Challenging customers top stressor for frontline workers, report says

In a new report, frontline workers say dealing with difficult customers is the leading cause of stress in their jobs. 

Axonify’s 2024 Deskless Report found that understaffing, burnout, fractured communication and customer conflicts are some of the top challenges facing employees and managers in the global retail, hospitality, grocery, foodservice and distribution and logistics industries.

Customer incivility was identified as the number one frontline issue by workers and second among managers. 

In fact, 51% of managers and one third of workers say they want conflict resolution training to help them navigate customer conflict.

"Frontline teams are the backbone of these industries, yet they continue to face significant obstacles in their day-to-day roles," said Carol Leaman, CEO and co-founder at Axonify, in a release. "Our research shows that while there's tempered optimism, managers feel unsupported and workers struggle to keep up with customer demands. Understanding and addressing these challenges is critical to supporting the frontline workforce and ensuring long-term success."

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Axonify’s report also notes an “urgent” need to close communication gaps. Thirty nine per cent of employees find communication in their organizations “very helpful,” dipping to 31% for retail respondents—the lowest among the surveyed industries.

This gap extends to direct feedback, which 33% of employees say they rarely or never receive.

The majority of the frontline workforce report low job confidence, with 67% of managers and 57% of workers feeling like they’re “making it up as they go along” at least some of the time at work.

That perception was strongest among managers in retail (74%), compared to grocery (61%), foodservice (60%) and hospitality (60%).

Managers' lack of job confidence could be contributing to burnout with 40% of managers reporting they "feel burned out on a daily basis."

Sixty-five percent of frontline workers say completing daily tasks is their top measure of success (63% retail, 67% hospitality, 64% grocery, 61% foodservice).

Despite challenges, 87% of managers and 77% of workers report being at least somewhat happy in their current jobs. To improve this optimism, managers and workers cited the need for higher pay, greater staffing support and guidance and resources to do their jobs well as the top areas of support executives can provide.