Displai research · 500 retail frontline workers
The State of Frontline Work Report
We asked 500 frontline workers in US retail, the people who stock the shelves, run the POS and close the store, how engaged they are, why that is changing and what would help. Here is what they told us, chapter by chapter, one mark per person.
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say their engagement at work went down over the past year. One respondent in 500 said it went up.
Key findings
Four key findings on frontline work
Only one in ten retail frontline workers is highly engaged, and nine in ten expect to quit within the year. Asked what would help outside pay, they did not ask for more hours or more technology first. They asked to be rewarded and recognized. The service customers get is slipping with them.
- 0159%
Six in ten are not engaged at work
59% of retail frontline workers describe themselves as not very engaged and 31% as somewhat engaged. Only 10% are highly engaged, down from 38% in the previous edition and 53% two editions earlier.
Frontline worker engagement - 0289%
Nine in ten expect to quit within a year
89% say they are likely to quit their job in the next 12 months, up from 52% in the previous edition. 78% see more turnover than ever in their company; 10% see about the same level as before and 12% see less.
Turnover and what would help - 0324%
They ask for rewards, recognition and tools
Outside of pay, offer incentives and rewards came first at 24%, recognize my performance second at 21% and provide better tools for doing my job third at 16%. In the previous edition, communicate better was the top answer.
What would help - 0451%
Half say the service they give got worse
51% say the quality of service they provide decreased over the past 12 months. Of those, 61% blame a lack of employee recognition and 28% staff turnover or shortages.
Customer service quality
Contents
Six chapters, one survey
Every number comes from one survey of 500 retail frontline workers. A few are shares of a subgroup, and those charts say so. Each chapter ends with a short summary and a link to the next.
- 01Frontline worker engagement4 findings
- 04The tools they work with2 findings
- 02Turnover and what would help3 findings
- 05Communication from head office5 findings
- 03Customer service quality4 findings
- 06Future and commitment3 findings
- Five takeaways for retail leadersclosing
- Who we surveyed and howmethodology
Chapter 01
Frontline worker engagement
59% of retail frontline workers say they are not very engaged at work, and only 10% say they are highly engaged. Two editions earlier, more than half were highly engaged. Almost everyone says their own engagement fell over the past year.
Scroll to explore four findingsof retail frontline workers are not very engaged at work. In the previous edition of this survey it was 29%.
How engaged they are
One in ten is highly engaged. Six in ten are not.
10% of retail frontline workers call themselves highly engaged, 31% somewhat engaged and 59% not very engaged. The outlined queues show the same two answers in earlier editions of this survey: highly engaged was 38% in the previous edition and 53% two editions earlier, while not very engaged was 29% and 22%.
How engaged are you at work today?
n = 500 · one mark per person- Highly engaged50 · 10%
- Previous edition, highly engaged190 · 38%
- Two editions earlier, highly engaged265 · 53%
- Somewhat engaged155 · 31%
- Not very engaged295 · 59%
- Previous edition, not very engaged145 · 29%
- Two editions earlier, not very engaged110 · 22%
Outlined marks are earlier editions of the same survey question, drawn to the same scale: one outline per respondent in that edition's share.
The past year
Nearly all say their own engagement went down
Asked how their engagement changed over the past 12 months, 99.8% said it decreased. One person in 500 said it increased. Nobody said it stayed the same. In the previous edition, 37% said their engagement had increased.
Over the past 12 months, has your engagement at work increased, decreased or stayed the same?
n = 500- Decreased499 · 99.8%
- Increased1 · 0.2%
- Previous edition, increased185 · 37%
- Stayed the same0 · 0%
The single green mark is one respondent. Nobody chose stayed the same.
Why it fell
Overwork from staff shortages is the top reason
Outside of changes in pay, 56% put the drop down to being overworked because of staffing shortages, and 30% to coworkers leaving or being fired. Everything else is small. In the previous edition the top reason was stagnant work; overwork was at 10% and losing coworkers at 12%.
