The term “frontline worker” has been around for a long time. The Law Insider journal, a resource center for lawyers, defines frontline workers as “employees who directly produce goods or deliver services. In general they are eligible for overtime compensation, regardless of job title. Managers and Supervisors as defined below are not Frontline Workers.” The global pandemic and its associated lockdowns added to this definition.
In 2021 the New York Department of Labor published a document entitled “Characteristics of Frontline Essential Workers” which defined what a frontline worker is as well as their occupation:
The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it a host of pervasive words
New York Department of Labor
and phrases that suddenly had new meaning in our daily lives. One
example, “Essential Workforce”, became the ubiquitous catch-all for
workers who were forced to continue working during lockdowns. The
federal Centers for Disease Control defines “essential workers” as
“those who conduct a range of operations and services in industries
that are essential to ensure the continuity of critical functions in the
United States.” A subset of this group, the “Frontline Essential” workers, refers to those who perform critical work functions in close physical proximity to other people. “Frontline Essential” workers are at the greatest risk of exposure to COVID-19 as they perform their day-today job duties.
The report lists some of the occupations of frontline workers: Cashiers, Cooks, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Nursing Assistants, Police, Registered Nurses and
Teachers.
In June 2022 a group called The Front Line Singers consisting of a choir of frontline workers made up of nurses, teachers and paramedics, performed “an original song inspired by their struggles and team work during the coronavirus pandemic” on Britain’s Got Talent (Duke). The performance can be watched on the show’s YouTube channel here.
An article published on Chronicle Live quoted Simon Cowell praising the group for their performance: “What we’ve gone through the last few years, it’s surreal and then out of it comes moments like this. It gives us a chance to say thank you to people like you, because it’s people like you who protected all of us” (Duke).
Social Media Trends as of November 23, 2022
Facebook #frontlineworker: 20,000 people are posting about this
TikTok #frontlineworker: 38,900,000 views
YouTube #frontlineworker: 328 videos and 205 channels
Google Trends: “frontline worker” first appeared as a small blip on the radar during the week of July 12, 2020. This is probably in response to people querying who qualified as a frontline worker. The popularity of the term peaked during the week of June 5, 2022 which just coincided with the The Front Line Singers performance on Britain’s Got Talent show.
Sources:
Britain’s Got Talent channel. “These frontline HEROES give MOVING performance! | Auditions | BGT 2022.” YouTube. May, 2022. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXDxiBwfjxc.
“CHARACTERISTICS OF FRONTLINE ESSENTIAL WORKERS IN NEW YORK STATE.” New York Department of Labor. Sep 2021. URL: https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2021/09/characteristics-of-frontline-workers-09-22-21.pdf.
Duke, Simon. ” Who are Front Line Singers on Britain’s Got Talent? Choir spark emotional reaction from judges.” Chronicle Live. 2 June 2022. URL: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/tv/who-the-frontline-singers-bgt-23894790.
“Frontline worker.” Law Insider. URL: https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/frontline-worker.
“I can’t stay home, I’m an frontline worker” meme. MakeAMeme.org. URL: https://makeameme.org/meme/i-cant-stay-a3d7eff2df.