Gulf Businesses Risk Leaving Frontline Workers Behind in AI Transformation, Says Staffbase

Study commissioned by Staffbase finds frontline respondents link information gaps to lower productivity, more errors and slower decisions

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Governments and businesses across the Gulf are investing heavily in artificial intelligence and digital transformation. According to employee experience company Staffbase, much of the return on that investment is likely to depend on whether it reaches the airline crew member, hotel supervisor, store manager or warehouse team lead in the middle of a shift.

A new study shows what is at stake when it does not. In a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Staffbase, 48% of frontline workers and managers surveyed at US enterprises said information gaps lowered productivity or operational efficiency. Forty-four percent said these gaps raised the risk of errors or missed deadlines, and 43% said they slowed decision-making. Just 23% felt fully supported by the information and tools available to do their jobs.

That increasingly describes the Gulf where national strategies put frontline-heavy sectors at the center of growth. The UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 names logistics and transportation, tourism and hospitality, and healthcare among its first priority sectors. In Saudi Arabia, tourism created more than one million jobs by August 2025, according to the Minister of Tourism, as the Kingdom works toward its Vision 2030 goals. Much of this work happens away from a desk, in airports, hotels, stores, warehouses and plants, by teams of many nationalities working across sites, shifts and languages.

“In the Gulf, transformation is often government-led, and the leaders delivering it feel personally accountable for whether it lands,” said Conor Duffy, Regional Leader, Middle East at Staffbase. “That makes adoption the real test, because it is one thing to launch a platform at head office and quite another to make sure that a cabin crew member or store manager, minutes before a shift, can find what they need and trust that it is right. That is where much of the return on the investment is realized, and where it is at risk when people are left to find their own answers.”

Reaching those teams with the right information is harder than it looks. In the US study, more than half of respondents received critical company news and information across six or more channels. Thirty-five percent encountered conflicting, outdated or unclear information a few times a week or more. Separately, 42% said they ask coworkers or managers for clarification when information is missing or unclear. When systems do not connect, employees end up doing the connecting themselves. The stakes are higher when information is urgent. A safety notice or food-safety alert has to reach every employee at once, in a language they understand.

Eighty-three percent of respondents said a single app bringing together work activities and information would have a high or very high impact on their ability to do their jobs. Staffbase describes the gap as the last mile between business technology and the employee. Staffbase’s view is that organizations should consolidate what can be consolidated and connect what remains, without replacing the systems organizations already rely on, so that communication, trusted information and everyday tasks reach every employee in one place. One Gulf-based international airline uses Staffbase to reach more than 25,000 employees, most of whom work in the air or at airport gates rather than at a desk. Globally, DHL Group uses Staffbase to give 600,000 employees, including 300,000 employees who previously had no intranet access, one platform on their own phones, available in 81 interface languages.

Forty-seven percent of respondents placed AI-powered answers and guidance among the top three capabilities they want, and 46% prioritized one place to see tasks and next steps. The study also finds that employee use of AI is spread across separate tools, which creates opportunities for shadow AI and brings cybersecurity, privacy and governance risks. Staffbase’s view is that AI can close the last mile, provided it draws on the right information and an AI assistant is only as reliable as the company information behind it, which has to be accurate, current and governed.

A regional insurer operating across 12 countries uses Staffbase to give its frontline teams access to everyday documents and procedures, on the road or at a desk. As it expands its use of AI, that same trusted content is what the technology will draw on.

For organizations planning their 2027 programs, Staffbase recommends designing for the hardest-to-reach employee first, governing the knowledge AI will draw on before rolling it out, and planning adoption from day one, with hands-on rollout support and delivery in local languages.

“More frontline employees will soon ask an AI assistant before they ask their manager,” said Duffy. “If the content behind it is outdated or contradictory, AI can give people the wrong answer faster. The Gulf is building the infrastructure, but that investment will not reach employees on its own. The organizations that get this right will make sure the person on the floor can find the right answer, trust it and act on it.”

The study, The Frontline Experience In 2027: Closing The Information Gap, is a Forrester Opportunity Snapshot examining the frontline employee experience. It is based on a custom survey of 189 frontline workers and managers at US enterprises in retail, healthcare, manufacturing and materials, and transportation and logistics. The survey ran in August 2026.

The study is available at https://staffbase.com/forrester-study. A full summary of the findings is available at www.staffbase.com/blog/frontline-information-gap-forrester-study.

About Staffbase

Staffbase is the AI-powered employee experience software designed to scale with an organization’s needs, from focused communications to a superapp or enterprise intranet. From headquarters to the frontline, people use Staffbase to stay informed, find answers they can trust, and complete everyday tasks. By combining its own content and workflows with the systems companies already use, Staffbase bridges the last mile from a complex digital workplace to a simple, relevant employee experience.

More than 1,500 enterprise customers, including Adidas, DHL, PGA Tour, and Sephora, use Staffbase to reach their people and turn business priorities into employee action. That means faster change adoption, stronger compliance, and more consistent operations across sites, shifts, and teams.

Staffbase was named a Leader for the fourth consecutive year in the 2026 Gartner^® Magic Quadrant™ for Intranet Packaged Solutions and is recognized by G2 as a Leader for Employee Intranets. The company is headquartered in New York City and Chemnitz, Germany.

Please visit staffbase.com for more information.

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