Hourly workers increasingly expect to manage their jobs the way they manage banking or shopping: from a phone, with clear information and some say over details. New research from Workday and DailyPay shows many employers’ workforce systems have not caught up.
The companies released “The Frontline Worker Expectation Gap” on Sept. 17. The Harris Poll conducted the online U.S. survey for DailyPay from April 23 to May 2, 2026. It covered 2,208 employed adults ages 18 to 45 who are paid hourly, and it reports a credible interval of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
According to the report, 84% of respondents consider clear pay information important, but only 57% are very satisfied with the clarity they receive. Mobile tools show a similar split, at 70% versus 51%. More than half (52%) do not expect their company to do anything about these gaps. The gaps also raise a question about enterprise systems.
Scheduling and Pay Are Now Systems Questions
Respondents describe frontline work as a series of calculations. The report finds 78% tally costs such as gas, commuting and childcare before accepting a new shift, and 28% hold more than one job. That leaves little room for surprises, and 69% check their pay after each shift.
Schedules carry similar weight. Some 45% rank their schedule among the top three reasons they accepted their current job, second only to pay at 62%. Nearly one in four (23%) say adjusting a shift would be difficult.
These look like HR policy expectations, but meeting them depends on software. A flexible scheduling policy means little if an employee cannot view upcoming shifts, swap one or request time off without tracking down a manager. Pay transparency likewise depends on whether payroll and HCM data reach employees in a form they can understand. The report finds 26% want greater clarity on deductions, wages and benefits.
DailyPay Chief Operating Officer Andrew Brandman described the problem in systems terms, saying worker expectations have evolved but “the systems supporting them haven’t kept pace.”
DailyPay sells on-demand pay, and its report says 80% of respondents want access to earned wages before payday. It also says 77% report such access would sway a choice between comparable job offers. Those figures measure stated preferences; the survey does not show that offering the benefit changes hiring or retention outcomes.
AI Arrives Before the Frontline Digital Gap Closes
The digital gap starts with basics. While 86% say the right digital tools make their lives easier, only 51% are very satisfied with the technology their employer provides. Another 13% report no digital access to tools for pay, scheduling, recognition or training.
The capabilities workers want most are transactional. The report finds 46% want mobile access to pay stubs and tax forms, 35% want to request time off digitally and 27% simply want to see their schedule. None of these requires advanced technology.
AI adds a second layer. Among respondents whose employers already use AI, 64% report a positive impact, most often higher productivity (34%) and better work quality (32%). The uses workers name map onto the same gap: step-by-step work guidance, explanations of pay and deductions, answers to everyday HR questions and help finding open shifts.
Half, however, worry AI will replace their jobs. Respondents want employers to ensure AI makes jobs easier (43%), to protect jobs from replacement (42%) and to be transparent about how AI affects their roles (40%).
Taken together, the responses suggest acceptance depends on what AI does and how employers introduce it. Josh Secrest, vice president of Paradox at Workday, argued that piecemeal technology will not fix retention and promoted a single platform for scheduling, pay clarity and frontline support. That is a vendor position, but it points to a sequencing question. An AI assistant that explains deductions adds limited value if the underlying pay data is unclear or unavailable on mobile.
What This Means for ERP Insiders
Frontline experience is becoming a systems issue, because scheduling and pay policies give workers real autonomy only when HCM, payroll and workforce-management platforms let employees see and act on that information.
Fix basic digital access before chasing sophistication, since employers evaluating frontline AI should first confirm that employees can view schedules, understand pay, request time off and change shifts from a phone.
Judge AI by the worker problem it solves, as frontline acceptance appears to hinge on practical usefulness and transparency, which makes the specific workflow a better investment test than broad AI availability.
