Frontline Workers Now Hold the Power in Turbulent Jobs Market, finds Global Report

Traditionally overworked and underpaid, the UK’s frontline workers are taking back control when it comes to employment, using a volatile market to their advantage and finding jobs that work for them – according to a new global report.

Toma adds: “We found that there’s still a real lack of leeway in scheduling for many frontline employees – almost a third (32%) say they feel that asking to change a shift for personal reasons would be perceived negatively by their employer. A further 40% have had to go to work after requesting a shift change because there has been no cover for them.

“There are obviously more practicalities to consider with flexibility for deskless staff, particularly in customer-facing roles, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for it being non-existent.”

The Quinyx State of the Deskless Workforce 2022 report also revealed that, in the UK:

• Only 49% of frontline employees have had a pay increase in the last year.
• 62% say they’ve received no training or educational resources to support their career development.
• 41% do not feel valued by their employer, and over a third of those (35%) say their boss views them as ‘disposable’.
• More than half (51%) say they have experienced understaffing in their workplace in the last 12 months – and 80% of those have felt stressed as a result.
• 60% have been to work sick in the last year as they felt they couldn’t afford to take time off.
• 64% feel uncomfortable speaking to their boss about how work-related stress is impacting their health.

Toma concludes: “There’s continued emphasis on the importance of workplace wellbeing – but this isn’t translating to the experiences of most deskless workers, unfortunately. One of the most heartening stats from our study is that the vast majority of workers – 71% – say they take pride in their work. These are the people who have kept everyone going over the last two years; employers need really to up their game and work on strong engagement strategies if they are going to hang onto their greatest assets – their employees.”