Why frontline workers are quitting their jobs

One in five frontline workers feel so overwhelmed by information at their job, they've considered quitting.

A new poll of 1,000 U.S. workers in retail, food service, fitness and hospitality industries found that overall, 83% of workers feel overwhelmed to some degree by the amount of information they need to do their job properly.

Many pin the source of their work-related stress on not knowing certain skills as part of their job role (43%). Over half (55%) also admitted they’re more likely to make a mistake if they’re feeling stressed by their job.

Adding to their stress, three in four struggle on some level to stay updated on what information is needed for their job.

Commissioned by Wisetail and conducted by Talker Research, the study found three in 10 are either unsure or positive their company isn’t able to provide them with up-to-date and consistent resources for their training.

However, many workers believe when their employers do give them proper information resources, it can make a world of difference.

Eighty-three percent said it’s easy for them to learn skills for their role thanks to company-provided training either in-person (78%), online (62%) or through a paper resource (50%).

And as a result, 52% said they frequently learn something new in their role. Indeed, only 2% claimed they “never” learn anything new from their job.

“It’s very easy to get overwhelmed by information, and that can absolutely lead to making mistakes,” said Ali Knapp, President at Wisetail. “As some of these respondents said it, it’s important to not rush into it and to take time to learn about their role and really lean into the resources your company provides.”

Results also found 69% of workers believe their current role has given them skills to be used in the future for their longer-term career. In fact, just as many consider their jobs to be a long-term career opportunity, rather than just a short-term role.

And 70% would likely continue working with their current organization if they were to be offered a long-term position at the company.

The average person has worked their current role for more than two years and needed the first five months to learn how to do their role, with another four months to understand what it is they do on a daily basis.

Most (84%) said their job’s responsibilities met their original expectations when they applied.

“It’s clear that people care about their jobs and want to keep working with their current companies,” continued Knapp. “Employees can see that, without the strain of information overload, if their companies provide them with the right tools, resources and learning opportunities they would be set up for success.”

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 1,000 Americans who are frontline workers in the restaurant, quick serve, fast casual, hospitality, retail and fitness industries; the survey was commissioned by Wisetail and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Apr. 29 and May 8, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.

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