In 2013, the global food chain, McDonald’s, addressed concerns for increasing complaints about their customer service. Forbes was quick to cover the fast-food powerhouse’s admission to issues on their frontline. To investigate the driving force behind the increasing poor service and to provide possible solutions, contributing authors highlighted organizations well-known for their impeccable service records.1 Time and again, media attention is directed toward Ritz-Carlton, with accounts of its outstanding service efforts made by individual employees, such as a maid replacing personal toiletries without the guest even having to ask. How is it that the Ritz is able to motivate their frontline to carry out this mission of service excellence, while other multinational organizations, like McDonald’s, still face hurdles in reaching the goal of high-quality customer service?

1. The Path to Frontline
Employee Engagement
Effective strategies for the heart of your organization
Kate Conley, Ph.D. Candidate
Industrial-Organizational Psychology,
University of Georgia

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The information and concepts contained in this document are the proprietary property of Sodexo.
As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2015
In 2013, the global food chain, McDonald’s, addressed concerns for increasing complaints about their customer
service. Forbes was quick to cover the fast-food powerhouse’s admission to issues on their frontline. To investigate
the driving force behind the increasing poor service and to provide possible solutions, contributing authors highlighted
organizations well-known for their impeccable service records.1
Time and again, media attention is directed toward
Ritz-Carlton, with accounts of its outstanding service efforts made by individual employees, such as a maid replacing
personal toiletries without the guest even having to ask. How is it that the Ritz is able to motivate their frontline to
carry out this mission of service excellence, while other multinational organizations, like McDonald’s, still face hurdles
in reaching the goal of high-quality customer service?
The Frontline: The Driver of Your Success
As the face of the company, frontline employees (FLEs) play a critical role in the success of the organization’s ability to
attract and retain customers. By serving as brand ambassadors with each and every customer interaction, the frontline
acts as the pulse that carries out the heart of the organization’s mission, vision and values. Yet, a study conducted by
Leadership IQ discovered a large degree of disconnect between corporate communication of the organization’s mission
and employee level understanding. When 30,000 employees were asked to articulate their organization’s strategic
goals, only 34% of employees reported the ability to do so, and of those employees, only 17% were actually able to
articulate the goals accurately.2
In 2012, Tribe, Inc. collected quantitative surveys as well as qualitative interview data from frontline employees
at organizations with at least 1,000 employees. Findings indicated that employees felt ambivalent toward the
quality, quantity and consistency of communication they were receiving from the top-down.3
Disconnect from upper
management can result in valued employees feeling undervalued and a small part of a large organization.
Rank Frontline Employees Professional Employees
What Drives
Employee
Engagement?1
1. Career Opportunities Career Opportunities
2. Communication* Brand Alignment
3. Organization Reputation Pay
4. Pay Organization Reputation
5. Recognition* Recognition
In order to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction, organizations must make
strong efforts to engage the frontline. This starts with frequent and consistent
communication. Following career opportunities, frontline employees report
communication as the second most important driver of their engagement.4
By
regularly informing employees of company news and direction for the future, even
employees at the frontline get an understanding of how their work affects the
overall company.
Other top drivers of engagement for this employee demographic include pay,
company reputation and, not surprisingly, recognition. Large organizations with
thousands of frontline service staff can easily lose touch with this substantial
group of employees and fail to implement the primary drivers of engagement.
Only 17% of
employees
can correctly
articulate their
organization’s
strategic goals1

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The information and concepts contained in this document are the proprietary property of Sodexo.
As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2015
Why the Disconnect?
It is not easy to tap into the powerful potential of a highly engaged frontline. Compared to
the desked workforce, who has constant access to e-mail, the company intranet, and even
Smartphones, there are more barriers to reaching the mobile and multi-faceted frontline team.
Many service employees are required to take on multiple job functions, and are constantly on the
move, away from computers and other technology. That makes it even more important to utilize
every potential form of communication to stay connected.

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The information and concepts contained in this document are the proprietary property of Sodexo.
As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2015
3 waysto communicate better with your front line
Diversify your
communications methods
Consider alternative communication formats for getting necessary
information to the frontline. This means using both electronic and
physical copies of bulletins, newsletters, and memos. Embassy
Suites has found the best communication tool comes in the form
of a corporate magazine that is printed in quarterly issues and
available to employees regardless of their location or job role.3
For employees who work in a shared space, consider setting up
a communal computer, mounted screen, open-kiosk station, or
shared tablet device that is routed to the company intranet or other
electronic versions of these communications.
Equip frontline supervisors
with communication
tools And training.
As technology infiltrates more and more areas of business, it is also
important for supervisors to not forget the significance of face-to-
face communication. Service employees largely rely on supervisors
as main sources for information, and inconsistencies in manager
communication practices can create divide between departments
and units. Walmart captured the value of in-person communications
between frontline managers and FLEs, by implementing manager
councils designed for effective employee feedback loops3
. A
shared communication platform for supervisors to use can ensure
communications are reaching every employee in a timely manner.
Training supervisors can be proactive in delivering key pieces of
information to prevent incorrect information from spreading.