What is the primary reason your engagement decreased?
Single answer, outside of changes in payCoworkers
Three in four say their coworkers are not engaged
6% see their coworkers as highly engaged, 19% as somewhat engaged and 75% as not very engaged. In the previous edition, 29% said their coworkers were not very engaged. That is a harsher read than they give themselves: 59% called their own engagement not very engaged.
How engaged are your coworkers?
n = 500- Highly engaged30 · 6%
- Somewhat engaged95 · 19%
- Not very engaged375 · 75%
- Previous edition, not very engaged145 · 29%
This survey vs the previous edition
Every measure moved the same way
- Highly engaged
- 38%
- Not very engaged
- 29%
- Rose in the past year
- 37% said it increased over the year
- Top reason it fell
- Stagnant work
- Highly engaged
- 10%
- Not very engaged
- 59%
- Rose in the past year
- 0.2%, one respondent in 500
- Top reason it fell
- Overworked because of staffing shortages, 56%
So what: the report reads the shift from stagnant work to overwork as the staffing shortage reaching the shop floor. The two editions are separate samples of 500, so treat the direction as the finding, not the exact size of the gap.
Previous-edition figures are the ones the report itself published for comparison. Two editions earlier it reported only the engagement split: 53% highly engaged, 22% not very engaged.
In short
Low and falling: 10% highly engaged, 59% not very engaged, and 99.8% say their own engagement dropped over the year. The reasons are staffing: overwork from shortages and the loss of coworkers. Three in four see the same disengagement around them.
Two editions earlier, more than half of retail frontline workers were highly engaged. The next chapter is what that does to turnover, and what workers say would help.
Next, turnover and what would helpChapter 02
Turnover and what would help
78% of retail frontline workers see more turnover than ever in their company, and 89% say they are likely to quit within the year. Asked what would help outside pay, they put rewards first, recognition second and better tools third.
Scroll to explore three findings
Turnover
More turnover than ever, say nearly four in five
78% see more turnover than ever in their company, 10% about the same as in the past and 12% less than ever. In the previous edition, 36% saw more turnover than ever. The outlined queue shows that earlier answer at the same scale.
How does turnover in your company compare with the past?
n = 500- More turnover than ever390 · 78%
- Previous edition, more than ever180 · 36%
- About the same50 · 10%
- Less than ever60 · 12%
What would help
Rewards, then recognition, then better tools
Outside of pay, 24% would have the company offer incentives and rewards, 21% would have it recognize their performance and 16% want better tools for doing the job. Career growth, team morale, training and management follow. In the previous edition, communicate better was the top answer and rewards came second; this time communicate better is last, at 4%.
Outside of pay, what is the top way your company could increase your engagement?
Single answer; shares sum to 101% as publishedThe cycle
The report calls it a vicious cycle
Staff shortages and departures depress engagement, and 89% of the workers who remain say they are likely to quit in the next year. That feeds the next round of shortages. Three measures in this survey moved together, all in the same direction.
Three numbers that moved together
This survey vs earlier editions- Not very engaged59%
22% two editions earlier, 29% in the previous edition.
- Coworkers not very engaged75%
29% in the previous edition.
- More turnover than ever78%
36% in the previous edition.
89% say they are likely to quit their job in the next 12 months, up from 52% in the previous edition. Chapter six has that question in full.
In short
Turnover is up by the workers' own account: 78% see more than ever, against 36% in the previous edition. Asked what would help outside pay, they asked for rewards, recognition and better tools, in that order. Communicating better, the top answer of the previous edition, fell to last.
The report's reading: shortages and departures lower engagement, and low engagement produces the next departures. The next chapter is what customers see.
Next, customer service qualityChapter 03
Customer service quality
57% of retail frontline workers rate the service they give as not very good, and 51% say it got worse over the past year. Those who say it got worse point to two things: a lack of recognition and staff turnover.
Scroll to explore four findingssay the service they provide to customers decreased over the past 12 months. In the previous edition it was 33%.
