How To Keep Frontline Food and Beverage Workers Engaged

From safely manufacturing foodstuffs and keeping supply chains moving in warehouses and shops, to transforming those ingredients into meals and experiences that are more than the sum of their parts, there’s no food and beverage industry without frontline workers.

But like most frontline workers, employees in this industry are feeling overlooked and underappreciated. That’s according to our recent Frontline Gap report, in which we surveyed over 7,500 frontline workers, including over 1,160 in food and beverage, to understand the growing divide between these employees and their desk-based counterparts.

We found that frontline food and beverage employees – which includes roles as diverse as factory workers and restaurant staff – are the least likely to be asked for their opinions and the most likely to want to leave the frontline.

To keep this talent and expertise in the field, businesses need to create open feedback channels to ensure this cohort feels engaged and heard. But how? Download the full Food and Beverage Frontline Gap report to learn more, and read on for some key takeaways.

1. Favoritism and bias is a major problem

When asked what most compromises their sense of belonging at work, more than a third (37%) of frontline food and beverage workers cite favoritism and bias as the number-one issue, closely followed by lack of recognition (35%).

Whether this is favoritism or bias towards desk workers – over half (51%) feel their company cares more about desk workers than them – or other frontline workers, it’s clear that this cohort is feeling unnoticed and undervalued.

If left unaddressed, this could lead to disengagement, staff turnover, and poor services and experiences for your customers. To remedy this, businesses need to implement company-wide employee recognition programs that make frontline staff feel as valued as they really are.

2. Food and beverage workers are more likely to say yes to the desk

More than half (55%) of frontline food and beverage workers say they would likely want a desk job if offered one, a noticeable increase on the global average of 48%. Similarly, 33% say they wouldn’t want a desk job, a slight dip from the cross-industry result of 37%.

This makes food and beverage workers the most likely cohort to want to leave the frontline, coming in at almost 20 percentage points higher than the least likely industry, healthcare (36%).

Frontline food and beverage workers face a lot of daily challenges, from physical and emotional exhaustion to managing understaffing and high stress levels. Combined with feeling underrecognized, this could be a recipe for disaster that pushes frontline workers to their boiling point, causing talent to leave the frontline in search of something they perceive to be more rewarding. 

3. Food and beverage workers are the least likely to be asked for their opinion

Some 28% of frontline food and beverage workers say they’re rarely or never asked for their opinion on how work gets done, the highest among named industries.

But that doesn’t mean these employees don’t have valuable insights. Over a third (34%) of frontline food and beverage workers say they have feedback for their company’s top leadership but no good way to share it.

Without open feedback channels, businesses are missing out on hard-won insights from the frontline that could be used to optimize processes and improve the customer experience. This also leaves workers feeling invisible and ignored, contributing to their feelings of disengagement.

Discover the missing ingredient for employee engagement

When frontline workers in the food and beverage industry feel disengaged and disconnected, everyone suffers: your employees, your business, and your customers.

To keep this cohort feeling valued and happy, you need to ensure they’re fully integrated into your company culture and create two-way communication channels that make them feel appreciated and heard.

Want to learn more? Download your copy of the Food and Beverage Frontline Gap report now to get more actionable insights and practical tips.