Frontline workers feel so disconnected, nearly half don't know who their CEO is
According to a new global survey of 7,550 workers from Workvivo by Zoom, while frontline workers make up 80% of the global workforce, many say they don't get the recognition they deserve. Frontline workers know how essential their duties are. In fact, 49% say they feel their impact is greater than that of their office colleagues. They just don't feel recognized for it. Likewise, 40% say their company doesn't care about them as a person.
A separate corporate culture
Overall, according to the new findings, frontline workers feel largely disconnected to in-office culture. A staggering 87% said that their company's culture doesn't apply to frontline workers. Half of frontline workers feel that their team has its own specific culture that doesn't mirror that of the company's overall vibe. And a huge chunk of frontline workers feel so disconnected from their company they don't even know who runs it. Nearly half (46%) said they don't know who their CEO is.
One glaring reason why frontline workers feel so disconnected from in-office culture seems to be a lack of communication. According to the report, 38% say they have feedback for higher-ups, but no way of communicating it. Forty-two percent say that the leaders at their company aren't good at reaching out to their team. Forty-eight percent say their company's communication feels irrelevant to frontline workers.
Connecting with frontline staff
Another recent report by Staffbase similarly found a communication disconnect among frontline workers. The research found only 9% of non-desk workers were very satisfied with internal communication. And it seems to be an issue that leads to overall workplace unhappiness and drives turnover. Sixty-three percent of employees who are considering leaving their position say poor internal communication is a factor.
Meanwhile, most frontline workers aren't checked out. In fact, they want more communication. The latest report found that 69% of frontline workers want to better understand their company's decisions. Essentially, those on the frontlines want clear communication, to feel connected, and to be heard by the company they represent.
'Our research shows that frontline employees feel disconnected not because they care less, but because they are engaged less,' said Gideon Pridor, CMO & chief storyteller at Workvivo, by Zoom in a press release. 'To close this critical gap, organizations need to recognize frontline contributions in real time, communicate in ways that are relevant and accessible, and provide clear and visible paths for growth.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
17 Experts Explore How HR Shapes Culture In Hybrid & Remote Workplaces
Human resources teams are playing a more strategic role as the workplace evolves, especially in shaping culture across hybrid and remote environments. With fewer organic, in-person interactions and more reliance on digital systems, HR professionals are at the forefront of keeping employees engaged and connected, no matter where they work. Below, 17 members of Forbes Human Resources Council share how HR can serve as both cultural architect and community builder in today's distributed work models. Their insights offer a roadmap for creating thriving, values-driven organizations across any work setting. 1. Support In-Person Connection For Cultural Alignment The role of HR is like an associate to the main chef (the CEO) in keeping the culture intact. In a hybrid or remote environment, it is important to have a regular, mandated in-person meeting in the office with senior folks of the organization so that bonding and culture orientation happen through interactions with other senior colleagues. - Prakash Raichur, Taghleef Industries 2. Foster Employee Connection To Mission And Peers HR leaders and managers have a responsibility to create conditions for employees to do the best work of their lives, regardless of where that work takes place. Research shows that connection is one of those key conditions. In times of uncertainty, when employees are connected to the mission of their company, their manager and their peers, they feel they can survive and thrive through it all. - David Bator, Achievers 3. Empower Leaders To Model And Enhance Culture HR, as an enabler and strategic partner, can help foster the culture. HR is not the business nor the organization; the culture sits with the business and the hiring managers. HR helps foster and enhance the desired culture. - Jake Zabkowicz, Hudson RPO 4. Align Daily Actions With Culture And Strategy The mission remains: deploy top talent, drive impact and fuel relentless execution to deliver results. Culture isn't accidental—it's built by leadership decisions, policy commitments and daily actions. Every piece must align with the competitive landscape we operate in. - Prithvi Singh Shergill, Tomorrow @entomo 5. Upskill Managers To Deliver Consistent Experiences HR shapes culture in every work model—remote, hybrid or in-office. In remote and hybrid settings, people managers become the 'face' of the organization, yet many aren't trained or supported to lead effectively. HR must upskill and empower them to ensure a strong, consistent employee experience. - Fran Maxwell, Protiviti Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify? 6. Track Cultural Gaps And Guide Leadership Behavior Culture