Only 14% of frontline workers feel connected to their business HQ.
56% of frontline workers feel disconnected from company objectives.
51% of frontline workers feel less valued than HQ counterparts.
The traditional link between the ‘company’ and the ‘frontline’ is broken. Outdated communication methods such as top-down emails, town halls and pulse surveys only make the situation worse, leading to low levels of frontline motivation and high levels of frontline turnover.
But there is a solution: a modern employee listening platform.
Fragmented engagement ➡️ Fragmented company
According to Steven Kramer, CEO of WorkJam, “focusing on the frontline employee experience is key to achieving business goals, including growing revenue, engaging and retaining associates, increasing efficiency and ultimately delivering an excellent customer experience.”
But today’s fragmented methods of frontline engagement are leaving workers disconnected and unmotivated.
Too many tools, too little views. From monthly email polls and quarterly surveys to company newsletters and management-led town halls, large companies try to connect with frontline workers in multiple ways, but frontline workers don’t engage. 55% of frontline workers engage with internal company comms less than once a month. 83% don’t even have a company email address.
Unmanageable forums. Many large organisations have a company intranet system where employees can discuss their concerns. However, without independent moderation, internal notice boards can quickly descend into unmanageable forums with unconstructive posts and unrepresentative opinions (managers only hear from the loudest voices).
Entrenched ‘us vs them’ mentality. Companies that focus on frontline connection are 2.3 times more likely to have engaged, motivated and productive employees. But,
80% of frontline workers think their company provides few workplace connection opportunities. This disconnect embeds a fragmented culture, making it harder for leaders to steer the company in the same direction.
One employee listening platform ➡️ Authentic two-way connection
Disconnection is baked into the dispersed employee model, but senior leaders can bridge the gap with a modern employee listening platform, which creates a safe space for honest and continuous two-way dialogue between leaders and the frontline.
Organic uptake. Instead of multiple unopened emails or unanswered surveys, the simplicity and effectiveness of a modern employee listening platform encourages widespread organic frontline uptake. For example, one Rungway client received 4000 users just from word-of-mouth, as the platform was available on their phone and they could interact with senior leaders directly.
A single managed forum. Instead of siloed Whatsapp groups or Slack channels, modern employee listening brings the entire company together on one independently moderated platform. Frontline workers feel a greater sense of belonging, engage with other departments more often and are more likely to post frustrations internally than use external forums like Glassdoor.
Instant leadership traction. Whether it’s rolling out new company protocols, implementing positive change initiatives or putting out fires before they spread company-wide, leaders can quickly connect with up to 100% of workers using a modern employee listening platform. By posting a message on the platform and responding directly to individual or group concerns, leaders can get instant frontline traction and track their posts’ effectiveness with likes, comments and views).
A direct line to your frontline
The traditional ladder of corporate connection stretches from frontline to supervisor to team lead to department head to country manager to senior leadership. All it takes is one rung to break the chain.
But with a modern employee listening platform, there’s one place for all concerns and one link between senior leaders and the frontline, leading to one company moving forward in the same direction.
