Underinvestment, Communication Breakdown Draining Productivity from Frontline Workers: Unily Research

A Unily report uncovers $80.6 billion annual loss among enterprise organizations due to communication breakdowns and digital underinvestment in frontline workers.

“This is more than a productivity issue – this is a strategic blind spot,” says Jenny Shiers, chief people officer at Unily. “At a time when agility defines competitiveness, enterprises cannot afford to leave their frontline workers disconnected and underinformed. Every minute lost to friction is a dollar lost to inefficiency.”

The report, developed in partnership with ScreenCloud and Censuswide, provides warning for business leaders, revealing widespread inefficiencies, disengagement, and security risks undermining organizational performance.

Key takeaways:

• Frontline workers spend 376 hours per year – nearly 10 full workweeks – searching for, waiting on, or redoing tasks due to inaccessible information.
• 71% of frontline workers use personal devices or unsanctioned apps to complete their jobs, posing significant security and compliance risks.
• 72% say they don’t understand their company’s strategy; only 24% feel their customer feedback reaches leadership.
• Nearly one-third (31%) would leave their current employer for a company with a more modern digital workplace.
• For an enterprise with 10,000 frontline employees, poor communication can cost more than $27 million annually in lost productivity alone. Yet the risks aren’t just financial: disconnected workers feel unheard, unsupported, and unmotivated, undermining morale and retention. With only 39% reporting job satisfaction – and over one-fifth (21%) looking to leave in the next year – the frontline turnover crisis looms large.