Why are places having a hard time finding employees to return

[BigmanPigman]

Last edited Mon Apr 26, 2021, 04:05 AM - Edit history (1)

to work once they are given the green light to open? Is it that many people have been able to work from home and prefer it? Are people getting help from the govt still and they are making more than they were when they were employed before the pandemic? Are people afraid to return and possibly get infected?

I keep hearing and reading that employers, especially in the restaurant industry, are having a hard time getting employees to fill the same jobs that are open again.

[Claire Oh Nette]

1. Restaurants low wages

My guess, based on anecdotal evidence:

Servers make $2.15 an hour. Restaurants are not at full capacity.
The tip income isn't there. Restaurants are doing OK with curbside and take out, but servers aren't benefitting.

Friend is a waitress in town in WNC. Nice place. Slow. For the early part of her shift, from 4-6, very few customers. She makes more tending bar in a week than she does waitressing in a month.

[BigmanPigman]

2. That's understandable.

I expect it to remain this way until we reach herd immunity and people can dine-in as usual.

[Maraya1969]

21. I always tip when I order out but I think I will start to tip more. Those people must be

suffering because of this pandemic.

[Claire Oh Nette]

22. Waitstaff yes

I overheard a guy saying he was doing so well with curbside and take out, he wasn't sure he needed to open to a full house.

I always overtip.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

3. I saw a recent poll in Ohio, and only about 33%...

... reported that they wore a mask at their job!

I really hope that means a significant number of them are working from home or they work alone!

https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/dashboards/prevalence-covid19-ohioadults.pdf

[Luciferous]

17. My husband's company is going to make mask wearing voluntary in the next couple of weeks.

Luckily he just got his second vaccine. If he could work from home, he would.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

23. Ugh! It wouldn't be so troubling if everyone there...

... was required to be vaccinated.

I was shocked when I saw the results of that poll because this was my understanding about Ohio:
https://www.littler.com/publication-press/publication/facing-your-face-mask-duties-list-statewide-orders
----------
Businesses must require that all people, including employees, customers, and visitors, wear a face covering and take reasonable steps to enforce the requirement; and mitigate or eliminate exposure to people who cannot wear or refuse to wear a face covering. Businesses must provide reasonable accommodation to people who state they have a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that makes it unreasonable for the person to maintain a face covering.

Individuals over age 2 must wear facial coverings in public at all times when at an indoor location that is not a residence; outdoors, but unable to maintain six feet of distance from people who are not household members; when working in any space where food is prepared, packaged for sale, or prepared for distribution to others; during indoor physical exercise; participating in an indoor or outdoor group activity; and while using transportation services. Masks are also required in retail settings.

Exceptions are specified but all alternatives, including face shields, should be exhausted before an individual is granted an exception.

NOTE: In Ohio, some localities have provisions concerning face coverings for employees and/or customers. Please check with your Littler attorney for additional information about your particular jurisdiction.
----------

Well, I just saw this too.
https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/responsible/General-Office-Environments.pdf
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General office environments must follow all relevant mandates in the order, including:
• Masks must be worn at all times; some exceptions:
• The requirement does not apply where prohibited by law or regulation, in violation of documented industry standards, or in violation of a business’s documented safety policies.
• Exempt is anyone in an enclosed space, such as an office; or in open space in which people are separated by at least 6 feet. (This exemption does not apply in spaces intended to be used or accessed by the public).
----------

[Ms. Toad]

40. I'm not sure how i would answer that question.

I wear a mask at work when i an outside of my office, even for a brief run to the bathroom, on weekends, when no one else is in the building, our when someone else is in my office.

But, 90% of the time I'm in my walled office, alone, unmasked.

So i am complying with the law, but if it was a quantity of time question, I would answer almost never.

**** That last exception surprises me, though. Pretty sure the six feet apart exception want in the original order.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

41. I hope that helps explain the polling.

I KNOW that you're very knowledgeable and careful, after I've read and enjoyed several of your posts during the pandemic.

And I don't like that 6 foot exception at all. It could easily be abused, and it's not like we're all surrounded by force fields to prevent an unmasked coworker from quickly standing right next to us. Seems like a typical wishy-washy compromise with Republicans in this state.

