CEOs Have Lost Touch with Frontline Workers

Covid-19 put the world’s focus, briefly, on frontline workers. But they are still not being treated as essential by corporate leadership. The author suggests two changes, one symbolic and one practical, to fix this. First, companies should flip their org charts, putting frontline workers at the top. That will underscore their importance and clarify that executives exist to serve and coach their employees, not to control them. Second, CEOs need to commit to spending more time on the front lines. If they spend 30% of their time with frontline workers, they’ll better understand the needs of both customers and employees and will be better able to lead their companies.