Widespread dissatisfaction among frontline workers is estimated to cost the UK nearly £14 billion1 every year in lost time, prompting calls for businesses to improve their ways of working.
Feedback from the Field, a study of frontline employees and managers undertaken by YouGov and commissioned by global technology company SafetyCulture, paints a picture of a UK workforce that feels under pressure, frustrated and unproductive.
More than three in four workers (77%) claim they are dissatisfied with something at work. Among these, the main causes for dissatisfaction are the impacts of unreasonable expectations or burnout (43%), their company’s slow response to resolving issues or risks (42%), and pressure to cut corners to save time or money (33%).
When workers are unhappy, performance takes a hit. Of workers who admit to dissatisfaction impacting their performance, 52% report feeling less motivated, 41% less productive, and 37% are more likely to quit or feel anxious.
Workers themselves estimate they lose more than seven hours per month on average – equivalent to nearly one day’s work – in unproductive downtime, correcting errors and other symptoms of dissatisfaction. With more than nine million people estimated to be working in frontline industries in the UK, YouGov estimates the cost of that lost time totals more than £13.8 billion1.
Alex Brooks-Sykes, SafetyCulture’s lead for UK & Ireland, says: “The potential cost of dissatisfied workers is worrying for businesses of all sizes.
“Employers may see a certain amount of worker dissatisfaction as inevitable, but our report highlights important steps they can take. Some workers are frustrated because workplace issues and risks aren’t being dealt with fast enough – these health, safety and quality issues are something employers should address right away. Other workers say they lack the right tools or resources, which again can be resolved with the right investments.”
Half of respondents (52%) think there is an ‘us vs them’ mentality between the frontline and management, rising to 55% among frontline employees “on the tools”.
The findings also suggest an unsettled workforce and risk of a higher staff turnover rate, with more than a third of workers whose performance is impacted by dissatisfaction (37%) saying they are more likely to quit and find another job.
Alex adds: “It’s a promising sign that most workers want to contribute to the business, and that their frustrations come from wanting to bring new ideas and improvements. This is a positive place from which to build stronger relationships between management and the frontline.
“Businesses should work smarter not harder, and encourage their frontline teams to do likewise. There are relatively simple ways to do this, like creating open channels of communication with workers, finding ways to streamline operations, and seeking continuous improvement.”
SafetyCulture surveyed more than 2,000 UK workers in frontline and management roles across the construction, energy, hospitality, logistics, retail, and manufacturing sectors.
SafetyCulture’s mobile-first workplace operations platform is used by more than 18,000 organisations in the UK including the NHS, National Grid and Transport for London. The company aims to reach over 100 million deskless workers globally by 2032.
For more information and to download the report, visit https://safetyculture.com/feedback-from-the-field-time-for-change/
1 The cost of dissatisfaction to business
This figure was calculated by YouGov based on the average local weekly wage, estimated average hours lost to effects of dissatisfaction as reported by survey respondents, and the estimated number of workers in frontline industries.
Local wage estimates were sourced from national statistical agencies and the number of worker estimates were sourced from YouGov Profiles.