Earlier this year, we launched our annual State of the Deskless Workforce report, resulting from a survey aimed at understanding the wants and needs of over 10,000 frontline employees. Like in previous years, a few major themes arose from the responses we received from the frontline. This year's big theme was the feeling of being undervalued and overlooked by their employer. It turns out that 34% of frontline employees do not feel valued by their employers at all! This is a major red flag, and we are on a journey to change that!
In an era where frontline employee retention is the #1 challenge for many organizations, recognition for their hard work should be top of their list. At Quinyx, we believe that frontline workers are the beating heart of our economy. As such, we are big advocates of showing recognition to the frontline, we decided to put our money where our mouth is.
We launched our first-ever Frontline Unsung Hero award to highlight and recognize frontline workers who go the extra mile in their work and communities.
The prize? A $500 Amazon gift card, $2,500 towards college tuition or career development training, and a surprise goodie bag! Can you say swag? 🎉
As the nominations poured in, either from workers recommending their colleagues or nominating themselves, we finally landed on a winner!
So, ladies and gentlemen, our first-ever Unsung Hero Award winner is...
Dayne is a customer experience and sales floor associate at Walmart. Despite feeling strained by the ongoing labor shortage (3x higher than any other industry), he stepped up to the challenge by showing adaptability and drive. Dayne never hesitates to fulfill different positions whenever needed, from working at the cash register to unloading trucks and stocking shelves while interacting with customers and solving their needs on the shop floor. In addition to being a frontline hero, Dayne wants to study immunology and infectious diseases to help prevent another pandemic.
To highlight and recognize this unsung hero, we asked Dayne about his work, existing misconceptions around frontline employees, and steps employers can take to make their staff feel valued. Here's what he had to say:
What is the best part about your job?
The best part about my job is the interactions with friendly customers and the fast-paced environment that working in retail provides. Finding the best way to work efficiently amid staff shortages gives me a sense of accomplishment.
What are some of your daily responsibilities?
My daily responsibilities include: delivering online grocery orders, working the tills and self-checkouts, stocking and organizing the shelves in the store. All these responsibilities allow customers to get their products as quickly and efficiently as possible.
What does it mean to you to be a frontline worker?
A frontline worker is anyone who works in a way that allows society to function smoothly and meet society's daily needs.
Note: At Quinyx, we view frontline employees as Workers who must be physically present at work (e.g., in retail, healthcare, food service, and warehousing) and who often perform tasks that require human-specific skills, including interacting with customers.
What do you wish people knew about working frontline employees?
I wish that people knew frontline workers are trying their best to meet customers' needs. Due to staff shortages, this can be tough to see at times, but please understand that most frontline workers are trying as hard as they can.
What would you like customers coming to your store to know?
I want to tell people who use the in-person cashiers' lane to try to use the self-checkouts whenever possible. Most stores are understaffed, putting a lot of pressure and stress on frontline employees. Using self-checkouts helps workers like me focus on other jobs that need to be done in the store. Ultimately providing you with a better in-store experience.
What are the most important contributors to improving your work environment?
Scheduling flexibility! The ability for my schedule to be based on time preferences is paramount to balancing school, work, and extracurricular activities.
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Dayne, you are our Frontline Hero and play an important role in supporting our society!
To read more about our Frontline Unsung Hero Award program, visit this page.