Executive Summary
Over the past year, a thorough research-driven assessment was conducted to evaluate the dynamics of frontline workforce engagement, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. The analysis examined over 30 key drivers, including factors such as work identity, perceived justice, training quality, and tool availability, to assess their relative impact on organizational health. This comprehensive study yielded three critical insights.
- Work Engagement Is Strong, but Commitment and Retention Are Only Moderate: Frontline employees exhibit strong levels of engagement, marked by enthusiasm and a clear connection to their daily responsibilities. However, their overall sense of long-term organizational loyalty and intent to remain within the organization is comparatively moderate, indicating potential opportunities to strengthen commitment and retention through targeted strategies.
- Key Drivers of Engagement, Commitment, and Turnover Intention Differ:
- Engagement: Most strongly influenced by feeling valued by the company (work identity) and having sufficient tools and supplies to perform effectively.
- Commitment: Primarily driven by perceptions of fair rewards and workplace autonomy.
- Retention (Turnover Intention): Strongly associated with the availability of effective training, fairness in decision-making, and adequate resources.
- Localized Variations and Trends Over Time: Despite broadly consistent patterns of high engagement and moderate commitment across the organization, some units and teams demonstrated more pronounced dips in organizational commitment and higher turnover risk. Trends over a year revealed stable engagement but periodic declines in commitment and retention intentions, underscoring the influence of localized events, leadership practices, and operational conditions.
Moving forward, focusing on the most impactful drivers—particularly training, fairness in rewards and decisions, adequate resourcing, and flexible scheduling—will be essential. By doing so, the organization can strengthen employees’ emotional investment in the company’s mission, reduce their intention to leave and sustain a high-performing frontline workforce.
Introduction
Frontline employees form the backbone of most operational and fundamental functions. Retaining a committed, engaged workforce in these roles is critical to maintaining service and product quality, operational efficiency, and long-term competitiveness. Yet, while many organizations successfully foster high day-to-day engagement, sustaining organizational commitment and mitigating turnover risk often prove more challenging.
This report presents a year-long analysis of frontline workforce perceptions and behaviors, drawing on responses to Organizational Health Score (measuring engagement, commitment, and turnover intention) and a series of Driver questions. The goal was to understand which conditions, resources, and managerial practices strongly influence frontline motivation, loyalty, and retention.
The data, collected through short, weekly surveys, offers unique insights into how frontline perceptions evolve over time and differ across higher business units, teams, and work environments. By translating these insights into targeted interventions, leaders can cultivate a more stable and dedicated frontline workforce.
Methodology and Measures
Data Collection:
Over one year, a total of 896 frontline employees received a series of weekly surveys capturing insights on 32 distinct drivers of workplace attitudes and behaviors. Additionally, every 4–6 weeks, employees responded to items measuring three key outcomes: Work Engagement, Organizational Commitment, and Turnover Intention. These three dimensions were combined into an overarching Organizational Health Score. All resoponses were also aggregated into teams and work units to which they belong.
Key Definitions:
- Work Engagement: The extent to which employees feel energized, enthusiastic, and connected to their roles.
- Organizational Commitment: The degree of emotional attachment, identification, and loyalty employees have toward their organization.
- Turnover Intention: An indicator of how likely employees are to consider leaving. Measured here in reverse-coded form, higher scores indicate stronger intention to stay.
Driver Analysis:
The 32 drivers ranged from tangible factors (Tools & Supplies, Schedule Flexibility) to intangible perceptions (Valued by Company, Perceived Justice in rewards and decisions). Relative importance analyses were conducted to determine which drivers exert the strongest influence on Engagement, Commitment, and Retention outcomes.
Key Findings
- Overall Organizational Health Profile
Frontline employees demonstrate strong engagement, reflecting well-structured roles, meaningful tasks, and a high-level of motivation in their daily work. However, their sense of commitment to the organization as a whole appears moderate, with employees showing more connection to their immediate tasks and teams than to the broader company. Additionally, while most employees are not actively considering leaving, there is room to enhance retention efforts. Strategic improvements in key areas could significantly reduce the risk of voluntary turnover and foster a deeper sense of loyalty and belonging.
