Women on the front line: Enabling them to thrive, stay, and perform (Report)

Catalyst in partnership with Accenture

From retail sales to heavy machine operations, frontline jobs are some of the most important—and toughest—out there. As women are critical to our workforce, it’s important to better understand how they really feel at work. What we found points the way toward ensuring women in these roles are fully recognized and fulfilled to give their very best.

We interviewed dozens of women in frontline roles. Again and again, women told us that while they are motivated to perform at a high level, they are too often frustrated by environments and practices that do not consider their needs.

Here’s the good news: Companies have a clear opportunity to attract and retain more women. When companies address the needs of women in frontline roles, they position themselves to increase employee satisfaction, morale, and engagement—leading to improved retention and stronger performance.

So, what do women in frontline jobs need?

In this report, Catalyst and Accenture outline the following top four actions that would improve working conditions and provide step-by-step guidance to get there.

1. Invest in physical wellbeing. Women’s bodily safety, physical needs, overall well-being, and personal autonomy should be paramount. Facilities and policies must be designed or refreshed to accommodate women.
2. Adopt employee-centered scheduling practices. Companies must remove sources of instability, unpredictability, and rigidity from scheduling systems to account for women’s lives outside work.
3. Create and clarify growth opportunities. Companies must clearly communicate well-structured opportunities for growth and advancement that are designed to meet the needs of women.
4. Enable managers to lead empathically. Company leaders should enable managers of frontline employees to create positive environments so that employees feel valued, supported, and connected.

These steps can not only motivate women in frontline roles to stay but also enable them to thrive.