One of the many things that is hard to forget about the pandemic was the concept of “essential workers.” During an uncertain time when many people were apprehensive about being out and about, a loosely designated segment of the workforce was expected to go out there and keep everything running.
These weren’t hospital workers or first responders, however. This was the core group of frontline workers who ensured the continuity of operations in industries such as retail, restaurants, hospitality, construction, and manufacturing.
As the initial impact of the pandemic has faded, the view of these deskless, hourly employees as “essential” also seems to have faded. But these workers are out there daily, building products, delivering brand experiences, and driving revenue for the company.
Yet, the support structures for these workers often fall short of what is needed. Many organizations do not do a fantastic job of supporting and developing these workers. The roles are seen as transitory and transactional; unfortunately, their training typically reflects that. The relatively high turnover among these workers is usually seen as a permanent obstacle, rather than a challenge to be addressed and overcome.
This long-enduring mindset needs to change. The new report from RedThread Research (licensed by Schoox), “Developing Frontline Workers: Focus Where It Counts,” offers numerous insights into how companies can direct their efforts to ensure these employees have what they need to be engaged, productive, and willing to stay.
The need to refocus
In the study, 60 percent of leaders acknowledge that at present, compliance, safety, and basic job performance command all of the attention. While these areas are undoubtedly vital, what often gets overlooked is the investment in skills to enhance current performance or lay the groundwork for future growth.
Three key focus areas
To give frontline workers what they need to deliver business results, companies need to take a balanced approach and distribute their efforts across three critical areas:
- License to Operate: Think of this as the foundation. It encompasses the skills and knowledge necessary to keep the business running smoothly on a day-to-day basis.
- Current Performance: Enhancing performance takes more than basic or beginner training. Companies need to focus on equipping employees with problem-solving skills and tools that address real-world challenges, improve performance, and drive measurable results.
- Future Readiness: Retention and growth require a forward-thinking approach. Organizations need to offer skills to fuel growth and prepare employees (and the business) for what’s next.
L&D teams need to deliver the essentials efficiently and effectively without wasting the learners’ and the business’s time. It’s possible to create engaging and impactful compliance and safety training without devoting all your resources to it. Often, simply providing the reasoning behind the training is enough to engage, rather than saying, “do this or else!”
At the same time, organizations need to drive behaviors and performance that support learning beyond compliance/safety/onboarding. This is where L&D teams can get more complex and layered with their training programs.
To truly combat turnover, companies must provide opportunities for growth and development beyond initial frontline roles, particularly for those in the workforce who are interested in them. This means laying out the possibilities to workers early on and showing how the organization can support those career paths with ongoing learning.
There’s no specific golden ratio of these three concepts that will perfectly suit every organization. The blend of effort and setting priorities is driven by the needs of the business. The idea is to stop pouring everything into basic onboarding and compliance.
Reducing redundancy and tedium in compliance training makes it more efficient, saving time and resources for the company while keeping frontline workers from feeling overwhelmed with seemingly unnecessary training.
Keeping frontline workers supported and engaged means they will stay longer, which in turn means more opportunities for growth and development.
From the RedThread Research report, there are a few strategic principles that can guide an organization’s efforts:
- Be an Essentialist – offer what’s needed to meet the non-negotiables without wasting time and negatively impacting KPIs.
- Be a Detective – leverage data and input from across the business to find and address the most pressing problems.
- Be a Strategist – build skills for what’s next by aligning development with the organization’s future direction.
Supporting and developing frontline workers isn’t just about filling immediate gaps; it’s also about fostering a culture of continuous improvement. It’s about recognizing the critical impact these employees have on the business and investing in their success. It’s time to act like these workers are truly essential, because they are.