Service today
Most rate the service they give as not very good
13% call the service they provide very good, 30% somewhat good and 57% not very good. In the previous edition, 38% said very good and 28% not very good. The outlined queues show those two earlier answers.
How would you rate the service you provide to customers?
n = 500- Very good65 · 13%
- Previous edition, very good190 · 38%
- Somewhat good150 · 30%
- Not very good285 · 57%
- Previous edition, not very good140 · 28%
The past year
Half say their service got worse over the year
9% say the service they provide increased over the past 12 months, 40% say it stayed the same and 51% say it decreased. In the previous edition, 35% said it had increased and 33% that it had decreased.
Over the past 12 months, has the service you provide increased, decreased or stayed the same?
n = 500- Increased45 · 9%
- Previous edition, increased175 · 35%
- Stayed the same200 · 40%
- Decreased255 · 51%
- Previous edition, decreased165 · 33%
Why it improved
Where service improved, a loyalty program led
Among the 9% whose service improved, about 45 people, 44% credit a new customer loyalty program, 20% new processes or protocols, 16% investment in training and 11% investment in tools and technology. Small base: read these as a lead, not a result.
What was the number one reason your customer service improved?
Among the 9% who said it improved, about 45 respondentsWhy it got worse
Where it got worse, six in ten name recognition
Among the 51% whose service got worse, about 255 people, 61% name a lack of employee recognition and 28% staff turnover or shortages. Eight other reasons, from limited hours to a lack of training, sit at 2% or less. In the previous edition the reasons were operational: inventory and hours.
What is the main reason your customer service got worse?
Among the 51% who said it decreased, about 255 respondentsThis survey vs the previous edition
Operations then, people now
- Very good service
- 38%
- Service decreased
- 33%
- Why it got worse
- Operational: inventory availability, hours of operation
- Very good service
- 13%
- Service decreased
- 51%
- Why it got worse
- Lack of employee recognition (61%), staff turnover or shortages (28%)
So what: the report reads the 51% as attributing the decline almost entirely to recognition and turnover, and takes that as engagement showing up in service quality. The survey did not link individual answers across questions, so it shows the pattern, not the mechanism.
Subgroup sizes derived from the published shares: about 45 whose service improved, about 255 whose service got worse.
In short
Workers grade their own service harshly: 57% not very good, and 51% say it slipped over the year. Where it improved, a loyalty program, new processes and training got the credit. Where it got worse, 61% point to a lack of recognition and 28% to turnover.
In the previous edition the complaints were about inventory and hours. This time they are about people. Next, the tools they work with.
Next, the tools they work withChapter 04
The tools they work with
Most retail frontline workers use one to three tools a day, from the POS to handheld scanners, and 80% say their company does not give them the tools they need to succeed. The ones using the most tools were the most likely to say they have what they need.
Scroll to explore two findings
Tools in use
Most work with one to three tools a day
Counting the POS, digital signage, handheld scanners and the like, 53% use one to three tools every day, 34% use four to seven and 12% use eight or more. Shares are as published and sum to 99%.
How many tools do you use every day?
POS, digital signage, handheld scanners and the like · n = 500- 1 to 3 tools265 · 53%
- 4 to 7 tools170 · 34%
- 8 or more tools60 · 12%
Shares are as published and sum to 99%. Five marks stand in for the rounding gap and are not drawn.
The right tools
Four in five say they lack the tools to succeed
80% say their company does not provide the tools they need to be successful; 20% say it does. The report notes that those using eight or more tools were more likely to say they have what they need, and reads that as a question of the right tools rather than more of them.
Does your company provide the tools you need to be successful?
n = 500- No, it does not400 · 80%
- Yes, it does100 · 20%
In short
Most workers run a small kit, one to three tools a day, and 80% say it is not the kit they need. The group using the most tools was the most likely to feel equipped.
The report's advice is to find out what workers need before adding anything. Next, how the company talks to them.
