Flexibility, financial wellness and having a voice in work-life balance are defining wellbeing priorities for frontline workers this 2026, according to new global research.
Frontline workers – defined as employees who must be present to do their jobs, build products or serve customers, patients, students or residents – account for nearly 80% of the global workforce. The research, from workforce management company UKG, found that despite their scale and importance frontline employees continue to face disproportionate strain – particularly in relation to burnout, pay stability and schedule control.
UKG found that 76% of frontline employees reported experiencing burnout in 2025. At the same time, 47% said their organisation operates with two distinct workplace cultures, one for frontline workers and another for the rest of the workforce. This divide is linked to limited flexibility, reduced access to wellbeing support and fewer opportunities to influence working patterns.
The research draws on responses from 8,200 frontline workers across 10 countries and multiple sectors including retail, hospitality and food service, healthcare, logistics and distribution, manufacturing, the public sector and field and contract services. It examined how employees evaluate their work experience across financial stability, flexibility, recognition and career development.
Financial Pressure and Schedule Control Shape Wellbeing
Financial strain remains a central wellbeing issue. While fewer frontline employees reported living paycheque to paycheque compared with the previous year, 56% in 2025 versus 64% in 2024, low pay continues to be the leading reason workers would leave their roles. Just over half of frontline employees in non-acute healthcare settings said low pay would prompt them to quit, compared with 44% in acute healthcare and 38% in long-term or aged care.
Work schedule flexibility ranked second only to pay in influencing retention. Half of frontline employees said it is difficult to change shifts when personal issues arise at short notice and 57% reported they cannot take as much time off as they would like. In hospitality, 58% said their schedules make it impossible to maintain a healthy lifestyle, highlighting the direct link between scheduling practices and wellbeing outcomes.
Career progression also plays a role in long-term wellbeing. Twenty-eight percent of frontline employees said there are not enough opportunities to move up within their organisation. This rose to 32% among government employees and stood at 22% in education. A further 20% said there are insufficient opportunities to learn new skills, even as upskilling becomes more prominent in HR strategies.
Technology and Support as Wellbeing Enablers
The study also points to the role of organisational support and technology in addressing wellbeing gaps. A lack of recognition or rewards and a lack of benefits were each cited by 26% of frontline employees as reasons for leaving. In retail, these figures rose to 29% for benefits and 27% for recognition.
“Frontline workers are shaping the customer experience, delivering the goods we want, and providing the services we need that make the world’s economy run,” said Rachel Barger, President, Go-to-Market at UKG. “Knowing the underlying pain points frontline employees are facing, such as lack of flexibility and visibility of work schedules, challenges building skills needed for advancement, and general financial strain are crucial to understand.
“This understanding supports leaders to improve employee engagement and retention by knowing where to step in to provide support, and where technology can help ease some of the burdens.”
UKG noted that AI-led and mobile-first technology can reduce administrative strain through improved scheduling, shift swapping and on-demand access to wages.