October 20, 2021
Businesses Across the Nation Struggling to get the “Order In”
Businesses across the nation struggling to get the “order in.”
For over 18 months, restaurant owners have struggled to stay staffed on all sides of the “house.”
From the back of the house- where kitchen staff is needed, to the front- where helping hands serve the businesses finest food, the show can’t go on without enough hands-on deck. Adding to the chaos, food truck deliveries are inconsistent, and produce is spotty at best.
It’s industry standard, even over different geographics, that there is a lot of money to be made in the food service industry. Servers thrive in the holiday seasons as many eat out and celebrate- feeling extra generous with gratuity. So where are all the employees? What is stopping them from capitalizing on the extra bucks?
According to a recent study, there are four main reasons why we are not seeing the return of the workers.
The first, and perhaps most influential, is that some made even more money with enhanced unemployment benefits. Although they have ended, the urgency to return to work has not yet been set in place- presumably due to savings during the pandemic. The reporting also shows that some have ongoing childcare issues and are fearful of the continuing health ramifications of COVID-19 and its’ variants. The last reason is the most ideal. That being that these former hospitality workers found better jobs or resumed/completed education that places them in more desirable positions.
Even with the latter reasoning, implying that these “missing employees” are now settled in new positions, we should still see a returning workforce in this industry along with others. What we are witnessing is a huge compound effect by every age-worthy citizen. Contribution to the workforce is mandatory for societal survival. No contribution is too small to consider.
Companies will pay more for willing hands, so the least we can do is be prepared to offer formal resume, have an interview skillset that is effective and be knowledgeable about markets and the workforce trends going on. The least we can do is remember that unity is needed for every community.