Frontline employee engagement statistics you need to know

More engaged employees means better business outcomes. Yet most employee engagement advice only talks about back office workers. This leaves out a large part of our workforce: frontline employees. 

That’s where our frontline survey findings come in. Taken from proprietary Flip research of 1,000 frontline workers in the UK and Germany, our findings

• Reveal how engaged frontline workers really are

• Show which factors influence frontline engagement most

• Provide actionable insights for your 2025 employee engagement strategy. 

But before we dig into the facts and figures, let’s take a very quick look at what employee engagement is and why it matters. 

What is employee engagement – and why does it matter?

Put simply, employee engagement is a way to understand how an employee feels and behaves on the job. We see it as a combination of two characteristics: morale and energy. They’re closely related, of course. An employee who feels healthy, happy, and proud of where they work is more likely to expend effort for the company. 

And that's exactly why employee engagement matters. High morale and high energy means a workforce that has a positive impact on business outcomes. 

In fact, high employee engagement is associated with a raft of business benefits, including:

1. Better employee retention

2. Reduced absenteeism

3. Higher productivity and work quality

4. Fewer health & safety incidents

5. Higher sales, profitability, and operating margins

For more on why employee engagement matters, check out our No-nonsense guide to frontline employee engagement.

How engaged are frontline employees?

According to industry benchmarks, low employee engagement is widespread across geographies and sectors. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report finds that only 13% of European employees are engaged. In the UK, it's just 10%.

Finding frontline-specific insights is more tricky. That’s why we conducted our recent research surveying 1,000 deskless workers in the UK and Germany.

Their answers give direct insights into deskless workers’ real pain points and priorities. Even better, they give HR and Communication leaders actionable insights for boosting frontline satisfaction, productivity, and engagement.

You can get the full report below, or keep reading for our top ten findings.

Motivation: Quiet quitting is common on the frontline

Motivation is one of the key pillars of engagement – and key focus areas for our research.

The good news: The majority of frontline employees (62%) do report feeling motivated to some extent. 

The bad news: One third of respondents at least somewhat agreed that they ‘don’t feel present and motivated the majority of the time’.

Even worse: Over a fifth (21%) of respondents admit to doing the bare minimum at work. That figure rises to more than half of frontline manufacturing employees in the UK.

The takeaway

While motivation levels are generally high across the majority of the frontline workforce, it's not all good news. A sizeable proportion is at risk of ‘quiet quitting’ – and one in five already has. 

Retention: Quiet quitters have staying power

In light of the pandemic’s ‘Great Resignation’, we wanted to understand if frontline workers intend to leave their jobs.

On the surface, the news here is great. Less than a third (31%) of respondents are at risk of quitting. Just fourteen percent told us they intend to quit within the year.

However, there’s a catch: Those respondents who admitted to doing the bare minimum have staying power. Nearly half (48%) of these 'quiet quitters' plan to stay at their current company for at least three years.

The takeaway

Together, these figures suggest employers should turn their attention away from pure retention tactics. Instead, employee engagement strategies should focus on keeping workers engaged across the entire employee lifecycle.

Well-being: Frontline employees are feeling the strain

Compared to back office work, frontline labour is typically less flexible, more unpredictable, and less lucrative. These factors and others put frontline workers at higher risk of experiencing work-related stress. 

Our survey data agrees. Over half (58%) of frontline employees experience workplace stress or burnout at least once a month. One in five experience it at least once a week.

The takeaway

Though frontline work comes with inherent engagement challenges, that doesn’t mean employers are powerless. By upgrading other areas of the employee experience, businesses can boost well-being and engagement.

Work relationships: Colleagues and community are key to higher engagement

With burnout looming so large, we also asked frontline workers who supports them most during times of stress. 

The most frequent answer by far was co-workers – 55% of respondents told us that colleagues offer the most support during stressful times.

Colleagues even beat friends and family (36%) to the top spot. Importantly, less than a third of respondents said their manager supports them through stress.

This is perhaps little surprise when we look at how managers themselves are doing. Almost a quarter (23%) of frontline managers admitted doing the bare minimum to keep their jobs.

