If your frontline employees aren’t reading your internal comms, it might be easy to chalk it up to apathy. But in our experience, disinterest is rarely the problem. More often, the issue lies in how, when, and where you’re trying to reach them.
For leaders in frontline-heavy industries, whether it’s mining, logistics, transport or retail, the disconnect between head office and the ground is a daily reality. But when communication fails, it doesn’t just impact engagement. It affects performance, safety, retention, and trust.
So, why aren’t your messages landing, and what can you do about it?
1. You’re sending too much, or too little
Frontline workers are under constant pressure to stay focused, move fast, and hit targets. Long communications, bulky updates, or multiple conflicting messages from different departments don’t just get skimmed, they get ignored.
The fix:
Cut the clutter. Keep messages short, prioritised, and easy to digest. Segment your audience so teams only get what’s relevant to them. And if a message truly matters, don’t bury it in a newsletter or memo, make it stand alone.
2. The timing is off
Frontline teams don’t sit at desks checking inboxes. They’re on shifts, in motion, and often working irregular hours. A message sent from head office at 4pm may never reach someone clocking off at 2.
The fix:
Communicate according to their schedule, not yours. Use tools that allow for timed sends or automated triggers tied to shift changes or task completion. Relevance is about when as much as what.
3. The format doesn’t work for them
What works for head office doesn’t work on the ground. PDFs, intranet updates, and long-form internal memos simply don’t suit a mobile, task-focused environment. If your channel of choice requires complex logging in or opening attachments, chances are your message won’t make it through.
The fix:
Think mobile-first, always. Use news and messaging formats that mimic the apps your workforce already uses. Think short-form text, push notifications, even voice notes. And make the information easy to access on the go, without the need for a desktop device.
4. The content isn’t relevant
Frontline workers aren’t disengaged, they’re discerning. If messages feel generic, overly corporate, or don’t connect to their daily reality, they’ll tune out. And once you’ve lost trust, it’s hard to get it back.
The fix:
Use local examples. Involve supervisors in delivering team-specific updates. Make recognition feel personal, not performative. Most importantly, frame every message with a simple filter: Why should they care?
5. There’s no way to talk back
Communication can’t be one-way. If employees feel they’re being spoken at, not spoken with, they’ll stop engaging altogether. That silence can be costly: missed risks, missed insights, and missed opportunities to improve.
The fix:
Build in two-way channels. Feedback tools, comment threads, pulse surveys, and even simple emoji reactions can help make communication feel like a dialogue, not a directive.
6. You haven’t earned their attention
Trust isn’t built by the message; it’s built by the messenger. If leadership only communicates during a crisis or change, or if messages have historically been vague, delayed, or ignored, employees will tune out long before they open the next update.
The fix:
Show up consistently, not just when it suits you. Deliver value in every message, even if it’s small. And when feedback is shared, act on it. The fastest way to earn attention is to prove it’s worth giving.
The bottom line: Fix the channel and the culture
Frontline communication isn’t about broadcasting more, it’s about connecting better. The problem often isn’t the message itself, it’s the delivery, the tone, and the perceived relevance. If you want your frontline to start listening, show them that you’re willing to engage on their terms, on platforms that work best for them.
Because when communication works, everything else moves with it: trust, alignment, safety, and performance.