is both intentionally created and allowed unintentionally, existing in actions and shared purpose beyond words. It extends into digital spaces, expressing values through daily actions. HR doesn't own culture; we are its guardians. We track gaps between aspirations and reality. We empower leaders to be effective culture modelers. - Teedra Bernard, New Wave Human Capital 7. Create Intentional Moments For Human Connection From onboarding to exit, HR is critical in shaping the employee experience. In many ways, the shift online during Covid advanced how we work. Still, human connection remains essential. By creating intentional moments and spaces for connection, collaboration, co-creation and celebration, HR cultivates company culture. These four Cs bring culture to life, especially in hybrid or remote environments. - Soni Basi, Pop HR 8. Design Culture With Empathy, Purpose And Clarity HR plays a pivotal role in shaping culture, especially in hybrid or remote settings. We must be intentional about listening to employee voices and designing a culture people want to be part of. When we lead with empathy, clarity and purpose, we don't just manage a workforce; we build a community people are proud to show up for. - Nicole Cable, Blue Zones Health 9. Keep Employees Connected Through Systems And Rituals HR serves as both architect and curator of culture in hybrid and remote work environments by deliberately designing systems, communications, experiences and strategies to keep employees connected to shared purpose and values. From onboarding to recognition programs, HR ensures its presence can always be felt no matter where employees work. - Sherri Reese, Michigan State University 10. Lead Culture With Strategic Vision And Communication It is the role of human resources, particularly at the C-suite level, to actively shape, develop and communicate the organizational culture in alignment with the company's mission, values and vision. This responsibility goes beyond administrative functions—it requires strategic leadership to ensure that the culture is intentionally crafted and consistently reinforced throughout the organization. - Nakisha Dixon, Helios HR LLC 11. Drive Engagement And Well-Being Across Locations HR is the glue that holds culture together in a hybrid or remote setting. They drive engagement, communication and well-being initiatives, while ensuring values are reinforced across teams. HR also champions flexibility, inclusivity and innovation, creating a workplace where people thrive, no matter the location. - William Stonehouse, Crawford Thomas Recruiting 12. Champion Recognition And A People-First Mindset HR plays a critical role in shaping a culture rooted in recognition and connection. By leveraging technology and embracing flexibility, HR creates spaces where employees feel seen, heard and valued, no matter where they work. They champion a people-first mindset that supports well-being, drives engagement and keeps teams motivated and aligned with the company's mission. - Smiti Bhatt Deorah, 13. Codify And Reinforce Culture Through Leadership HR is critical as the cultural architect in distributed models. Culture doesn't get passed organically in hallways—it must be intentionally designed and consistently reinforced. This includes codifying culture into systems, fostering connection and inclusion, enabling leaders to lead differently and listen at scale. - Britton Bloch, Navy Federal 14. Design Inclusive Rituals And Experiences At Scale HR becomes the culture custodian in hybrid and remote environments. From asking the right questions to taking relevant steps, HR is the central driving force. We design intentional rituals, foster connection beyond screens and ensure equity in experience—whether onsite or remote. From virtual onboarding to manager enablement, we lead with empathy and data to keep culture alive and inclusive. - Ankita Singh, Relevance Lab 15. Embed Values Into Systems To Prevent Cultural Drift In hybrid environments, culture doesn't drift—it defaults. HR's role is to interrupt that default by embedding clarity, trust and connection into daily operations. We don't rely on charisma; we design systems that make values visible, even virtually. In distributed teams, culture isn't what we say; it's what our infrastructure allows. HR builds that foundation. - Apryl Evans, USA for UNHCR 16. Bridge Communication Between Teams And Leadership In hybrid and remote settings, HR serves as the intermediary between the workforce and leadership. They're the stewards of the organization's culture, able to communicate effectively between teams, ensuring everyone remains informed and aligned at all times. This is critical to moving the organization forward and keeping employees engaged. - Caitlin MacGregor, Plum 17. Use Emotional Intelligence To Build Trust Remotely In hybrid or remote setups, HR is the cultural compass—fostering trust through intentional communication, strengths-based development and emotional intelligence. When people feel seen, heard and valued, distance fades. Understanding what energizes or frustrates them, and how to truly connect, empowers everyone to give their best—anywhere. - Jaka Lindic, e2grow
Harvard Business Review
an hour ago
- Harvard Business Review
How Physical Operations Organizations Are Using AI to Protect Workers and Increase Efficiency
