Survey: frontline workers still face battle to be heard on issues that matter to them most

The majority of American, Australian, and British frontline workers (67%) say that they are never, rarely, or only sometimes listened to on topics that matter to them the most – operations (54%), safety (46%), and health/wellbeing (49%) – according to new research by SafetyCulture. The survey also found that 66% of American frontline workers said they are rarely, never, or only sometimes listened to by management on these important topics.

SafetyCulture’s new “Feedback from the Field” research features the views of American, British and Australian “frontline workers” – defined as individuals who must “physically show up to their job” including the likes of hospitality, retail, manufacturing, and logistics workers.

When it comes to taking action, just over one in four American and Australian frontline workers (27% each) feel empowered to take action and solve an issue. In the UK, just over one in five frontline workers feel empowered to tackle issues (22%).

Job loss as a result of reporting a safety or quality issue to management, including adherence to COVID-19 protocols, is a real concern for many frontline workers. Almost half of Australian frontline workers (48%), more than a third of American frontline workers (36%), and more than one in five British frontline workers (22%) agreed this is a potential scenario.

To tackle this issue, SafetyCulture explained it has developed its operations platform to empower staff to report issues, giving them a voice within the workplace. The technology allows for sensitive feedback to be shared via anonymous entry.

Over one in three frontline workers (34%) agree their willingness to provide workplace feedback is impacted by a belief that “nothing will be done” once reported. More than one in four said they lacked confidence management would address safety issues they raise.

Bob Butler, Global General Manager of SafetyCulture said, “While frontline workers have kept our nations running over the past 18 months, many don’t feel that their voices are valued. It’s clear that these critical workers want a say in the operations and running of their workplaces. Two-way communication between frontline workers and management is no longer a ‘nice to have’, it is a business imperative. Leaders need to be arming their teams with the right tools to allow them to add value, be heard, and stay safe.”