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The information and concepts contained in this document are the proprietary property of Sodexo.
As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2015
Encourage a culture of
open communication
While on the clock, most frontline employees rely on offline
conversations for key performance and company information.
Thus, a word-of-mouth culture is organically shaped by
advice from peers and direction from supervisors. Leadership
communication contributes to the employee value proposition,
which is a fundamental element for creating a culture of
engagement.4 Be proactive in promoting open and honest
communication to set an example of transparency from the
top-down. Even when it’s bad news, employees prefer to be
informed about why executives are taking certain actions and
what role they play in decisions being made.
By developing an effective system of
communication, you open the door
for further opportunities to engage
employees. Most importantly, the ability
to reach the frontline allows management
to reinforce successful behaviors through
rewards and recognition. Transparency
in recognition processes is crucial for
employees to understand the criteria for
receiving and giving others recognition.
Well-documented and clearly defined
rewards and recognition systems enable
consistent and fair practices across the
organization.

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The information and concepts contained in this document are the proprietary property of Sodexo.
As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2015
Recognition is the key to providing better frontline customer service. Become a HERO in
frontline service through the following best practices for recognizing and rewarding FLEs.
Highlight frontline employees who demonstrate
organizational values with public recognition.
Employees will feel more connected to peers and
see exactly how the company’s mission can be
achieved through their own work. Be careful to
ensure consistency and highlight behaviors that
can be emulated company-wide.
HIGHLIGHT EMPOWER
RESPECT ORGANIZE
Respect frontline employees and acknowledge the
contributions of their daily work. Just like commu-
nication, respect is a reciprocal social tool that
influences employee behaviors. Employees who
feel respected are motivated to reciprocate with
loyalty and hard work. Upper management and
executives can demonstrate their respect for their
hard-working employees by making an appearance
on the frontline to personally recognize employees.
Empower employees by trusting their unique
insight into your customers’ needs. Allowing FLEs,
who are closest to the customers to communicate
suggestions for improvement not only provides
invaluable insight for corporate leaders, but also
makes frontline employees feel valued within the
organization. Managers should evaluate
suggestions and discuss with employees, giving
credit to those ideas that merit action to foster
collaboration and innovation on the frontline.
Organize your recognition strategy around your
mission, vision and values. This involves matching
rewards with employee preferences to reinforce
behaviors that strengthen the organizational
culture. Leverage the passion and inspiration of
high-performing FLEs to be advocates for values of
service excellence and ambassadors for positive
change. Over time, a successful system of rewards
and recognition can help shape a positive culture.
Be
com
e a HERO

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The information and concepts contained in this document are the proprietary property of Sodexo.
As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2015
Being a HERO in recognition means
making the appreciation of frontline
service members a corporate priority.
When it comes to engaging employees,
you don’t want to leave out the people
who focus on what matters most—your
customers.
While McDonald’s focuses on their
product and brand promotion to attract
customers, Ritz-Carlton takes a different
approach by investing in the autonomy
of its frontline, allowing every staff
member the authority to spend up to
$2,000 to meet guests’ needs and resolve
complaints at their own discretion.
This example of employee empowerment
draws a direct connection between
engaging the frontline and continued
customer loyalty and new business –
but it isn’t about the money. It’s about
trusting employees to make the right
decision and giving them the authority
to execute it in order to best serve the
guests. For Ritz-Carlton, this has proved
to be successful in ensuring that guests
will not only come back to stay with them,
but will also share their own personal
experience with the company with friends
and through social media.
“At the end of the day, our bottom line is
in the hands of our frontline.”5
John Timmerman
Former VP of Operations, Ritz-Carlton
During a 2008 Gallup Interview

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The information and concepts contained in this document are the proprietary property of Sodexo.
As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2015
How Sodexo Can Help?
Sodexo understands the value of frontline service employees. In North America, Sodexo’s 125,000 employees, 90% on
the frontline, touch the lives of over 15 million people every day. Globally, Sodexo’s over 419,000 employees interact
with over 75 million people daily. Sodexo recognizes that its frontline plays a central role in
engaging and delivering our mission of increasing Quality of Life for all those we serve.
With a tailored approach to recognition and rewards, Sodexo has the ability to meet
the challenges of expansive and diverse workforces. Sodexo makes the engagement
of frontline employees a top priority so that the frontline can make customer
satisfaction their top priority.
Sodexo reaches
desked and non-
desked employees
Over 419,000
Sodexo Employees
Worldwide
90% in frontline
positions

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The information and concepts contained in this document are the proprietary property of Sodexo.
As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2015
References
1
Chris DeRose & Noel Tichy (2013). Forbes. How About Some ‘Happy’ With That Happy Meal? http://www.forbes.com/
sites/derosetichy/2013/04/23/how-about-some-happy-with-that-happy-meal/
2
Leadership IQ. What Frontline Employees Don’t Know Can Hurt You: 3 Disturbing Findings. https://www.leadershipiq.
com/what-frontline-employees-dont-know-can-hurt-you-3-disturbing-findings/
3
Tribe, Inc. The Tribe Report: Why is Nobody Talking to Non-Desked Workers? The Challenges of Communicating with
Offline Employees. Vol. 2, Issue 1. (Winter 2012). http://www.tribeinc.com/EZines/TribeReport_2012Q4/index.html#
4
Aon Hewitt. 2014 Trends in Global Employee Engagement. http://www.aon.com/attachments/human-capital-
consulting/2014-trends-in-global-employee-engagement-report.pdf
5
Gallup. How the Ritz-Carlton Manages the Mystique. http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/112906/how-
ritzcarlton-manages-mystique.aspx

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