The importance of creating community for frontline workers amid workforce challenges
By offering cross-training, developing mentorship programs and building support networks, employers can ensure their frontline workers are equipped with the tools and resources needed to succeed.
There’s no question that frontline workers are the backbone of retail, grocery, hospitality and countless other industries. From interacting with sometimes volatile customers to troubleshooting a variety of problems, they are a key part of ensuring operations run smoothly. With the pace and nature of the work, many frontline employees feel disconnected from their workplace and unrecognized for their contributions.
Ensuring that these workers understand they’re valued requires actively fostering a sense of connection, which can be challenging in dispersed frontline operations. Unfortunately, 42% of employees admit they don’t feel like their employer cares about them, and 40% of frontline retail and grocery workers fear going to work due to the recent rise in customer violence and hostility.
While these numbers are cause for concern, employers should see this as an opportunity to look into the steps they can take to foster or rebuild a sense of community and increase worker engagement.
Cross-Training helps increase empathy, understanding and shows a commitment to employee development
In most cases, frontline workers are the first to interact with customers or guests, and it’s their responsibility to ensure that service is efficient, consistent and meets expectations. Despite this highly visible role, many struggle to see the value they bring to their organization, and over a third of frontline workers struggle to even feel heard.
Cross-training is one example of how employers can change that. This kind of investment in employee development shows that the organization values its workers and is committed to moving their careers forward by helping them gain more skills and knowledge.
Cross-training also helps deepen connections by fostering a sense of empathy toward co-workers. With new transferrable skills, employees can take on shifts in different departments and gain a first-hand understanding of challenges that they may not face in their own roles. Using training as a tool to help frontline workers see their position and contributions from a new perspective, they can better understand how their everyday responsibilities support the organization’s bottom line and gain confidence in their position within the frontline community.
Mentorship strengthens internal bonds and collaboration
Frontline workers come to a job with varying levels of experience, from entry-level to senior. While some are just starting, others have been in their position for years, building a wealth of knowledge and skills that can be shared with newer hires. But for this to happen, workers need to communicate and collaborate. When employees work in silos in their designated roles or departments, they may feel like they have to handle everything on their own, which makes it harder to ask for help and develop internal relationships.
Employers can turn to mentorship programs to help bridge these gaps. By encouraging frontline workers from different departments and experience levels to connect, organizations are prioritizing knowledge sharing and collaboration and helping everyone’s professional development.
Plus, frontline workers who take the time to discuss their roles and skills with colleagues are more likely to become closer, which can make all the difference in boosting morale, increasing engagement and fostering a sense of belonging. More than half (51%) of workers say they have a “best friend” at their job who offers them support outside of their managers or other team members, which leads to less stress and more enjoyment at work and can directly impact retention.
We cannot overstate how important it is for frontline workers to be able to connect and problem-solve together to meet ongoing issues head-on. By encouraging these connections and conversations, employers are creating a system where their employees feel a strong sense of belonging.
Create support networks for frontline workers to share on-the-job experiences
It’s been widely reported that theft and customer violence are growing issues for the frontline, and most (85%) retail managers agree. More than two-thirds (70%) say they or their staff have witnessed an increase in theft over the last year, and 47% have quit due to safety concerns. While it’s clear that crime and violence will continue to be ongoing issues across industries, organizations need to consider how to best protect their most valuable assets—their people.
Related: Frontline workers experience high stress levels, but are less likely to report
Even when these instances are handled safely, they may have lasting effects on those involved. To help workers cope with the stress these events can bring, they need resources and support networks in place to safely process how these experiences have affected them.
Building internal support groups within your organization or leveraging external resources shows employees that they’re not alone and gives them a dedicated place to express any concerns and challenges. By offering frontline workers this kind of visible support, they will feel seen and validated, building more trust and empathy within the organization.
By offering cross-training, developing mentorship programs and building support networks, employers can ensure their frontline workers are equipped with the tools and resources needed to succeed, resulting in higher engagement, a sense of belonging and increased morale.
Carol Leaman, co-founder and CEO of Axonify