Many organizations seem to have a blindspot when it comes to the experiences of their frontline workers—those who have to physically show up to work to do their job, often in demanding or dangerous roles. This includes individuals working in transportation, manufacturing, retail, healthcare and hospitality.

Labeled as “essential,” they’ve been called heroes for the work they do every day. As a society, we recognize their importance by offering them praise, small discounts or freebies. However, we rarely look at what would truly show our appreciation—respect and safety. We’ve all seen the viral videos or heard the firsthand horror stories of irate customers berating frontline workers. Maybe we ourselves have even been the angry
customer allowing our frustrations with a policy or system to be taken out on the retail staff, server or customer service agent in front of us.

Despite our shared knowledge of this bad behavior taking place, a recent SafetyCulture survey of frontline workers across the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia revealed 24% of our frontliners say harassment and abuse from customers isn’t classified as a safety issue at their workplace, nor has their workplace put processes or training in place to manage such issues.

It is on all of us to do better for those we consider the backbone of our economy. We as individuals must speak up when we see the poor treatment of frontliners and remember that many of the issues we want to lay on their shoulders are far beyond their control.
Most importantly though, businesses must empower their frontline staff with the tools and training needed to make their jobs simpler and safer.

Companies can turn to technology to not only combat frontline worker abuse, but also create a better overall work experience for their employees no matter where their work is performed.

Using technology as a safeguard
Given the increasing stress of their roles, it’s more important than ever that frontline workers have the ability to connect with their organization and obtain the information and guidance they need in real time. Equipping those on the frontline with easy-to-use
and reliable communication tools is an important step to building a culture of workplace safety for all. For team members on the front line of their organization, receiving and sending time-sensitive communications should be a seamless process and the applications and programs required to do their job shouldn’t hinder performance.

There is no one-size-fits-all protocol when it comes to communication devices and platforms. Some companies might find that basic functions work best for them, while others might prefer a more robust solution with a multitude of capabilities. It all comes down to when, where and how work takes place within the organization. To ensure the technology utilized doesn’t leave frontline workers feeling like an afterthought, businesses can implement mobile-friendly or even mobile-first software. Mobile-first apps are easily accessible for frontline workers and can be integrated back into in-office systems so the entire organization has access to a centralized platform that allows them
to work, communicate and collaborate in one place.

Once the correct tech is rolled out, it can be used to implement safety measures such as digital checklists or real-time reporting. Standard processes can be practiced with step-by-step guidance from mobile platforms ensuring that proper procedure is always followed and a record of each step is created. Teched-out teams also gain the ability to capture potential safety hazards that can then be addressed before an incident occurs.
If an issue does arise, incident and harassment reporting in real time builds a full picture of when and where issues are taking place. Are they always at the same time of day? At the same location? Regarding the same company policy? Of course, many of the
abuses frontline workers endure don’t have an immediate or simple fix––they stem from long-held frustrations and years of allowing bad behavior to slide. Still, to address an issue, it first needs to be understood.

Mobile-first technology and the digital trail it creates can empower businesses with the data needed to break down patterns in incident occurrence and implement changes to avoid them in the future. The responsibility is on the company to create an environment
where workers know the incidents they report will be taken seriously and classified as such.

Train for second-nature safety
Providing employees with a well-rounded, interactive training program is a crucial piece of workplace safety culture. A recent SafetyCulture survey showed only 29% of frontline workers have received bullying and harassment training in the past year. The training that is received is typically unengaging and doesn’t go far beyond a yearly session that simply repeats the fundamentals of safe job performance. With pocket-sized technology and on-the-go digital learning platforms being the new norm, it is time for organizations to bring their frontline training up to speed.

Continuous opportunities for increased safety learning are simple to implement and can range from videos created by managers, internal newsletters with risk assessments and safety tips, podcasts, team discussions around safety and harassment topics, regularly scheduled certification and training programs or digital microlearning sessions. Taking advantage of multiple forms of training helps to ensure that everyone inside a business has the opportunity to learn in whatever way is most effective for them.

The confidence that comprehensive training creates is invaluable for workers on the frontline as well as the organization itself. Training and repetition build the second-nature responses or “mental” muscle memory frontliners will rely on when safety incidents occur.

Frontline workers showed up for each of us when life as we knew it journeyed into the unknown. Now, as we continue forging the path of a post-pandemic world and workplace, it is time we showed up for them. While the necessary societal change won’t happen overnight, equipping team members with the right technologies and training enables a safer way of working for all.