Overview
Significant disconnect with frontline workers and their needs
Frontline workers make up a whopping 80% of all business employees yet recent results uncovered by Telstra’s ‘Return on Connection’ report show almost 87% of senior business leaders say they experience challenges when connecting with frontline employees. There is a significant disconnect between what businesses think frontline workers need and what tools are helpful on the ground.
Learn more about the state of connection between business leaders
The challenges
The top three challenges faced by Australian leaders
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0%Implementing new technology
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0%Driving innovation
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0%Rising cost pressures
Leaders in retail need to lean into the employee experience they are providing frontline workers to feel connected to the organisation, the people, and the technology they need to succeed in their roles.
Key challenges leaders encounter when it comes to frontline workers
Safety conditions
One in three frontline workers believe businesses have difficulty understanding and responding to safety conditions and issues they experience, such as fatigue.
Outdated technology
Nearly ⅓ of business leaders admitted their organisations are operating outdated technology, hindering frontline workers' productivity and ability to stay connected on the go.
Disconnection
Frontline workers are increasingly feeling disconnected from the broader business with 25% surveyed citing limitations in connecting with the organisation and ability to access communication channels as a major pain point.
Top 5 industries that called out communication breakdown between management and frontline workers as an issue:
Nearly one in four respondents said the top three challenges in communication were:
- Breakdown in communication between management and frontline workers.
- Difficulty to connect with geographically dispersed frontline workers.
- Difficulty in providing training and opportunities.
“Connected worker strategy goes beyond device. A true strategy is a combination of capable devices, connectivity, user-friendly apps, security, and end-to-end service management driven by human centred design. ”
Warren Jennings, Telstra’s Head of Industry Growth
Expert tips
How to connect with frontline workers
Glenn Carmichael, Telstra Head of Technology Strategy, Workplace and Digital, has experienced this frontline worker disconnection firsthand when working with customers. Here are his three tips to get you kick-started:
Observe their behaviours
Start with observational research, this provides context which can’t be achieved from a questionnaire or interview process.
Understand working context
Consider workflows, the environment, and the day-to-day issues and activities that frontline workers are involved with, and face.
Codesign with end users
Have the right team in the room when co-designing solutions, including your frontline workers who use the tools and processes to support their day-to-day tasks.
Download toolkit
Toolkit for leaders
Providing your team the right tools allow them the opportunity to build strong relationships and create experiences that can transform an organisation.
