Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | August 16, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 45 Pay increases, training, promotions, and engagement V I E W P O I N T E D I T O R I A L M uch like the hospitality, manufacturing, retail, and construction industries right now, the social service nonprofit sector is facing a staffing shortage. Particularly for human services caregivers, the pay is low, the job is hard, and the coronavirus pandemic compounded an already strained situation. As WBJ Staff Writer Katherine Hamilton points out in her story "e human shortage" on page 6, these factors have le organizations like the Marlborough nonprofit rive Support & Advocacy hurting for workers. Nearly every business can relate in some fashion to this significant problem. e coronavirus pandemic has shied employees' priorities, finances, and schedules, and those toiling for lower wages under difficult conditions are rethinking where they want to rejoin the workforce. e nonprofit industry is trying to innovate its way out of this problem, but it is already restricted in how much it can compensate its baseline workers, as the state agency providing reimbursement funding sets the pay rates. While nonprofits are lobbying for more money for salaries, the current situation robs the industry of the one quick fix employers can use to keep employees from walking out the door: offering more money. is solution, though, isn't a long-term one, as an employee already thinking about leaving may only temporarily be satiated by increased salary. rough innovation, though, the nonprofit sector has found keeping workers around isn't some mysterious unbreakable code. e concept is rather simple, actually: Employees will stay in a job where they feel engaged and respected. Getting to that point isn't so simple, as the shiing priorities can change the way people feel engaged and respected. Still, as the nonprofits in Hamilton's story are doing, there are smart initiatives all industries can put to use. e promise of a promotion or even the more vague concept of career advancement helps keep people engaged with an organization, especially if the employer is offering training for the workers to level up their skills. Culture is important, too, as making sure people feel connected to the work they do, colleagues, and company goals enhances engagement. e resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic in the last few weeks is creating renewed uncertainty for everyone, on top of what already has been a difficult 18 months. Making sure your team feels wanted and valued can help you avoid the worst of the labor headaches so many organizations are experiencing right now. O rganizations have been planning their long-awaited return-to-work strategy. While these plans may have felt hypothetical just a few months ago, that's no longer the case. We at Workhu- man surveyed 1,000 full-time U.S. employees to provide insights into what they want from their employers. e Great Resignation. e Turnover Tsunami. e Big Quit. Whatever you're calling it, it should be on your mind. Con- sider this: According to a LinkedIn survey, the average annual turn- over rate is about 11%. Our results, however, show 61% of respon- dents are considering changing jobs within the next year. We found 70% are staying in their current positions for their company/co-workers. If organi- zations want to counteract potential turnover, culture is the path forward. Gaps still exist in how valued respondents feel. It's clear men feel more valued than women, with 55% feeling very valued compared to 36% of women. Similarly, white employees feel very valued (48%) as compared to their colleagues of color, who chose somewhat valued as their top answer (47%). Leaders must promote belonging, connection, and meaning: human aspects of work employees yearn for. As the U.S. continues to add new jobs at record rates, employees are using it to their advantage. Men respond- ed they are more likely to leave their positions given it's an employees' market (27%), followed by more likely to ask for a raise because it's an employees' market (22%). On the other hand, 24% of women are less likely to leave because they enjoy the culture, followed by less BY JESSE HARRIOT Special to the Worcester Business Journal The above Editorial is the opinion of the WBJ Editorial Board. The Viewpoint column, the A Thousand Words cartoon, and the Word from the Web commentary represent the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of WBJ or its staff. WBJ welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Send them to bkane@wbjournal.com. A T H O U SA N D WO R D S B Y R A M Ó N L . S A N D O V A L New data on the return to work Jesse Harriot likely to leave because of company benefits (19%). Broken down further, we see a discrepancy between white employees and people of color. While white employees are more likely to leave their job in an em- ployees' market (23%), 22% of POC are more likely to ask for a raise. All groups have a willingness to ask for more pay, yet POC are less likely than white colleagues to leave their position in search of a better one. U.S. workers thought they finally made it to the end of COVID-19. Yet with the Delta variant surging, that may no longer be the case. To determine how physical- ly safe employees feel, we asked if the Delta variant has changed respondents' return-to-work plans. Overall, the responses are fairly evenly split between yes and no. Digging further, we found POC are more hesitant than white employees, with 59% of POC respondents stating their plans have either changed or they do not plan to return to the office at all. White employees said they were more satisfied with their companies' return- to-work plans as compared to their POC colleagues. As companies continue to develop their return- to-work plans, it's critical to build a policy fitting the needs of all employees. When asked about preferences for return to work, a majority of respondents said they prefer a four-day work week (35%) and flexible work- days (34%) compared to starting earlier, later, or sticking with a five days/week, 9-5 schedule. More men (34%) prefer a four-day work week, whereas women prefer to have flexible work- days (35%). e data shows white employees prefer a four-day work week, but POC employees would rather have flexible working days. Employees needs will vary, but it's clear flexible work environments are a must in the future of work. Jesse Harriot is the global head of analytics at Framingham human resources tech firm Workhuman. W W

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