Next, communication from head officeChapter 05
Communication from head office
84% of retail frontline workers say head office does not understand the value they bring, and 80% say their company does not communicate well. Only 21% have a company email address, down from 54% in the previous edition.
Scroll to explore five findingssay the company does not understand the value they personally bring. In the previous edition, 45% said so.
Company email
Only one in five has a company email address
21% of retail frontline workers have a company email address. In the previous edition, 54% did. Whatever head office sends by email, four in five frontline workers cannot receive on a company account.
Do you have a company email address?
n = 500- Yes105 · 21%
- Previous edition, yes270 · 54%
- No395 · 79%
Feeling understood
Head office does not see my value, say 84%
Asked whether the company understands the value they personally bring, 16% said yes and 84% said no. In the previous edition, 45% said no. The report's reading is that communicating value comes back to recognition.
Does the company understand the value you personally bring?
n = 500- Yes, it does80 · 16%
- No, it does not420 · 84%
- Previous edition, no225 · 45%
How well
Four in five say it does not communicate well
9% say their company communicates very well, 11% somewhat well and 80% not well. In the previous edition, 29% said not well at all.
How well does your company communicate with you?
n = 500- Very well45 · 9%
- Somewhat well55 · 11%
- Not well400 · 80%
- Previous edition, not well145 · 29%
The past year
Communication fell for nearly four in five
Over the past 12 months, 11% say communication from the company increased, 11% say it stayed the same and 78% say it decreased.
Over the past 12 months, has communication from your company increased, decreased or stayed the same?
n = 500- Increased55 · 11%
- Stayed the same55 · 11%
- Decreased390 · 78%
Channels
Most of it is spoken. They would rather be phoned.
About half say their company communicates with them verbally, then by phone; email, text, an app and posted notices each take a small share, with signage and other channels smallest. Asked how they would prefer to be reached, workers chose their phone, by call, text or app, over email, notices or signage. These shares were read from the report's charts, so they are shown as a ranked list without percentages.
How does your company communicate with you?
Primary channel, ranked; read from the published chart- Verbally, in person
About half of respondents.
- Phone
The next largest share.
- Email, text, app and posted notices
Each a small share.
- Signage and other
The smallest shares.
Preferred channel: the phone, by call, text or app, ahead of email, posted notices and signage. Read from the published chart; percentages are not quoted.
This survey vs the previous edition
Head office got further away
- Company email
- 54% had one
- Value understood
- 45% said head office does not understand their value
- Communicates well
- 29% said not well at all
- Company email
- 21% have one
- Value understood
- 84% say head office does not understand their value
- Communicates well
- 80% say not well
So what: the report calls this a failure to communicate from the home office and tells leaders not to be afraid to overshare. Only 16% feel their value is understood, and the report ties that back to recognition.
Both editions are samples of 500 retail frontline workers; the comparison is between editions, not a panel of the same people.
In short
Communication from head office is thin and getting thinner: 80% say the company does not communicate well, 78% say it decreased over the year, and only 21% have a company email. 84% say head office does not understand the value they bring.
The report's advice: overshare, and say out loud what people are worth. Next, whether they plan to stay.
Next, future and commitmentChapter 06
Future and commitment
89% of retail frontline workers say they are likely to quit their job in the next 12 months, up from 52% in the previous edition. 77% do not believe their company will be in business in five years, and almost all of them give the same reason.
Scroll to explore three findingssay they are likely to quit their job in the next 12 months. In the previous edition, 52% said so.
Likely to quit
Nine in ten expect to quit within the year
89% say they are likely to quit their job in the next 12 months and 11% say they are not. In the previous edition, 52% said they were likely to quit. The outlined queue is that earlier answer at the same scale.
Are you likely to quit your job in the next 12 months?
n = 500- Yes, likely to quit445 · 89%
- Previous edition, likely to quit260 · 52%
- No55 · 11%
Five years out
Three in four doubt the company lasts five years
Asked whether they believe their company will be in business in five years, 23% said yes and 77% said no.
