7 Ways to Keep Your Frontline Team Connected and Engaged

Keeping your frontline team connected and engaged is crucial for the well-being of development of your company or organization. In many cases, a reactive approach to helping frontline employees feel successful and motivated by their work is ineffective. 

According to Forbes, nearly 80% of the world's workforce is deskless, and that number is growing steadily. Good communication policies and protocols will help improve frontline employees' morale and wellbeing, but for companies who want to build the best possible frontline teams, it's just the beginning. Here are 7 ways to help your most essential frontline workers.

1. Reevaluate How You Communicate

Frontline staff may feel disconnected from colleagues who work in a management role or a traditional office setting. Using a workplace communications platform that's secure yet easily accessible from your frontline workers' mobile devices can help prioritize timely and effective communication. 

Send lower-priority updates on a regular schedule and push high-priority updates through as needed so every team member, no matter their role, has the same access to key information. 

2. Prioritize Onboarding

Be sure to recognize and celebrate early wins and achievements among your newest frontline workers. Hiring new talent is more difficult than ever, especially in high-pressure working environments. Keeping your new hires happy is just as important as retaining top performers for your organization 

The first six months of an employee's career at a company are one of the major determining factors in whether they stay on for the long haul or jump ship to work for another organization. Since this is also the time when companies invest the largest share of resources into a new employee, it's key to prioritize a quality onboarding experience. 

Help employees understand your company culture and business goals by providing them with the same information as any new hire, even if they are deskless. And be sure they understand any technology you use, whether it be online time clocks or job management apps.

3. Hold Regular Face-To-Face Meetings With Frontline Workers

In many organizations, distributed teams meet only online and receive all communications via electronic updates. If your frontline workers receive all communications from their employer online, they can feel disconnected from the company. 

Set up weekly or bi-weekly virtual meetings if meeting face-to-face is impossible. Help your frontline workers feel more engaged with the company as a whole by encouraging them to communicate with you about common challenges they face. Communicate any organizational changes, provide feedback and give progress reports in person when possible to create more meaningful connections between management, HR and frontline workers. 

4. Invest In Leadership

Work to attract and retain leadership that understands how to effectively manage frontline workers while helping your organization to retain top talent. Supportive leadership is respectful of their teams' needs. They foster positive relationships within the team and help frontline workers do their jobs with minimal supervision. They encourage frontline workers to seek educational opportunities to develop key skills while advocating for advancement opportunities and raises for top performers. 

5. Offer Free Skills Development and Training

Frontline workers don't often have time to seek out educational opportunities outside of their normal working hours. In general, frontline workers' jobs are physically, mentally and emotionally demanding. 

As an employer, you have the power to support your frontline teams' development by offering free in-house skills development and training. 

Before launching a program, consider your company's needs and the desires of your frontline workers. Cross-reference those two lists and start by offering educational opportunities that are both useful to your organization and wanted by your frontline employees. 

Acknowledge the fact that you are asking your frontline workers to put in extra effort by providing meaningful incentives for frontline workers to put in the extra effort required to complete skills training. 

6. Become Dedicated To Recognizing the Efforts of Frontline Workers

Recognizing deskless workers can be more challenging for employers, but it's worth the effort. According to a Quantum Workplace study, employees who feel as if their efforts are recognized feel 2.7x highly engaged at work. 

Use frontline workers' preferred communication channels to recognize achievements and above-and-beyond efforts. Celebrate major team accomplishments by providing a much-needed break when possible. Catering breakfast or lunch is a nice perk for a hard-working frontline team. For a more widely distributed workforce, gift cards may help express the organization's appreciation more effectively. 

7. Ask For Feedback

Talk with your frontline employees individually to assess their satisfaction at work. If a one-on-one feedback session isn't possible, create a pulse survey of just three or four questions to allow deskless workers to provide feedback. Use open-ended questions, such as:

• What tools or resources could the company provide to help you do your job well?

• Do you feel engaged at work?

• What processes may be improved with a different approach? What approach do you suggest? 

Use 360-degree surveys less frequently to receive more detailed feedback. These surveys have more questions but are typically yes/no answers. Include questions such as:

• Does your manager work in a respectful way?

• Is your manager responsive to questions?

• Does the company provide a clear vision for the future?

• Does the manager work well under pressure?

• Is the manager open to suggestions about how to solve difficult problems?

• Is your manager responsive to your needs?

• Do you feel as if you can ask for more information if you don't understand something?

• Do you feel as if you have ample opportunities for discussion about your role and career trajectory within the company?

• Do you feel as if your fellow employees are respectful of you and each other?

• Do you feel comfortable contacting HR for support when there's a conflict with a manager or coworker?

• Do you feel motivated by your job?

• Do you have the tools you need to do your job effectively?

Improving Frontline Workers' Job Satisfaction Benefits the Entire Company

Throughout the pandemic, frontline workers have suffered exhaustion, constant disruption and burnout. Supporting your frontline team is essential if you want to retain top talent and attract the best possible workers to help move your organization forward.