Frontline staff feel respected at work but exposed on benefits: Report

Frontline employees are experiencing stronger day-to-day respect and leadership than their office-based counterparts, yet they remain significantly more anxious about job security, benefits, and technological disruption, according to new research from leadership advisory firm idealis.

The survey of more than 5,000 workers reveals what the report describes as a “striking paradox”: frontline staff feel valued interpersonally but lack the structural protections needed to reinforce that experience.

On measures of workplace dignity, 84% of frontline workers said they are treated with respect, compared with 70% of non-frontline employees. Similarly, 82% reported feeling respected by people they interact with at work, versus 76% among office-based staff.

Leadership perceptions also skewed positively. About 72% of frontline respondents agreed their manager is an effective leader, compared with 60% of non-frontline workers.

“When you want to understand the culture of an organisation, you don’t start in the boardroom, you start on the frontline,” said Sumona De Graaf, founder and CEO of idealis. “What we see in this research is that frontline workers often experience real dignity and strong leadership, even as they worry about what comes next.”

Persistent concerns on security and benefits

Despite positive interpersonal experiences, the research highlights deep structural concerns. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of frontline workers said they are worried about their current employment situation.

Benefits coverage emerged as a major gap. While 89% of frontline employees rated health insurance as important, only 44% reported having access to employer-provided medical coverage, a shortfall of 45 percentage points.

Technology-related anxiety is also rising. The majority (85%) of frontline workers said they are concerned about AI and technology displacing jobs in the US, compared with 78% of non-frontline staff.

Yet adoption remains uneven: only 34% of frontline workers reported using AI in their day-to-day roles, versus 67% of other employees, suggesting a widening preparedness gap.

“Frontline leaders demonstrate humanity at work more consistently than almost any other leadership cohort,” De Graaf said. “At the same time, the data shows clear gaps in job security, benefits, and AI preparation that leaders must address. You can’t sustain dignity without addressing structural security.”

Growing focus on the frontline workforce

The findings come as organisations increasingly scrutinise the frontline workforce, a segment estimated to comprise 60% to 80% of the US labour market and one that directly interacts with customers, patients, products, and critical systems.

The report underscores that while many organisations have made progress in fostering respectful day-to-day environments, closing the gaps in benefits access, employment stability, and AI readiness will be critical to sustaining frontline engagement in the years ahead.