Employee engagement is key to having a thriving and productive workforce, especially in the frontline & deskless industries. But a recent report from Gallup shows that for the second time in 12 years the world is now seeing a drop in employee engagement. And it is a concerning trend. What can frontline and deskless workforce companies do to improve the employee engagement in their business? Read on as we uncover our best advice and tools.
The frontline employees are the backbone of your business. Their engagement is crucial to how companies can foster a more connected and more productive workforce.
The Critical Role of Frontline EmployeesFrontline employees are the face of your company. They are the ones who interact with customers directly, handle transactions, and ensure that the day-to-day operations run smoothly. Their engagement is not just beneficial but essential for the overall success of the business.
When frontline employees are engaged, they tend to be more productive, provide better customer service, and contribute to a positive work environment. This, in turn, leads to higher customer satisfaction and increased loyalty, which are crucial for sustaining long-term business growth.
Understanding the Decline
Gallup's 'State of the Global Workplace: 2025 Report' shows a decline in global employee engagement, costing the world economy $438 billion.
This is especially concerning for frontline employees. The main cause is decreased manager engagement, leading to reduced team productivity and morale. Engagement dropped from 23% to 21% in 2024, marking only the second decline in 12 years. The engagement hit a decade low, with only 30% of employees engaged, 4.8 million fewer than the previous year.
Manager engagement fell from 30% to 27%, with younger and female managers seeing the largest drops. Contributing factors include:
- A lack of alignment with organizational mission.
- Insufficient recognition for employees.
- Employees feeling undervalued.
These declines lead to lower productivity, higher turnover, and negative impacts on workplace morale and culture.
Why Does Employee Engagement Matter in Frontline & Deskless Companies?
Let's take a look at the challenges companies experience, that we also see with our customers in Learningbank and what we help them with:
6 Biggest Challenges in Employee Engagement
1. Disconnection from Purpose or Strategy
Engaged employees are those who see the impact of their work. Without regular updates or leadership visibility, deskless staff feel like cogs in a machine.
2. Feeling Undervalued or Invisible
Only 33% of deskless workers feel valued by their employer (LinkedIn, 2023). This leads to disengagement, poor service, and high turnover.
3. No Clear Career Growth or Development Path
71% of deskless workers report not having clear steps to get promoted or build skills (LinkedIn 2023). Lack of visibility into progression demotivates staff.
4. Lack of Voice or Feedback Loop
Engagement drops when workers feel ignored. Two-way communication is critical to drive trust, especially in dispersed teams.
5. Poor Access to Knowledge or Tools
Engagement is impossible without inclusion. If frontline teams can’t access what they need, they’re effectively cut off from the company.
6. Outdated or Boring Learning Experiences
Learning is a key engagement driver. If training isn’t relevant, enjoyable, or accessible, it becomes a demotivator rather than an enabler.
Ok, so now we know the key challenges with employee engagement today. So what impact can we actually achieve working with improving employee engagement? Here are 6 reasons for you:
6 Reasons You Should Work on Improving Employee Engagement
1. Engaged employees perform better
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They are 21% more productive and 22% more profitable than disengaged peers (Gallup).
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They go beyond minimum effort — solving problems, helping customers, and improving operations.
2. They are more innovative and proactive
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Engaged workers are more likely to share ideas, suggest improvements, and learn new skills.
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They feel a sense of ownership and contribute to continuous improvement.
3. They communicate and collaborate more effectively
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Teams with high engagement experience better cross-functional collaboration, fewer errors, and faster problem-solving.
4. Disengagement is costly
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Disengaged employees are 2.6x more likely to leave their jobs.
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Turnover costs can range from 33% to 150% of an employee’s annual salary, depending on the role (Work Institute).
5. Engagement impacts safety and compliance
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Companies with high engagement report 70% fewer safety incidents (Gallup).
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Engaged frontline teams follow procedures more consistently and raise red flags early.
6. It’s a cultural amplifier
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Engaged employees uplift morale, act as culture carriers, and influence peers positively.
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In contrast, disengaged employees create ripple effects of frustration and disengagement
Engagement Should Begin the Moment the Employee Signs the Contract - So We Made Self-Sign Up.
20% of new hires leaves the company within the first 45 days. This has often to do with employees not being engaged with preboarding & onboarding. This is why we have developed an easy way to engage employees the minute they sign the contract.
Our self-sign-up feature in the learning lifecycle platform turns preboarding and onboarding into a smooth, user-led process that saves time and ensures accurate user placement, ideal for frontline and high-turnover environments.
This feature helps companies engaging new hires faster and improving the pre- & onboarding experience significantly.