Businesses thought they’d come back from the height of the pandemic on a wrecking ball…but it turned out the crane worker called in on a mental health day and the construction manager is only available by video call, and only from 10-11:30am.
Looks like workers’ expectations have shifted post-Rona…and businesses need to bend to the new world a bit if they want their employees to stick around.
Here are Five Fast Facts about How Working Life Changed since 2019 & What You Need to Know About It:
- 😣 Where does it suck? - Most states are struggling to find workers to fill open jobs, particularly in healthcare, education, and manufacturing. And those are…kind of important jobs.
- 🧓🧒 Who’s not working? - There’s about 2 open jobs for every unemployed person, and unemployment is at a record low of 3.5%. Weirdly enough, about 17% of whippersnappers aged 18-24 are both NOT in school and NOT working. At the same time, retirees are coming back to work in droves.
- 🤔 Lower your expectations - Businesses first need to rethink their hiring practices: do they really need folks with college degrees? Someone who worked in their uncle’s dentist office may be better than the one with an MA in basket weaving. Are they offering a realistic wage (given inflation)? Can the work be done remotely? Approach these things with an open mind, ya’ll!
- 👍 On-the-job training, anyone? - Businesses may need to stop expecting to hire fully trained workers and instead take people based on willingness to work, and plan to train them along the way. They may also need to look at paid internships or registered apprenticeships as ways to upskill and retain workers. Go figure: invest in your peeps and they stay around.
- 🤝 Dance with the one who brung ya - Above all, if the Great Resignation has taught us anything, businesses need to value the people they already have! Creative (but meaningful) benefits like child care, more paid leave, bonuses, and career development can be powerful tools in helping keep workers engaged.
🔥Bottom line: There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, but these are just a few suggestions to get things started. It’s clear that what used to get people working isn’t effective now, so businesses that want to survive need to adapt to what works today.
What’s the best recruitment or retention policy you’ve seen in your company?
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