Editorial
White Paper
The Future of Leadership Development: AI-Driven Manager Enablement
Here’s a long-standing open secret in Human Resources: we know exactly how to support white-collar, desk-based employees. In fact, we’ve built a $40 billion global HR software industry around their needs.
But when it comes to the 70%-80% of the global workforce who are “deskless” employees — those who cook and deliver food, care for us in the hospital, move us by plane, train and ride-share, stock stores, serve customers, and repair and deliver goods — we still largely don’t have a clue.
Why? Because this segment of the workforce tends to be onboarded, trained, scheduled and compensated in less-standardized ways, and therefore are harder to systematize than their knowledge-worker peers.
So HR has tended to take the easier path, focusing on delivering strong service to that segment of payroll. But the challenge is, as AI is transforming the day-to-day experience of entry-level graduates, shifting demographics and evolving business needs mean frontline workers have become increasingly critical to business performance and society more broadly. Frontline roles remain high-turnover, often require hands-on or domain-specific skills, and are harder than ever to source, train and retain.
This is the result of a range of pressures and factors, from COVID-19 to uneven outcomes from globalization. The result has been a decline in trust amid a seemingly endless cost-of-living crisis, contributing to widespread burnout and reduced engagement. In our data, we found that, at the sharp end, a majority (51%) say they feel like cogs in the machine rather than valued team members.
And with the rise of mobile, data and especially AI, a new “frontline-first” approach to HR is emerging, built on modern, intuitive, responsive tools. Forward-looking organizations are beginning to deploy these integrated solutions to support deskless workers in a more meaningful way.
From AI-guided scheduling to real-time skills enablement and intelligent automation, new systems are finally reshaping how millions of workers are hired, supported, trained and deployed, turning fragmented, reactive operations into adaptive, learning-driven ecosystems.
Thinking Frontline-First
This is not simply a case of digitizing legacy workflows, but of fundamentally rethinking how work is orchestrated.
Rather than relying on rigid scheduling rules or static job descriptions, these new systems dynamically match people to tasks based on real-time demand, individual skills, preferences and operational urgency.
From the perspective of, say, an Uber driver or an airline pilot (both frontline roles), work is no longer assigned in advance but continuously reallocated as conditions evolve. At the same time, conversational, ChatGPT-style AI interfaces are reshaping how workers enter and navigate roles. Rather than completing lengthy forms or waiting for managerial coordination, candidates and employees can now interact through simple voice- or text-based exchanges.
At the coalface, things are speeding up. Screening, onboarding and shift allocation can now happen in hours rather than days, helping frontline employees better manage work–life balance and reducing friction where organizations can least afford delay.
On a “frontline-first” model, workers are also being supported by real-time performance enablement tools. These systems deliver contextual guidance in the flow of work, whether that’s a short safety reminder before a task, a step-by-step prompt during equipment use or a micro-lesson triggered by a new product or policy change.
Supporting this shift is the rise of AI-enabled workforce intelligence systems: platforms that continuously analyze demand patterns, skill inventories and operational constraints to anticipate staffing gaps before they arise. This means that instead of reacting to shortages, organizations can proactively redeploy internal talent, unlock dormant capacity or trigger targeted upskilling pathways.
Importantly, learning is no longer separate from work, but embedded within it. Traditional training models relied on periodic, classroom-based sessions. Now, AI-enhanced frontline-first HR and L&D delivers scenario-based simulations and adaptive learning modules directly to mobile devices.
As a result, workers build capability incrementally, reinforcing judgment and technical proficiency in the context of their actual roles. Frontline safety and well-being are also being reshaped by technology. In 2026, sensor-enabled environments and wearable systems are increasingly capable of detecting fatigue, proximity risks, environmental hazards and unsafe movement patterns in real time.
Alerts are no longer retrospective. They occur as risks emerge, helping to prevent incidents before they escalate. Supporting income flow is also a key area of employee experience being transformed by technology. On-demand pay mechanisms that allow workers to access earned wages in real time via their mobile phones are gaining traction, helping to reduce the financial stress that often contributes to attrition and disengagement.
Embracing Positive, Tech-Driven Change
Taken together, we can see technologies achieving something we have never witnessed before: frontline work shifting from static task execution to adaptive, intelligence-driven coordination. At last, and arguably enabled by capabilities that were difficult to imagine pre-AI, this vast, diverse and historically under-served segment of the global workforce is no longer simply managed, but continuously supported and optimized in real time.
These innovations are already happening. So how can you, as a CHRO, begin to realize these benefits? Based on what we’ve seen as leading practice, the following recommendations can serve as a strong starting point:
- Redesign work orchestration — Move away from fixed scheduling and static workflows toward adaptive, AI-driven task allocation based on real-time demand and skills.
- Embed learning into daily work —Shift from episodic training programmes to continuous, scenario-based learning delivered directly in the flow of work.
- Unify the frontline tech stack — Consolidate fragmented tools into a single mobile-first environment for scheduling, communication, and task execution.
- Deploy real-time workforce intelligence — Use predictive systems to anticipate staffing gaps, skill shortages, and operational bottlenecks before they arise.
- Prioritize safety through sensing and alerts — Integrate wearable and environmental intelligence to identify and mitigate risk during work execution.
- Improve financial resilience mechanisms — Consider on-demand access to earned wages to reduce financial stress and improve retention.
- Reframe frontline strategy as capability design — Treat frontline technology not as support infrastructure, but as a core driver of productivity, retention and service quality.
This may seem like a lot. The good news is that the evidence shows organizations investing in frontline-first approaches can deliver significant value for both employees and companies alike, regardless of whether they are frontline or office-based roles.
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Editor's Note: How else are companies supporting their deskless workers?
- What Frontline Experience Reveals About Future-Ready Skills — Frontline employee listening tools can strengthen your skills mapping strategy and build the resilient workforce needed to keep up with rapid change.
- How Effective Internal Communication Keeps Deskless Workers Connected — Poor communications runs the risk of disengaging deskless employees and also has business-critical consequences.
- The First Step in Better Connecting With Frontline Workers — Without knowing who is responsible for frontline workers , your digital workplace project can be scuppered before it's even started.
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