The takeaway

Community is crucial for well-being and engagement, but frontline managers have checked out. For an engagement strategy boost, HR and workforce leaders should find ways to connect colleagues with one another while providing support for frontline managers.

Recognition and appreciation: Feeling valued is the top driver of engagement

Of all factors, recognition and appreciation emerged as make-or-break for employee engagement. 

Almost three quarters (72%) of the satisfied employeed we surveyed said they feel recognised and appreciated at work.

Compare this to their less happy counterparts. Just 4% of dissatisfied employees feel recognised and/or appreciated.

The takeaway

While factors like pay and flexibility are important for engagement, the ‘human factors’ make a massive difference, too. Making workers feel valued as people and recognised for their achievements provides an enormous boost to satisfaction and motivation. 

Keen to learn more? Check out this article for tips on making your recognition and appreciation processes scalable and consistent on the frontline. 

Career growth: Frontline employees feel their prospects are limited

Career growth emerged as a key engagement barrier in our survey. Nearly half (48%) of frontline employees feel it isn’t possible to progress in their career at their current company. 

The majority (51%) of frontline workers don’t understand the possible career paths for someone in their role. Even fewer receive clear goals feedback to help them progress.

This lack of development potential harms engagement. Nearly half (48%) of demotivated employees attribute their apathy to limited career growth. 

The takeaway

A broad rethink of feedback and progression processes would provide the best boost. But even simple tactics like highlighting career paths or publishing team goals can help bolster frontline engagement. 

Productivity: HR admin and poor communication are draining frontline efficiency

We all know the feeling: Sometimes it’s hard work getting the work done. That’s certainly true on the frontline, where nearly a third (29%) of employees report spending ‘a lot’ of time on HR-related admin. 

Analogue systems emerged as one key reason for this friction. Less than a third of frontline employees can swap shifts digitally, and only 24% can book sick leave via digital channels. 

The takeaway

Friction is draining frontline productivity. By making necessary admin easier for frontline workers, HR and workforce leaders can reduce frustration, boost motivation, and free up time to get the real work done. 

Communication: Effective internal communications transform the frontline employee experience

In our survey findings, communication emerged as a remarkable predictor of various engagement markers. 

Frontline employees who reported effective communication at their company were 8.2x more likely to be satisfied with their job. They were also a whopping 12.9x more likely to report good or excellent well-being.

The takeaway

Just 42% of frontline workers reported effective communication at their company. As such, these findings highlight improved communication as a key focus area for HR and workforce leaders looking to boost engagement.

Head to this article for actionable tips on improving frontline internal communication.

Technology: Frontline tech is lacking, and workers want more

Our survey uncovered deep frustrations around technology among frontline workers. 

The issues were broad. Some frontline workers lack technology entirely, with more respondents using noticeboards (24%) than a company intranet (21%), for example.

For others, the issue was unsuitable technology and tools. Respondents reported lacking login credentials and not having access to a desktop computer. Others struggle with complex login and password requirements, or simply finding the time to use existing systems.

The takeaway

Even in businesses with substantial technology budgets, little spend reaches the frontline. As one frontline worker put it: Deskless workers receive 'digital trash cans' instead of tools that meet their needs.

Investments into the right tools and tech offer an opportunity to improve a broad variety of engagement factors. Solutions made specifically for deskless workers can improve frontline communication, motivation, recognition, appreciation, and even well-being.

What’s more, these workers would welcome the change. 86% told us they're open to using technology like an employee app. 

Check out our checklist for choosing solutions that are fit for the frontline workforce in this article. 

To sum up

Building an effective frontline employee engagement strategy requires a deep dive into the realities of frontline work. 

Our research findings unveil what many businesses are doing well. Employees who feel valued are highly engaged. So are those who have room to grow their careers, or who have purpose-built tools to communicate and collaborate.

However, the findings also show why many struggle. By revealing key employee engagement gaps, these facts and figures allow HR and workforce leaders to prioritise their resources where they’ll deliver the best return.

Check out the full report for more.