Dive Brief:
- Employers continue to report low staffing levels driven by the tight talent market, especially when it comes to hourly workers. But that cohort isn’t necessarily leaving the workforce, according to a June 23 report from Snagajob: many are “reshuffling” in search of more equitable work, greater flexibility and better opportunity for advancement.
- To compete, employers will have to look beyond a role’s hourly rate, according to Snagajob. For example, businesses must showcase paths to grow within the company and should consider flexibility, child care assistance and other benefits, the hourly work job board said.
- The firm also recommended employers prioritize recognition and the social aspects of work: “People want to belong to a workplace community, be part of something bigger than themselves, and enjoy the day-to-day,” it said in a press release.
Dive Insight:
The coronavirus pandemic put many hourly workers through the wringer. Retail workers were tasked with enforcing mask mandates; hospitality employees were furloughed en masse; and healthcare workers suffered physical assaults.
For some employees, those and other trials provided a new perspective on work, driving them to consider whether a job’s benefits truly outweighed its disadvantages — and the tight labor market that followed provided the opportunity to look elsewhere.
Employers struggling with staffing have taken a number of steps to attract hourly workers. Household names like Target have touted higher minimum wages and regular bonuses. Others have advertised hybrid work, where possible. And some have turned to education benefits such as free degree programs.
But it’s crucial that HR keep an eye on retention, too, or risk a vicious cycle of turnover, experts previously said. When employers are understaffed, workers who remain report high levels of burnout, according to the April results of an Eagle Hill survey. Employers must examine their employee experience to reduce burnout and turnover — and also to become an employer of choice, the firm’s CEO said at the time.