- Core Drivers of Organizational Health
The analysis identified distinct sets of high-impact drivers for each outcome:
- Engagement:
- Valued by Company: Feeling acknowledged and appreciated emerged as the top factor for sustaining strong day-to-day motivation.
- Work Constraints (Tools & Supplies): Practical, adequate resources enable employees to excel, reinforcing their enthusiasm and involvement.
- Turnover Intention:
- Work Constraint (Training): Access to effective training programs reduces uncertainty and frustration, encouraging employees to remain longer.
- Perceived Justice (Decision): Fair and transparent decision-making processes increase trust and reduce the inclination to leave.
- Work Constraints (Tools & Supplies): Just as with engagement, ensuring employees have what they need to do their jobs well lowers the desire to seek opportunities elsewhere.
- Organizational Commitment:
- Perceived Justice (Reward): Employees commit more deeply when they see fair recognition and rewards aligned with their contributions.
- Work Constraint (Autonomy): Greater freedom in how work is conducted strengthens employees’ sense of ownership and alignment with the organization’s mission.
- Variability Across Units and Teams
While the overall trends suggest similar patterns of high engagement and moderate retention risks, certain units and teams scored notably higher in organizational commitment, while others lagged. For example, units providing more transparent career paths or recognition programs consistently showed stronger commitment scores. Conversely, where schedule flexibility or training access was limited, lower commitment and higher turnover intentions emerged.
- Trends Over Time
Organizational Health Scores measured periodically showed a stable foundation of engagement across the year. However, dips in commitment and retention intentions occurred at intervals—often correlating with operational changes, seasonal workload fluctuations, or shifts in leadership. Over time, units that responded quickly to employee feedback—such as adjusting resource allocation or clarifying progression pathways—saw quicker rebounds in their scores.
Deeper Insights into the Drivers
1. Drivers of Work Engagement:
Valued by Company – Work Identity and Tools & Supplies:
These two drivers stand out as the top influences on Work Engagement. Employees who feel genuinely appreciated and see their role as meaningful in the broader organizational context are more likely to approach their tasks with energy, dedication, and focus. Furthermore, ensuring that frontline workers have ready access to high-quality tools and supplies removes everyday friction and frustration, allowing them to concentrate fully on delivering superior performance.
Strategic Implication:
- Recognition and Communication: Reinforce the importance of employees’ contributions through frequent, tangible acknowledgment. Consider implementing brief, high-impact recognition moments, such as quick stand-up meetings where managers highlight specific achievements.
- Operational Support: Regularly audit equipment and supply availability to prevent resource shortages. By fostering a workplace environment where employees have what they need and understand why their work matters, you can sustain the already high engagement levels and potentially push them even higher.
2. Drivers of Turnover Intention:
Training, Perceived Justice in Decision-Making, and Tools & Supplies:
The strongest drivers that reduce turnover intention center on creating a fair, well-supported, and growth-oriented environment. Training emerged as the most critical driver, indicating that employees who feel equipped to improve their skills and advance are less inclined to seek external opportunities. Likewise, perceived fairness in decision-making processes (e.g., promotions, resource allocation, scheduling changes) fosters trust, decreasing the urge to leave. Finally, ensuring basic work tools and supplies are consistently available not only drives engagement but also reassures employees that the organization values their daily effectiveness.
Strategic Implication:
- Targeted Training Programs: Invest in skill-development pathways tailored to frontline roles. Structured onboarding, cross-training, and advanced certifications can boost employees’ professional confidence and attachment to the organization.
- Fairness as a Principle: Formalize transparent decision-making frameworks and communicate how decisions are made. This can include sharing clear criteria for shift assignments, promotions, and role changes.
- Resource Reliability: Develop proactive inventory management and maintenance protocols. Reliable access to tools signals long-term organizational support, helping reduce the desire to exit.