Do you believe your company will be in business in five years?
n = 500- Yes, it will115 · 23%
- No, it will not385 · 77%
Why it would fail
Almost all of them name a lack of recognition
Among the 77% who expect the company to fail, about 385 people, 95% give a lack of employee recognition as the reason. Poor leadership, not making customer service a priority, not investing in technology and a bad storefront location get 1% each. In the previous edition the reasons were operational: budgeting, demand and technology.
Why do you think your company will not be in business in five years?
Among the 77% who said no, about 385 respondentsIn short
Nine in ten expect to leave within the year, and three in four do not expect the company to be around in five. Asked why, 95% say the same thing they have said throughout this survey: a lack of recognition.
The report's conclusion is that workers want to be seen, appreciated and valued, and that the rest follows from taking care of the people. The takeaways are next.
Next, five takeaways for retail leadersActionable takeaways
Five takeaways for retail leaders
Each pairs what the survey found with what the report says to do about it. The thread through all five is the same: the workers asked to be rewarded, recognized and equipped, in that order.
- TAKEAWAY 1
Focus on cultivating engagement
10% are highly engaged and 99.8% say their engagement fell over the year. The report cites studies that consistently find engagement goes with profitability, productivity and customer ratings.
Give people something to strive for: incentives and rewards, a gamified workday, friendly competition between shifts and between stores.
- TAKEAWAY 2
Recognition can be simple
21% asked to have their performance recognized, and 84% say head office does not understand the value they bring.
Honor someone at the all-staff meeting. Give feedback more often than a yearly review. Be vocally generous every day, and say out loud what each person brings.
- TAKEAWAY 3
Turnover can be stopped in its tracks
78% see more turnover than ever and 89% expect to quit within the year. The report notes engaged employees are more likely to stay, and more likely to stay where their manager engages them.
Rewards programs help, but the manager's day-to-day interaction is what changes the culture. Start there.
- TAKEAWAY 4
Great service starts with engaged workers
51% say their service got worse, and 61% of them blame a lack of recognition. The report cites a Glassdoor study: the more satisfied the employees, the more satisfied the customers.
Treat a satisfied, customer-facing workforce as a prerequisite for the customer experience, not a result of it.
- TAKEAWAY 5
Put the right tools in their hands
80% say they do not have the tools they need, and those with the most tools were the most likely to say they do. More is not the answer; the right ones are.
Ask employees what they need before buying. The report's own list: updated POS and inventory systems, buy online pick up in store, self-checkout.
Displai
How Displai uses this report
The three things respondents asked for outside pay, rewards, recognition and better tools, are the three things Displai puts on a screen in the back of house.
- Rewards
Live contests between shifts and between stores, with points that redeem for gift cards and merchandise.
- Recognition
Shout-outs and milestones that post themselves to the screen the moment they happen.
- Tools
The schedule, the day's tasks and what is out of stock, in one place the whole crew can see.
Displai installs the screen, connects it to the POS and runs the programs. The restaurant follow-up to this survey is The Shift Score Report, which pairs these findings with Black Box Intelligence, Cornell, Gallup, Workhuman and IRF data and a calculator.
Methodology
Who we surveyed and how
We surveyed 500 frontline workers in US retail, all at businesses with a physical location, online via Pollfish using organic sampling. Percentages are shares of all 500 respondents unless a figure says otherwise. Comparisons to the previous edition and to two editions earlier refer to earlier rounds of the same survey.
- Definitions. Frontline worker means an employee who works in the store, with customers or stock, rather than in an office. The engagement measure is self-rated: respondents chose highly, somewhat or not very engaged, and the report counts not very engaged as not engaged.
- Sampling. Organic sampling means respondents were recruited inside partner apps and websites and screened by Pollfish, not drawn from a probability sample. No margin of error applies. Treat gaps of a few points as ties.
- Rounding. Figures are reproduced as published, rounded to whole percentages; a few questions sum to 99% or 101%. In the mark fields, a group's size is the published percentage applied to 500, so 59% stands as 295 marks. Figures marked about were read from the original charts and are not used in headlines.