[Ms. Toad]

45. It also ignores the fact that serialized droplets longer in the air, and spread quite a ways.

If you are in a space with an HVAC system that is not designed to minimize air flow, stuff travels more than 6 ft. Some of the restaurant and bus studies demonstrated infection from 20 feet away, and of people entering the restaurant or bus after the infected person has left.

I didn't mention it, but even though I'm fully vaccinated I still run an air purifier in my office with a HEPA filter, good to .3 microns - since tossing my mask on when someone enters still exposes them to whatever I've been breathing out for the last few hours. (No one enters my office without a mask - but i want to sure that they are protected and not nervous about being in my space. And if they seem uncomfortable, I offer to step outside my office, into the space in which everyone wears a mask, ask the time.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

50. Exactly!

An enclosed space will fill with aerosols from a group of people, which could help render many ordinary masks with leaks nearly useless in that regard.

The bigger droplets tend to hold more viral particles, though, and dosing plays a role in both getting infected and the severity of infection. Just about any kind of mask is helpful at blocking bigger droplets, at least.

Time of exposure is important too, of course. It's all a very serious game of probabilities.

I'm not sure how it could be put into official policies, but I wish there was more about improved ventilation at workplaces too.

OSHA's new proposals are supposed to be made public today. I hope they'll have more teeth than Ohio's current policies.

[ScubaSteve]

4. Unfortunately, it's the government help they are receiving...

I’m in the convenience store industry and you’re talking about cashiers who are making $9/hr, well above the minimum wage of $7.25. However, let’s take one who is considered full time at 34 hrs/wk.

On the job they with these numbers they gross $306, minus taxes. State of Ohio is paying $250 in unemployment and the govt assistance is an additional $300 and viola, they’re knocking down $550.

But they’ll leave for any extra money coming their way. $1400 stimulus check and they quit. Tax refund comes and they quit. They figure out unemployment is easier and they can sit home and continue vegging out on the couch binge watching what-ever or playing video games is far easier than wiping down a counter, making a pot of coffee, or ringing out a customer who’s complaining about wearing a mask.

We’re closing 3rd shifts due to lack of staff. In a number of cases, we’re closing stores because we don’t have ethe staff to keep the doors open. It’s quite sad…

[OneGrassRoot]

5. "Well above the minimum wage..."

Surely you would concede that it's not remotely a livable wage.

While your description of them vegging out may describe some, no doubt others felt a sense of freedom from working at a job they loathe where they're often demeaned and made to feel like crap and still don't make a livable wage. I read that many in the restaurant and retail industries have taken this opportunity to get training in other jobs -- better pay, better prospects.

I have rarely seen teens in these jobs, at any shift.

Add COVID to the mix and it just isn't worth it for people who live with others to risk the exposure those workplaces inevitably come with.

[Kaleva]

8. I imagine you won't quit because you are paid well.

$550 a week would be a major setback or you.

[MOMFUDSKI]

9. You sound like

my crazy repub friend that they should be happy with $9/hour and show up for work. And why is the guv helping these lazy assholes anyway? And on and on. Are you sure you landed on the right BLOG?

[Politicub]

37. You took the words out of my mouth.

It frustrates me that the conversation is not about people having a living wage, childcare, etc. so they don’t need to work three or more jobs just to get by.

[smirkymonkey]

39. +1000

[alphafemale]

10. "sit home and continue vegging out on the couch binge"

Try renting an apartment and paying utilities and being able to eat on $9 an hour.

An you have the audacity to call that a generous wage?

What in the actual?

[Sherman A1]

11. You get what you pay for

And in this case $9.00 per hour ain’t gonna cut it. Target and Walmart both figured that out and raised their starting wages long ago as have other operators in the Retail Sector. You are not losing applicants to government assistance, your company is simply not being competitive in the market place. Why would anyone want to work at your company for $9.00 per hour when they can go to Walmart and get more for their labor?

[MrsCoffee]

12. Pay a fucking living wage or close the fucking store.

Womp womp.

[Cafe Cat]

29. Short and sweet-

There's the fucking truth.

[blueinredohio]

14. Nine dollars an hour is not a fortune even though you may think so

and the extra money from the state and government isn't going to last forever. At nine dollars an hour who can afford to stream t.v. much less have a game system? Maybe they feel relieved they don't have to take all the bullshit from customers, risk getting covid from dumb asses who won't wear masks and most importantly not get robbed or shot for nine dollars an hour.

[obamanut2012]

15. Pay your staff a damned living wage or get over it

"9/hr, well above the minimum wage..." get out of here with that.

