Frontline Employee Benefits: REBA Research 2026
Exploring how employers can make benefits, financial protection and wellbeing support more accessible for frontline and deskless workers.
Protecting Frontline Workers: Research from REBA and Personal Group
Frontline and deskless workers are essential to industries including manufacturing, logistics, retail and care. Yet many face challenges accessing the employee benefits and health support available to them.
Financial pressures, demanding shift patterns and limited access to information can all prevent employees from getting the support they need.
Personal Group has partnered with the Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA) on Protecting Frontline Workers, a three-part research series exploring how employers can make workplace benefits more affordable, accessible and relevant to frontline, shift-based and lower-paid employees.
The series examines the financial impact of sickness absence, the barriers preventing employees from using their benefits and the practical steps employers can take to improve access and engagement.
Together, the reports offer valuable insights for HR, reward and business leaders looking to build a more inclusive employee benefits strategy.
Key findings from the research
0%
of workers do not access health benefits at all
0%
of employees who attempt to use health benefits experience difficulties accessing them
£0
per day - the estimated average loss in employer profit associated with a day of employee absence
Explore the research
Part One: Affordable access
Inclusive benefits for frontline and shift workers. Explore the financial impact of sickness absence, gaps in workplace health support and how affordable health and financial protection benefits can help employers better support frontline employees.
Part Two: Removing barriers to access
Making cost-effective benefits work for lower-paid employees. Discover why frontline employees aren't always using their workplace benefits, and how employers can overcome barriers around affordability, communication and access to support.
Part Three: Coming December 2026
The final report in the Protecting Frontline Workers research series is coming soon.
FAQs
Frontline and deskless employees can face challenges including affordability, limited access to workplace communications and shift patterns that make it difficult to use health and wellbeing services. Unclear information and a lack of awareness can also prevent employees from making the most of their benefits.
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Let's make employee benefits work for your whole workforce.