The world of physical operations forms the bedrock of our global economy, contributing to more than 40% of the world's gross domestic product (GDP). Manufacturing, construction, energy utilities, transportation, essential public services—these and other industries are the ones that build our cities, power our homes, and deliver the goods we rely on daily. I spend a lot of time with customers in these industries, and over the past few years, I've noticed a fundamental shift in how they operate. By and large, these blue-collar industries were late to adopt technological waves like smartphones, cloud computing, and big data. But they're on the forefront of adopting AI. Why? Why Physical Operations Is Embracing AI The foundation, both technological and demographic, of these industries' adoption of AI was laid over the past decade, and the impact is profound. Several critical factors are creating a fertile ground for this rapid AI adoption in physical operations. First, changing demographics are playing a key role. While workers still join operations industries because they don't want to work behind a desk, a new generation of frontline workers grew up with smartphones for their personal lives, and they expect their workplace technology to similarly make their jobs easier, safer, and more efficient. Second, operations digitized over the past decade. While operations lagged behind industries like finance, retail, and healthcare, it's now largely brought its data and processes into the cloud—just in time for AI. Third and most important, the physics of operations make the potential for impact truly massive. These remain the most dangerous jobs, and AI measurably saves lives (and insurance premiums). And operations are cost-intensive. Between capital expenses, fuel and energy costs, intensive labor demands, and fierce competition, margins are notoriously thin—and even a few percentage points of efficiency gains translates to a significant bottom-line impact. AI on the Frontlines The most compelling AI transformation I'm witnessing falls into two categories: enhancing worker safety and boosting operational efficiency. Safety On the safety front, AI is proving to be a powerful ally in protecting workers. While we marvel at the robotaxis now driving passengers in a handful of cities, similar technology powers AI dash cams in millions of commercial vehicles, acting as copilots to drivers and keeping them safe on the road—reducing accident rates by as much as 50% across tens of thousands of organizations. The City of New Orleans recently deployed AI dash cams in its ambulance fleet to support the thousands of EMTs, paramedics, and other drivers who respond to nearly 70,000 emergency calls annually. The results over 12 months were remarkable: a 37% reduction in speeding and a 46% decrease in mobile phone usage. The newest generation of AI tech can also recognize defensive driving maneuvers, and AI-captured footage can help exonerate drivers in disputed incidents. That tends to turn drivers into enthusiastic adopters of—and even ambassadors for—the technology. Building on the success of driver safety, organizations are beginning to deploy AI to keep workers safe across more and more diverse environments. AI can now detect hazards from a smartphone photo and provide proactive training or tailored safety checklists. And a new generation of wearable technology, enabled by the network of millions of internet-connected operations assets, creates new lifelines for lone workers. Efficiency Safety remains the top priority in operations, and efficiency follows closely behind. AI in the form of applications like predictive maintenance, route optimization, and specialized chatbots for back-office teams is enabling efficient use of labor, fuel and energy savings, and higher utilization of capital assets. By implementing AI-powered route optimization, Mohawk Industries, the largest flooring manufacturer in the world, achieved state-of-the-art efficiency in shuttling raw materials between sites and delivering products to retail partners. Across its three North American fleets, Mohawk's AI-driven efficiency translated into more than $7 million in savings from route optimizations and an improved experience for drivers, who no longer face long waits for dispatch assignments and are paid promptly upon shift completion. Similarly, Sterling Crane, one of Canada's largest mobile crane rental companies, used AI for preventive maintenance, saving over $3 million. For Sterling, an in-shop repair is vastly more cost-effective than dealing with a crane breakdown in a remote location where temperatures can plummet to -81°F. The Start of the AI Era A key observation here: In none of these examples does AI substitute for human labor. Instead, it is acting as a partner on safety and efficiency, and it even helps with team engagement and retention. In a climate where the competition for skilled workers remains intense, forward-thinking organizations are now putting AI to work to attract and retain talent through programs like driver recognition and digital reward systems. Increasingly, the gap between technological leaders and those lagging behind is growing in this era of swift AI advancements. For those organizations that haven't fully embraced AI, the good news is: it's still early days. Operations leaders everywhere still have time to jump aboard this rocket ship. I can't wait to see all the amazing new worlds we're just beginning to explore.