Your post has no place on DU. None. Probably the most anti-worker post I have ever read on here.

[RussBLib]

36. That's a bit of an over-reaction, imho

The Dems are a big tent, including business owners, church people, bankers, laborers. Every walk of life.

ScubaSteve makes some valid points, but the crux is simply that they should increase their wages to attract more workers.

[obamanut2012]

43. It is absolutely not an overreaction

He makes zero valid points that are democratic and progressive.

Maybe so snark at people whose comments were more "overreaction: than mine.

The anti-labor sentiment on DU, including your apologist stance for those here making them, has zero place on this board.

I also didn't know the Dems big tent includes anti-labor folks.

Ridiculous comment.

[Fullduplexxx]

16. Well above lol they should the be thanking you right?

[ProfessorGAC]

18. Ridiculous

Your silly scenario has them making under $23k a year. They go back to work for under $19k?
The problem is the $19k, not the $23k.
You also neglected the fact that the roughly 10% cumulative payroll taxes (SS, UEI, Medicare, WC).
So, now the wage is a max of $17k (depending on state income tax threshold), or $1,420 a month.
That's the problem, not UE payments & federal assistance.
You should delete this hyper conservative talking point list.

[Claire Oh Nette]

28. 34 hour week, so even less.

The employer is a cheap bastard who has zero regard for his employees. He doesn't even give them the full 40 hours. He pays them a handful of peanuts and some cashews he scraped out from under his sofa cushions, and wonders why they don't show any loyalty.

Um, they're working their second jobs, which pay better, not vegging on the couch, playing video games.

There's enough mark up on all the crap you sell to give them all a living wage.

[Luciferous]

19. Well above the minimum wage? Kwik Trip employees here in WI make $15/hr, plus a shift premium for

working nights.

[JonAndKatePlusABird]

24. Yeah, no

First, I was making around $9.75/hr when I worked at a Best Buy in high school……. almost 20 years ago.

Second, this line stuck out:

binge watching what-ever or playing video games is far easier than wiping down a counter, making a pot of coffee, or ringing out a customer who’s complaining about wearing a mask

Yes, those oh-so-virtuous customers, no wonder people aren’t lining up to go back to serving them…

[Claire Oh Nette]

26. $9.00 is shit pay.

In no world is $9.00 "well above minimum wage."

How dare those bastards not clamor to work for chump change.

$9.00 an hour at 40 hours a week is $18,700. This is poverty wages, and not enough to provide for a single adult anywhere. Your example was 34 hours a week, so not quite $16,000 a year. I did not see mention of a third shift differential, either.

Sounds to me like this employer is cheap and doesn't value his employees at all. If this employer could could pay his workers less, he would. I'd be looking for any other job--fast food pays better.

But, yeah, it's temporary Corona Virus Pandemic relief that's preventing you from hiring.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

31. Who wants to work for peanuts, and risk their lives, and the lives of their friends and families,

by having to constantly deal face to face with Covidiot maskholes day in and day out?

It is possible that during their time off while collecting unemployment benefits, they found safer, more lucrative work.

Typically, someone receiving unemployment benefits loses their benefits, if an employer calls them and asks them to return to work, and they refuse to do so.

[FSogol]

33. Try letting them work 40 hours which is full time, not the bullshit 34 hours.

Fuck all RW assholes. Fuck 'em.

[cinematicdiversions]

51. Outside of the lowest cost of living areas

I cannot imagine you are going to find many people willing to work for under $10 an hour in any capacity. That is well below a living wage. It simply is not feasible.

[nolabear]

52. ...

[Klaralven]

6. People have found other second jobs and side gigs.

“In this industry, you have career hospitality professionals, and then you have all the other people who work in the industry as a second job or side job,” said Alice Cheng, founder and CEO of Culinary Agents, a hospitality career website. “That portion of the workforce is going to be trickling in depending on how their priorities have shifted.”

https://thecounter.org/restaurant-owners-labor-shortage-unemployed-workers-covid-19/

Lots of restaurant and retail workers must now be working in meals and grocery pickup/delivery or have moved on to Amazon, Walmart, Target and the other big winners in the shift to online ordering.

[RandiFan1290]

7. I've only heard right wingers claiming this.

While they whine about the improving economy.

