Deskless Not Voiceless 2020

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, many frontline employees – including store managers, shop assistants and fleet managers – were hailed as ‘heroes’. But how valued do they really feel at work? And how well do their office-based colleagues actually understand them?

To find out, we commissioned a new research study based on conversations with 1,600 managers in the UK, split equally between frontline and head office roles. Why frontline managers? Not only are they the crucial link between what’s happening in HQ and on the ground, they can directly oversee up to 80% of the workforce1 . This research uncovered three major barriers preventing them from fulfilling their potential. As a result, 52% of frontline managers don’t feel valued by their business.