Why Your Frontline Workers Are Quitting-and 5 Things You Can Do About It

Frontline workers are the backbone of our economy. Whether they are customer-support representatives, landscapers, or cashiers, these individuals interact with the public on a daily basis, keep the economy humming, and make it possible for the rest of us to obtain the goods and services we need. During the COVID pandemic, frontline workers stayed on the job, and many of them could not work from home. Whether it’s from burnout or the lure of better wages or working conditions elsewhere, frontline workers are leaving their jobs at record-breaking levels. In the current job market, it is still relatively easy to job hop, and workers are doing just that. You may have experienced higher turnover in the last year or so than you’ve had in long time—maybe ever. But there are ways you can mitigate turnover and help retain your best team members.

Career Growth

A study by McKinsey & Company found that more than 70 percent of frontline workers have applied for career-advancement opportunities. These opportunities are defined as those that provide professional growth and more responsibility. If employees cannot find these opportunities at their current job, they will look elsewhere. Employers, then, must ensure that their workers have a career plan, and that plan must be in place at the time of hire and onboarding (and, of course, updated on a regular basis). Employees need to know where your company is headed and what their roles might be as they continue to work hard and upskill.

Flexibility

Another reason frontline workers leave positions is for more flexibility in their work schedules and, in the case of retail workers in particular, more predictability. This makes sense. Employees want to be able to plan their personal time well in advance. Many frontline workers have left more traditional positions for gig jobs, in which they set their own hours. If your business can support some scheduling flexibility, your workers will be appreciative and may think twice about leaving.

Pay

Workers still leave positions for better pay. Inflation and the current job market (two openings for every job seeker) create quite an incentive for low-paid workers to leave. If you haven’t done so recently, it might be time to assess what you pay your team members. Have you kept up with 2022’s inflation rate of 6.5%? If the minimum wage went up in your state recently, have you adjusted the wages for those who were just above the new minimum?

Onboarding

Half of all hourly employees quit within the first four months on the job. One reason for this is a poor onboarding experience, which traditionally has been substandard compared to onboarding for full-time office workers. In fact, 20% of new hires are unlikely to recommend their new employer to friends or family after their onboarding experience. By creating an onboarding process that engages new hires, you will be communicating your commitment to your workers right from the get-go.

Communication

Finally, although you cannot always decipher why workers are leaving, you can take some simple steps to better understand the causes and perhaps retain would-be quitters. The first is to conduct an exit interview. Listen for anything that’s not being said overtly. Be open and approach the conversation with a learner mindset. Another important way to learn about your team members and what is important to them on the job is to just spend time with them. If your workers go out to job sites, spend some time there with them. Or have lunch with your office staff. Ask questions, remain open, and, when it’s possible, act on what you hear. If you can’t act on their input, thank them and explain why you can’t. Your willingness to engage with your team demonstrates that you care and will provide you with invaluable information to keep turnover low.