Employment status
Read from the published chart- Full-timeabout half
- Part-timeabout half
The published chart carries no value labels, so the split is shown as about half each rather than as exact shares.
Company size
Number of locations- 1 to 12 locationsabout 62%
- 13 to 74 locationsabout 23%
- 75 or more locationsabout 12%
Read from the published chart and labelled about for that reason. Small and mid-sized retailers dominate the sample; about one in eight respondents works for a chain of 75 or more stores.
How the marks are counted
Mark fieldsOne mark per respondent. A group's size is the report's rounded percentage applied to 500. Outlined marks are earlier editions of the same question, drawn to the same scale. The survey did not link an individual's answers across questions, so a mark's place in one field says nothing about its place in another: the 50 highly engaged marks are not the 55 who plan to stay.
Quick answers
Questions this report answers
Each answer comes straight from the survey of 500 US retail frontline workers. Follow the chapter links for the full numbers.
What is frontline worker engagement?+
Frontline worker engagement is how invested store-level employees, the people who serve customers and handle stock, feel in their work. This survey measured it by self-rating: highly engaged, somewhat engaged or not very engaged. 10% of US retail frontline workers chose highly engaged and 59% not very engaged, which the report counts as not engaged. See chapter one, frontline worker engagement.
How many retail frontline workers are engaged?+
One in ten is highly engaged. 10% of the 500 US retail frontline workers surveyed described themselves as highly engaged, 31% somewhat engaged and 59% not very engaged. In the previous edition of the survey, 38% were highly engaged, and two editions earlier, 53%. See chapter one, frontline worker engagement.
Why are frontline workers quitting?+
Mostly because of staffing. Asked why their engagement fell, 56% said they were overworked because of staffing shortages and 30% that coworkers had left or been fired. 78% see more turnover than ever and 89% say they are likely to quit within the next 12 months. The report describes a cycle in which shortages lower engagement and low engagement produces more departures. See chapter two, turnover and what would help.
What do frontline workers want from employers?+
Rewards, recognition and better tools, in that order. Outside of pay, 24% would have the company offer incentives and rewards, 21% want their performance recognized and 16% want better tools for doing the job. Career growth (8%), team morale (8%) and training (6%) follow. See chapter two, turnover and what would help.
Is recognition better than pay for frontline workers?+
The survey did not test pay against recognition; it asked what would help outside of pay. With pay set aside, rewards and recognition came first and second. 61% of those whose service got worse blamed a lack of recognition, and 95% of those who expect their company to fail gave the same reason. The report reads recognition as the common thread. See the five takeaways.
Do frontline workers have the tools they need?+
Most say no. 80% of retail frontline workers say their company does not provide the tools they need to be successful. 53% use one to three tools a day, 34% four to seven and 12% eight or more, and the heaviest users were the most likely to say they are equipped. See chapter four, the tools they work with.
How well do companies communicate with frontline staff?+
Poorly, by the workers' account. 80% say their company does not communicate well, 78% say communication decreased over the past year, and only 21% have a company email address, down from 54% in the previous edition. 84% say head office does not understand the value they bring. See chapter five, communication from head office.
How does this report relate to restaurants?+
The survey covered retail, not restaurants, but the asks are the same ones restaurant crews make: rewards, recognition and the right tools. Displai's restaurant follow-up, The Shift Score Report, pairs this survey with Black Box Intelligence, Cornell, Gallup, Workhuman and IRF data. See how Displai uses this report.
Who conducted the survey, and how?+
Raydiant, now Displai, surveyed 500 frontline workers in US retail, all employed at a business with a physical location, online through Pollfish using organic sampling. About half work full-time, and about 62% work for companies with 1 to 12 locations. See who we surveyed and how and how to cite this report.
Displai
See what the crew sees
Displai puts a screen in the back of house that runs live contests, shout-outs and the day's tasks, and reads the numbers straight from your POS. Thirty minutes is enough to see it running.