Closing the Frontline Engagement Gap in Logistics

For senior HR teams in logistics and distribution, the Keep Britain Working agenda is more than a policy discussion - it's an operational one. This is especially true in logistics, where the impact of missed shifts, slower throughput and higher agency spend quickly shows up in your margins and operating costs. 

Although many large employers already provide real and meaningful support for their people, the challenge is ensuring that support reaches those who need it, in a form they understand and can use. In this sector, 75% to 85% of workers are deskless: warehouse operatives, drivers, pickers, loaders and delivery teams. That matters because when people do not understand what is available to them, they don't use it, and when they don'tuse it, employers don't get the return on the investment already made. 

 

The frontline engagement gap 

For HR teams, the real question is how to get these frontline teams using the support already available to them. Benefits platforms, wellbeing services and protection products are usually in place within large organisations, but deskless workers often don't use them, because they don't know about them or what they offer. 

Underused benefits do not produce outcomes. The support you've provided, but your people don't understand, will not reduce absence. A wellbeing offer no one trusts will not improve retention.  

Our data from over 440,000 Hapi users show that colleagues in frontline roles are less likely to be engaged and more likely to leave than their office-based colleagues. They are less likely to see internal comms, spend time on portals, or take in benefits information unless someone explains it clearly and directly. 

You won't reach these colleagues through an email or a policy document. Ketchum's 2026 research found that 48% of frontline workers prefer face-to-face conversations with their leaders, compared to 37% of office workers, and that 26% feel they receive too little communication from leadership, compared to 17% of office staff. Trust, transparency and real human contact are what keep frontline staff engaged and motivated. 

This is a communication failure, not a missing benefit. 

"The hardest part of communication is the illusion that it has already happened." 

 

What good communication looks like in logistics 

When frontline workers are reached clearly and directly, the value of the investment you've already made starts to show. In logistics, this usually comes down to four things: 

• Communication that fits shift patterns, not office calendars. 

• Support explained in plain language, not buried in policy pages. 

• Keep it simple for frontline workers, for example having one app with all that they need in one place significantly improves the chances of them engaging. 

• Early access to practical health, wellbeing and financial protection, with a clear sense of what they are and how to use them. 

• Better visibility of where engagement is strong or weak, by role, site and workforce segment. 

 

What HR leaders should do next 

First, treat deskless communication as a strategic capability, not an extra task bolted onto internal comms. If a large share of your workforce is operational, your core communication model must reflect that by blending digital and in-person communication. 

Second, review activation, not only provision. Many employers already offer meaningful support, but take-up is uneven because awareness and understanding are uneven. How does this vary by role, site, age, and first language? 

Third, focus on prevention in the broadest sense. Financial resilience, health support, recognition and manager visibility all affect whether people stay in work or slip out of it. Once you are confident that people understand and use the benefits you provide, look to broaden your offering, such as health cash plans, savings support, and wellbeing services. 

Finally, insist on approaches proven in real-world environments such as depots, warehouses, and transport operations. In logistics, the people most exposed to physical strain, financial insecurity and weak connection to head office are often the very people a logistics business most needs to keep. 

Any HR strategy to improve resilience, absence and churn has to start with effective communication. Reach the colleagues most likely to miss the message, least likely to self-serve, and most likely to stay when the support is made real. 

 

About the Author 

Jenny Hinde is Chief People Officer at Personal Group, where she leads people strategy focused on helping employers improve workforce engagement, wellbeing and retention across frontline and deskless populations. 

 

About Personal Group 

Personal Group is a leading provider of employee benefits and wellbeing services in the UK, focused on delivering measurable outcomes for frontline workers. Through its award-winning platform, Hapi, along with in-person activation, employee-paid cash plans, and Innecto HR consultancy, Personal Group empowers organisations to support and protect their workforce.