoring, and modular leadership programs, that meet employees where they are. This ensures frontline workers see clear opportunities to grow, stay, and thrive, which directly boosts retention and business performance.
Winning with the Frontline
Frontline workers are the backbone of every business, and when they feel trusted, recognised, and connected to purpose, the results are transformative. Today, too many still report burnout and disengagement: 75% feel burned out and 55% are dissatisfied with their employee experience. But the opportunity is clear. At Australia’s Best Workplaces™, employees deliver customer service excellence ratings 32 points higher than those in typical workplaces, proving that trust and culture translate directly into loyalty and performance.
For HR leaders, the path forward is to act with urgency: measure trust levels, close the communication and equity gaps, prepare teams for technological change, and invest in development that meets employees where they are. The first step is simple, run the Great Place To Work Trust Index™ Survey to understand how your frontline workforce really feels. With these insights, organisations can build cultures where frontline employees thrive, and businesses outperform.
To dive deeper into the data, explore the UKG Global Study on the Frontline Workforce and Workvivo’s Frontline Gap Report.
Every frontline worker deserves a great place to work. And every business deserves the results that come from unlocking their potential.
