And a bit more data on what employees are looking for – a poll of college students conducted by Axios & Generation Lab. There’s no single issue they expect employers to care about. Instead, it’s a range. From their reporting.
- 17% say companies need to pay most attention to racial diversity and inclusion
- 21% say climate change
- 22% say better pay for low-wage workers
- 16% say reskilling or upskilling
- 20% say better health care and child care benefits.
Overall, 68% say companies should take public stances on social issues and another 16% go as far as to say they wouldn’t work for a company that doesn’t.
So I’ve coupled this data – it’s not easy. Research from DataSolutions says almost-two thirds (63%) of technology leaders think it will be difficult to become carbon neutral. Despite this, the research showed that 85% plan to be carbon neutral by the end of 2025.
And so we’re updated, the worker shortage is getting worse. A survey by Alignable, which is a referral network for small businesses, found that between August 15 and Sept 13, 66% of members were having a “Very difficult time” finding workers. Manufacturing, automotive, construction, and restaurants are among the hardest hit.
Amazon also increased their average starting wage… now to more than $18 an hour, up from an average of $17 in May.
Seems like the theme of the day is culture. The tide rises on finding workers. It’s not enough, certainly right now, to just list a job and hope for the best. It’s also not enough just to be in the middle of the pack on compensation. Organizations need to be building a management and culture style that employees want to be in.
Oh, and retain what you have. That’s time and energy well spent.
If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.