3. Drivers of Organizational Commitment:
Perceived Justice in Rewards and Work Constraint – Autonomy:
Unlike engagement, which hinges on day-to-day feeling valued, and retention, which emphasizes growth and fairness, commitment is most shaped by the alignment of rewards with effort and the autonomy employees have in executing their tasks. Fair reward systems—whether monetary or in the form of recognition, career opportunities, or non-financial benefits—signal that the organization appreciates employees’ hard work. Granting greater autonomy allows employees to shape their work processes, reinforcing their sense of ownership and alignment with corporate values.
Strategic Implication:
- Equitable Reward Structures: Review and adjust compensation models, bonus criteria, and non-monetary recognition programs to make sure they reflect employees’ contributions. Transparent and merit-based reward systems enhance the psychological contract between employees and the organization.
- Empowering Work Design: Provide more latitude in scheduling, problem-solving approaches, and small-scale decision-making. For example, allow frontline teams to influence their shift patterns or select methods for improving workflow efficiency. Such autonomy can deepen the emotional bond employees have with the organization.
Synthesizing Insights Across Drivers
A critical takeaway is that certain drivers—like Tools & Supplies and forms of perceived justice—impact multiple outcomes. This indicates a “multiplier effect” where improvements in these drivers can simultaneously elevate engagement, reduce turnover, and strengthen commitment. By focusing on such high-leverage drivers, organizations can achieve broad, sustained improvements in workforce stability.
For instance:
- Tools & Supplies: Investing in operational essentials not only keeps employees engaged (less frustration, more productivity) but also reassures them that the organization is committed to their success (lower turnover intention), and can even strengthen their identification with the company (enhanced commitment).
- Perceived Justice (Reward and Decision): Ensuring fairness in how rewards are distributed and decisions are made bolsters trust. Trust, in turn, is central to reducing turnover (employees feel less inclined to leave a just environment) and increasing commitment (employees feel their relationship with the organization is reciprocal and balanced).
Practical Steps for Implementation
- Prioritizing High-Impact Drivers:
Since resources are finite, focus on drivers that matter most. Start with Training (to influence retention), Fair Reward Systems (to deepen commitment), and Tools & Supplies (to sustain engagement and retention). These represent foundational investments that provide significant returns across multiple outcome areas.
- Developing Integrated Solutions:
Instead of viewing initiatives in silos—e.g., separate training efforts, separate reward reviews—consider a comprehensive approach. For example, upgrade training programs to not only build skills but also communicate that the organization values employees’ career trajectories. Similarly, review reward structures in tandem with tools allocation and autonomy enhancements. Integrated solutions can create a more cohesive employee experience.
- Continuous Monitoring and Feedback Loops:
Regularly track driver scores and Organizational Health outcomes to understand if interventions are working. Pulse surveys and focus groups can help identify whether recent enhancements in training or changes in recognition programs are translating into improved perceptions of fairness, autonomy, and resource adequacy.
- Localization and Customization:
While certain drivers have universal importance, implementation strategies should consider local team conditions. For instance, some groups may require specialized training modules due to unique operational tasks, while others might benefit more from flexible scheduling to boost their sense of autonomy and fairness.
Conclusion
This year-long analysis confirms that frontline workers’ exceptional day-to-day engagement does not automatically translate into strong long-term commitment or low turnover risk. Building upon the strong foundations of motivation and productivity, organizations must now invest in the drivers that connect employees more deeply to the broader enterprise—fair rewards, resource support, autonomy, and transparent career pathways.
By focusing on the most influential drivers, leaders can create an environment where employees feel truly valued, empowered, and capable of achieving their professional goals within the company. Over time, these strategic actions will not only reduce turnover risk and strengthen organizational commitment but also enhance overall productivity, customer satisfaction, and competitive advantage. In essence, these targeted efforts transform a workforce that is already engaged with its work into one that is fully committed to the organization’s long-term success.
✎ Anthill actively seeks research partners to collaborate on studying and analyzing the dynamics of the frontline workforce. For more information, please contact us partnerships@anthill.co.