News24
3 hours ago
- News24
Two-pot withdrawals reveal debt strain. Here's how employers can help
Employers and HR professionals have typically relied on engagement surveys and exit interviews to gauge employee needs. However, the introduction of South Africa's Two-Pot retirement system offers a new, largely untapped source of insight: fund withdrawal patterns. According to Old Mutual Corporate's 2025 Two-pot Withdrawal Survey, nearly eight in ten employees who accessed the new 'savings pot' did so either to repay debt or to cover basic living costs. Of those surveyed, 45% used the funds to service loans, while 35% withdrew to cover essentials like groceries, school fees, and housing. 'The spike in early savings access is a window into the everyday struggles of the workforce,' said Blessing Utete, Managing Executive at Old Mutual Corporate Consultants. 'When employees are dipping into long-term savings just to make ends meet, it reflects how precarious their financial situations are. 'Two-Pot withdrawal rates present an opportunity to reassess employee support, recognising workers as individuals balancing financial, emotional, and family responsibilities — not just as salary earners.' Utete warns the risk isn't just that financially stressed employees will leave in search of better pay — it's that the ones who stay may be too overwhelmed to perform. 'Debt isn't just a personal issue. It's a performance issue,' he said. 'When employees are fighting just to get through the month, they often don't have the energy, focus, or capacity to deliver their best at work.' The missing conversation in the workplace Despite widespread financial stress among South African workers, employers are still struggling to provide meaningful support. 'While employee benefits strategies often focus on long-term issues like retirement, many employees are grappling with immediate challenges, limited practical solutions, and inconsistent access to financial guidance,' he says. This was a key topic in Utete's podcast, Big Business Insights, where he discussed how integrated financial wellbeing is often overlooked in the workplace. 'People are expected to take charge of their financial stability — but when the only support they receive is geared towards distant outcomes, it sends the message that their day-to-day struggles don't matter,' says Utete. 'That kind of disconnect erodes trust. Employees start to feel like leadership is out of touch with their reality — and that's when engagement, loyalty, and performance begin to suffer.' Even when employers express an interest in financial wellbeing, workplace initiatives often fall short because they're too generic, too technical and clouded by a lack of cultural relevance — making it difficult for employees to act on what they're told. What a modern benefits strategy looks like To address these challenges effectively, Utete says employers need to shift from compliance-based benefits to integrated, human-centred strategies that prioritise immediate financial resilience over abstract future promises. 'If we don't account for that in how we design support structures, we're ignoring the reality of modern working life,' he says. This means that, in addition to offering well-managed retirement and risk benefits, employers should also provide access to relevant, practical financial education and coaching, focused on budgeting, debt literacy, and everyday money management. Innovative debt assistance interventions, such as Old Mutual Corporate's Right Track solution, that helps employers uncover unlawful garnishee orders, unlawful deductions, and curb debt collector harassment. Flexible salary solutions, such as Smart Salary, offer early access to earned wages, allowing employees to responsibly manage their finances before payday and reducing reliance on credit or potentially expensive payday loans. Tools to help employees avoid debt review — which can restrict access to formal credit during the rehabilitation period — and resolve debt challenges without being excluded from the financial system. Integrated health and mental health support, integrated with financial wellbeing where appropriate to promote positive mindset and decision-making Creating a supportive and resilient workforce By focusing on these immediate, practical solutions, employers can begin to address the underlying financial pressures that employees face. This shift goes beyond reactive measures, fostering a more supportive and resilient workforce and ensuring that employees have the tools they need to manage life and thrive both personally and professionally. While the Two-Pot system was introduced to improve long-term savings behaviour, it's now doing something more immediate: providing a window into workforce stress that traditional HR tools have missed. 'Withdrawal rates from long-term savings are a new kind of business intelligence — a signal that tells you who might be struggling and what kind of support your employees need,' concludes Utete. 'Employers who act on that intelligence — by building better, more relevant employee benefits strategy— are not just helping employees save for the future. They're improving focus, energy, and performance today.' For more information on how Old Mutual's integrated employee benefits solutions can support your consulting practice, visit About Big Business Insights Big Business Insights is a thought-provoking podcast designed for business leaders, decision-makers, and industry professionals seeking a 360-degree perspective on leadership, employee benefits, and workplace transformation. Hosted by Blessing Utete, Managing Executive at Old Mutual Corporate Consultants, the podcast features expert guests, including Fatima Vawda, founder and CEO of 27Four and Director of the Association of Savings and Investments South Africa, and Mlamuli Mbambo, MD of Money Fundi, a financial education speaker, coach, and author. In the episode mentioned in the article, they discuss the challenges surrounding employee engagement with financial wellness programmes and how employers can address these issues to better support their workforce.
