Almost two thirds of HR leaders and senior decision-makers acknowledge that desk-based employees are recognised and rewarded more frequently than frontline colleagues, despite most believing opportunities for recognition are equally available, a new survey suggests.
Among those questioned, 62 percent said their organisation recognises and rewards desk-based employees more frequently than deskless or frontline workers. Yet 79 percent believed those employees have equal access to recognition opportunities.
Employees report differences in what happens in practice. Almost three in ten deskless workers, 29 percent, say they are not rewarded in any particular way, compared with 19 percent of office workers, while they are also less likely to receive recognition from senior leaders or during team meetings.
Recognition appears to matter more to those working away from desks. More than a quarter of deskless employees, 27 percent, place greater importance on recognition than rewards, compared with 20 percent of office-based staff.
Frontline staff less likely to receive recognition
The survey, commissioned by employee recognition and benefits platform Boostworks, found that 26 percent of deskless employees receive recognition from senior leaders, against 36 percent of office workers. In team meetings, the figures are 24 percent and 37 percent respectively.
One in ten deskless workers receive no recognition at all, while 21 percent say recognition rarely happens where they work, almost twice the 11 percent recorded among office-based employees.
Jo Werker, chief executive of Boostworks, said the responses from HR leaders showed that those responsible for recognition strategies were themselves aware of differences in how employees are treated.
“What’s striking about this research isn’t simply that employees see a problem. It’s that HR leaders recognise the gap too,” she said.
“When the people designing recognition strategies acknowledge that desk-based employees are recognised and rewarded more often, it shows just how difficult this gap can be to close. Recognition often happens through everyday interactions – meetings, conversations with managers and company communications – which can be harder to access for employees who aren’t desk-based. The opportunity for employers is to make sure where someone works never determines how visible, valued or appreciated they feel.”
The survey also indicates that deskless workers may respond differently when they feel undervalued. Some 17 percent say they would stay with their employer but stop going above and beyond if they regularly felt undervalued, compared with 13 percent of office workers.
They are also less inclined to raise the issue with their manager. One in five deskless employees, 20 percent, say they would do so, against 28 percent of office-based staff.
Recognition is less likely to motivate deskless employees to improve their performance, at 33 percent compared with 41 percent of office workers.
Manager relationships weaker among deskless workers
Differences are also apparent in employees’ relationships with their line managers. Almost one in ten deskless workers, 9.8 percent, say they have virtually no relationship with their manager. The proportion falls to 4 percent among office-based staff and 3 percent among hybrid workers.
Only 28 percent of deskless employees describe their relationship with their manager as providing a healthy balance of support and performance management, compared with around 40 percent of office and hybrid employees.
The results do not establish that weaker management relationships are responsible for lower levels of recognition. They do show that deskless employees report a poorer experience across several measures covering contact with managers, praise and feeling valued.
Werker argued that recognition and communication arrangements should not be designed primarily around employees who are easier for organisations to reach.
“If organisations are serious about creating inclusive workplaces, they need to stop designing employee experience around the people who are easiest to reach,” she said. “Recognition, reward and communication should be built around every employee, regardless of where they work. Being out of sight should never mean being out of mind.”
Recognition may not reach workers equally
The differences matter because frontline and deskless roles are often removed from the meetings, digital communications and regular management contact through which recognition can occur. The survey suggests that providing employees with access to the same recognition arrangements does not necessarily mean they experience them in the same way.
The research was carried out by market research company Censuswide on behalf of Boostworks between 24 June and 2 July 2026. More than 2,000 UK employees aged 18 and over were surveyed, with the sample including at least 250 HR decision-makers, managers and line managers and deskless workers.
The results give employers with frontline workforces a basis for comparing how recognition operates across different working environments, including whether employees away from desks have the same opportunities to be acknowledged by managers and senior leaders as their office-based colleagues.
William Furney is a Managing Editor at Black and White Trading Ltd based in Kingston upon Hull, UK. His writing focuses on contemporary employment issues including pension schemes, employee health, financial struggles affecting workers and broader workplace trends.
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
