As the face of the company, frontline teams are vital to your brand, reputation, and operational success. It is time to give them the same inclusion, connection, and opportunity that desk-based workers have had for years — and see what a more engaged frontline does for your business.
There is an interesting disconnect playing out in enterprises right now. Almost three years after remote working moved into the mainstream, millions of knowledge workers continue to benefit from flexible structures and the technology that supports them. They can work from anywhere, at any time, while staying connected to managers, collaborating with peers, receiving recognition, and growing into bigger roles.
For the 2.7 billion frontline workers who keep the world running, it is a different story.
Around 80% of the global workforce does not sit behind a desk. They serve customers, greet guests, treat the sick, make products, load cargo, build houses, and keep the lights on in stores, hospitals, warehouses, manufacturing, construction, and more.
Different people, different jobs, different places — but they share one thing: they have largely been left out of the new shape of work.
The frontline: left behind
Inclusion matters deeply to frontline workers. Between demanding environments, unpredictable schedules, and physical distance from company headquarters, it is easy to feel disconnected. In a recent Microsoft survey, six in 10 deskless workers said their employer could do more to prioritise communication from the top. Forty-four per cent said clearer management communication would directly reduce their stress. It is no surprise that half of frontline workers say they do not feel valued at work.
Add burnout, lack of job flexibility, and limited advancement opportunities to those feelings of underappreciation, and you can see why people are joining The Great Resignation in large numbers.
This costs businesses in turnover, disengagement, and errors. Gallup research finds that 89% of workers are "extremely likely" to start job hunting if they cannot work flexibly. Remote work is not compatible with frontline roles, putting employers at a structural disadvantage when trying to attract and retain staff.
To meet these challenges, organisations need to rethink the frontline experience. That means giving deskless teams a mobile solution that improves communication, deepens engagement, builds connection and inclusion, and gives frontline workers real opportunities to grow.
To accelerate learning, raise the frequency
Frontline workers are constantly in motion, operating in uncertain conditions with ever-changing information. They need regular updates to stay informed and reduce operational risk. Yet most employers still rely on day-long classroom sessions, held once or twice a year.
Here is a fact worth sitting with: if frontline teams do nothing after a training session, they will lose 98% of what they learned within 30 days. The return on your learning investment drops to zero. If critical safety training is only delivered every six months, it will be forgotten long before it prevents a mistake.
On top of that, it takes 66 repetitions on average for new information to bed in. The implication is clear: ditch the annual presentations and increase the frequency of touchpoints so that, through repetition and active recall, information sticks over time. On Atiom, frontline teams can work through bite-sized learning in just five minutes a day, with quizzes that keep retention at 100%.
For the 45% of frontline workers who say they are leaving their current jobs in search of more training and skill development, this is a meaningful differentiator. IBM found that every dollar invested in online training generated $30 in returns — and that after implementing a digital learning platform, employees learned five times more without any increase in training time.
To deepen engagement, add variety, recognition, and rewards
Repetition and engagement have an inverse relationship. People are drawn to novelty: the first time they encounter information, the brain fires up. The second and third time through the same content, fewer neurons engage. That is when people switch off and revert to old habits.
To keep it fresh, you have to repeat the information in different ways. Take ESG training as an example. Using Atiom's mobile app, you could run the content through:
- Daily updates on the newsfeed
- A new video uploaded on the topic each week
- Peer-to-peer discussions in the community forum
- Daily quests and quizzes to make the learning active
This multi-layered approach significantly increases engagement. It also brings in peer-to-peer recognition and virtual rewards, so teams are not only engaged but feel seen and appreciated for their efforts.
Recognition is central to inclusion and retention. A Gallup and Workhuman study found that 74% of employees who received recognition only a few times a year planned to leave their jobs. With more frequent recognition, the quit rate dropped by 31%.
To build inclusion, deliver hyper-relevant messages in real time
One of the toughest challenges for frontline managers is getting critical information out when it matters. In 2020, 96% of frontline workers said they wanted better communication technology so they would not be left in the dark.
Mobile platforms like Atiom deliver important news to frontline workers at exactly the right moment — whether it is policy changes, safety standards, company news, or operational updates. Teams stay informed, anytime and anywhere. Timely delivery of business-critical information is essential for ensuring standards are met and protocols are followed, and it reduces the organisation's liability exposure.
Content created for everyone tends to be read by no one. With localisation tools, you can address employees in their local language, with the right operational details for their region, city, or site. Meeting employees where they are builds a stronger sense of belonging across the frontline.
Managers can also see in real time who is logging in, reading updates, and asking questions. This level of visibility is rare, and it is essential for making informed decisions about how to activate content, deliver messaging, and direct training resources where they are needed most.
A happy frontline means a better bottom line
Whether the goal is communication, upskilling, compliance, safety, or raising service standards, businesses succeed when they are deliberate about shifting behaviour. Saying "we will improve employee engagement" is not enough. You need specific problem statements and action behind them to create real change.
This is where Atiom works best — not just as a frontline experience platform, but as a performance tool that solves specific business challenges quickly. Working alongside companies to identify their most pressing problems, we ensure the platform is set up with the right content and workflows to drive real improvements in the metrics that matter.
In the new shape of work, business leaders have an opportunity to bring their frontline into a new era with technology that includes, connects, and engages. Organisations that move on this will come out ahead.
