{"id":4117,"date":"2021-10-12T14:12:24","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T18:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lgcassocprod.wpengine.com\/?p=4117"},"modified":"2023-06-19T19:45:35","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T19:45:35","slug":"hiring-hourly-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lgcassociates.com\/es\/hiring-hourly-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiring Hourly Workers: 3 Things to Think About"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every week we comb through the news to find employment trends affecting the hospitality\u00a0industry\u00a0so you don\u2019t have to. This week\u2019s topic: three things to think about when hiring hourly workers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Quick service\u00a0and sit-down restaurant franchise owners are continuing to navigate the hiring conundrum to balance supply chains, health\u00a0+\u00a0safety, and staffing.\u00a0Jobs are open, but labor participation in the United States is at one of the lowest points since the late 1950s\u00a0\u2014 at\u00a0<\/span>under<\/span><\/a>\u00a062% of adults.\u00a0Despite\u00a0additional\u00a0unemployment benefits ending\u00a0at the beginning\u00a0of September, people aren\u2019t getting back to work at the pace we believed they would.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most believe this is due to a shift in employees\u2019 way of thinking.\u00a0Now that job seekers have the upper hand, they\u2019re unwilling to accept a position that doesn\u2019t meet their needs \u2013 whether they\u2019re\u00a0regarding pay,\u00a0work life balance, career opportunities, or other \u201cmust haves\u201d for a new job. Not only that, but it\u2019s a tough time to work in hospitality;\u00a0ongoing pandemic-related challenges and\u00a0a reported increase in\u00a0harassment of restaurant employees\u00a0are leading to some feeling hesitant about returning to the industry.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If your team needs help hiring hourly workers, the best way to do so is by responding to what they want and how they live and work. Here are three things to think about when hiring hourly workers. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Think about…<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
…how you hire.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

Recently several national news outlets have printed stories about job seekers who say\u00a0<\/span>employers are unresponsive<\/span><\/a>\u00a0during the interview process. With a lot of job openings, human resources professionals often don\u2019t have enough time to respond to everyone. On average, for every job opening, an employer receives over 100 applications. Just 20% of those are interviewed, according to\u00a0<\/span>Forbes<\/span><\/a>. Many companies are using talent management software and recent articles show it\u2019s weeding out the wrong (talented) applicants. And it\u2019s simply not accessible for some hourly workers who do not have the same access to technology as\u00a0others;\u00a0they may access computers at\u00a0community centers, for example, and find it easy to job hunt in person.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If that happens and a job applicant comes in off the street to apply, what\u2019s the process? Do\u00a0staff know what they should do\u00a0when an applicant is in the building? If not, it\u2019s a lost opportunity to bring someone on your team who can fill gaps and serve customers. Communicate the\u00a0current\u00a0hiring process to your staff, especially if there\u2019s a help wanted sign posted on your building\u00a0or website.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As noted in the statistic above (just 20% of applicants get interviewed due to the number of applicants), there just aren\u2019t enough people to find more\u00a0employees. Partnering with a staffing firm provides extra staff and a flexible option to respond to job applicants personally and professionally. Often staffing firms\u00a0(like LGC)\u00a0have gig workers who can go to work quickly\u00a0to\u00a0fill staffing gaps\u00a0in case of a\u00a0last-minute\u00a0absence or call-off.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026what\u00a0employees want.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

In most cases, clients finding success with hiring and staffing are providing better wages and workplace environments. We\u2019ve all read the stories and heard from employees that flexibility is now a priority. Technomic\u2019s new research in the\u00a0<\/span>Crisis on the Front Lines<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Multi-Client\u00a0Study says 85% of workers responding cited work-life balance and professional management as the most important factors in a job.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The same study shows 66% of respondents view independent restaurant operators positively as employers compared to 55% who say the same for chains. In fact, 20% say their perceptions of chains as employers are negative or very negative. What is your team doing to fix that perception?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Get back to the basics. When hiring hourly workers, these employees want simple things: a solid living wage, a positive working environment, appreciation, and respect. Find the best ways to accommodate these needs and then implement them. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

…respect in the workplace and having your employees back.\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

A September report from\u00a0<\/span>One Fair Wage<\/span><\/a>\u00a0shows a startling reality from the point of view of hourly workers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n