Schoox Study Exposes Major Gaps in Frontline Worker Training and Development Across Restaurant, Retail, Hospitality, and Manufacturing Industries
Essential employees in frontline roles across food service, retail, hospitality and manufacturing face significant workplace challenges, as revealed by The Frontline Worker Skills Growth and the Learning & Development Disconnect Study. Conducted jointly by Schoox, a leading provider of learning and talent development software solutions for organizations, and Lighthouse Research & Advisory, polling 737 employers and 1,050 frontline workers, revealed the alarming disconnect between the two groups.
With 40% of frontline workers reporting that they are unsure of their job expectations and only 24% confident they have the right training, businesses face a troubling reality. This lack of clarity and support threatens future productivity, profits, employee morale, and overall performance. Additionally, poorly trained workers increase the risk of injuries and other liabilities, making workforce training a critical priority for both operational success and safety.
Other key findings from frontline workers include:
- The top three challenges frontline workers face in developing new skills — particularly acute in fast-paced industries like retail and restaurants — include:
○ Time constraints
○ Limited practice opportunities
○ Lack of access to resources
- 90% prioritize onboarding as crucial for their success, while employers often rank it second behind safety and compliance
- Less than one-third of workers feel their employers effectively communicate essential updates and information, exacerbating stress and uncertainty among employees, which affects their engagement and productivity
The report also found that organizations can significantly improve their bottom lines by prioritizing employee development and providing the necessary tools and resources. For example, they found:
- 90% reduction in cost of technology investment
- 10% reduction in waste/materials/inventory/shrinkage costs
- 10% increase in sales from Limited Time Offers with improved messaging and training
“This study found a jarring disconnect between what frontline workers need and what many corporate employers are providing, resulting in significant losses of staff, productivity, morale and profits,” Schoox Vice President, Talent Platform Evangelist David Wentworth said. “We found that when our customers invest in a workplace training system to properly develop employees’ skills, the return on investment for the business and the employees is incredible. It is no longer just a nice thing to have, but an increasingly vital component to any organization reliant on a strong, productive and safe workforce.”
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RESEARCH BREAKDOWN BY INDUSTRY
Schoox and Lighthouse delved deeper into each of the four sectors and found the following results across industries:
Retail:
- Only 52% of retail workers feel like their company is invested in them as employees
- 40% say they do not get the right kind of training to do their jobs
- 48% of employees would consider external opportunities at another company while only 42% would consider an internal move
Restaurants:
- 40% of restaurant workers say they have no time to practice the skills they learn – the highest of any industry
- About 40% of restaurant leaders say their workers must learn new skills daily or weekly to perform their jobs well
- 30% of retail employers are more likely than other frontline industries to say their workers would prefer to learn new skills by connecting with mentors
Manufacturing:
- 60% of manufacturing employees say that they can’t access any training on mobile devices
- Employees in the manufacturing industry are the least likely of all frontline industries to say that they get the proper training to do their jobs well
- 85% of frontline workers say they’d be interested in another role within their own company
Hospitality:
- Only 52% of hospitality workers say their company is invested in them as an employee
- Just 6 in 10 hospitality workers say they have the right types and amount of training to do their jobs
- Only 11% of hospitality employers provide training via mobile
- Only 29% of hospitality staff say they take training for career growth purposes
- 76% of hospitality leaders say that they look at performance as an indicator of training effectiveness
“This research highlights a significant gap between what frontline workers need to succeed and the support they are receiving from their employers,” said Ben Eubanks, Lighthouse Research & Advisory, Chief Research Officer. “The data is clear—when companies prioritize training and development, they see tangible benefits, from reduced costs to increased employee engagement. Closing this gap is critical not just for worker satisfaction, but for overall business performance and long-term success.”
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