[MrsCoffee]

13. Gosh, imagine it being hard to fill high risk, low paying jobs......

[Maxheader]

20. the owners interviewed on the telly..

Say the unemployment bennies are keeping people home.

Been there, done that...

[dalton99a]

34. Yep

(Doc's Backyard Grill, Sunset Valley, TX)

[Maxheader]

38. There are some that distrust ,

The security from health hazards provided by management....

[GoCubsGo]

49. Hey, Doc...

If people make more off of unemployment than they would working for you, maybe you're the problem, not "some unemployed choos(ing) not to work, " you cheapshit.

Fuck this shaming of the unemployed for not being willing to work for dirt wages. Just because people don't want to work for slave wages doesn't mean they're unwilling to work.

[GoCubsGo]

47. And, they're not at all embarrassed that they're offering shit pay.

People don't realize that in most states, people don't make shit on unemployment, even with the added boost they were getting with the pandemic. If people are making more off unemployment, then maybe these cheap assholes should reconsider what they pay their staff.

[FakeNoose]

25. In my opinion places that are open to the public

... such as retail stores, restaurants, bars, etc. should REQUIRE their employees to be vaccinated (as well as wearing masks) and perhaps even provide paid time off to get the vaccine.

I believe there will be liability for retail owners - in the near future - in that they'll be sued by customers who get infected in their place of business. I'm sure it's going to come to that, maybe even this year. How can a person prove they were infected in one store and not another? Well I don't know, but the store owners will need to cover their liability for insurance purposes.

Lawyers are hungry and looking for a payday, that's all I can say.

[GoodRaisin]

27. It is all the above.

People are going to take the best options available to them. Shitty paying employers are seeing the fallout from their shitty pay. Pay a fair wage, or close.

Working from home should catch on now that corporations have had to do it for a year to stay in business. It works! It solves a lot of problems for it's workers, like commuting costs and childcare. The technology to do it is there. Employers need to embrace it for their workforces and shed some unnecessary office space.

[JCMach1]

30. Salary level vs. risk level

[Happy Hoosier]

32. Because the pay is shit?

I know a couple of folks who have found alternative employment. Some have taken online courses. Restaurant work, for example, is long hours and low pay.

[Deminpenn]

35. They lose benefits if they work

Know someone who has been laid off a low wage job for over a year. The increased benefits have been a god-send. But if this person works, they will lose the benefits and be left to live on just their wage. It's not just the extra unemployment either, but they could find themselves ineligible for SNAP benefits, medicaid and other programs, too.

If unemployed people who are currently getting benefits were allowed to work without fear of losing their extra unemployment benefit, more people would go back to their jobs. These extra benefits aren't going to last forever, but a few months of extra income would help many get back on their feet, pay rent and other bills more easily and so on.

[NightWatcher]

42. I work with a specialized staffing agency and they cant get anyone to fill spots

We used to have plenty of people for these specialized environmental positions but now we are begging people. The pay is ok, but we are running into people who may have a vulnerable family member and they don't want to leave the house for work or some other reason that they don't want to return to the field. Two of our better staff stopped working because all of the stress of covid has burned them out completely. People are dealing with trauma and it's just now starting to show on the big scale. 2020-2021 broke a lot of people.

In unrelated news, anyone here with sea turtle, manatee, or marine shore bird experience want to work in the Southeastern US?

[inwiththenew]

44. Many people are making as much if not more by not working than they would be working

Financially it makes more sense for them not to work. Probably won't change until pay increases and/or benefits decrease.

Also as other have pointed out, if you are a waiter/waitress the capacity is not back to 100% yet so tips don't pay as well as they did pre-pandemic because you have less customers.

[GoCubsGo]

46. Shit pay, long hours, high risk.

Pay your employees a decent wage, and they'll be happy to come back and work for you.

[BornADemocrat]

48. Glad I have a private office on a mezzanine

We never actually stopped coming to the factory. In fact, my cretin coworkers never wore masks until one of our moonlighting bartender employees had a scare. Now they're back to not wearing them. I'm in a mood to "forget" my mask and cough all over the place. Yo may think that's crude, but they do that every day since every last one of them smokes.

[ripcord]

53. My cousin's son says he won't go back to work until he runs out of unemployment

He is making the maximum unemployment benefits in California which is $450 plus the federal $300 which is just about what he makes when working, he says there will be forgiveness on taxes from unemployment so he will do better overall not working.