One Reason Workers Aren't Flocking Back

"The goddamn government needs to stop paying people to stay home."

This is something that a guy said verbatim in the park this morning during a morning walk. And there are tons of folks lobbying politicians to end pandemic assistance in order to coerce workers back into the workforce.

So why aren't people flocking back to the workforce?

Here's one reason: some places - not all - but some places just suck to work at. A friend of mine, much more junior, was describing her workplace to me the other day.

"I work in retail. The hours suck, which you expect, but the customers are okay for the most part. The problem is the store owner. We all have radios to stay in contact with each other, and the boss literally sits on her ass at home, watching the store video cameras all day and night long. She doesn't ever show up, but the minute you're past your break or there's no one in the store, she immediately comes on the radio and starts yelling at you."

That sounds like a fun place to work. At least it pays well, right?

"We are limited to 30 hours a week so that they don't have to pay benefits, and the pay is $7.25/hour, federal minimum wage, so that means you have to have a second job too. There's no healthcare except the state healthcare exchange, and that's 100% out of pocket, no help from the company because it has 10 or less employees so they don't have to provide anything."

So, why don't you quit?

"We all said that we need to get new jobs because this shit is ridiculous. Like it literally happens every single day. I put up with it because I need the money, and it's not waitressing which pays even worse because no one tips any more."

It's not that people don't want to work. It's that people don't want to work at shitty jobs. If employees aren't rushing back to your business, that's a possible reason - it might just suck to work for your company.

The solution is pretty simple:

- Pay people better. Offer wages and benefits that beat your regional competitors by a substantial margin so people feel no reason to leave.

- Hire and train better managers. There's a lot of truth to "people quit the manager, not the job", so if you're struggling to win people back, check to make sure they're not working for toxic managers.

- Eliminate bad apples. If you've got people on staff who are harassing, bullying, or otherwise behaving contrary to your values and ideals, get rid of them without hesitation. They're a legal liability at the very least, and they're a financial drain because of the constant revolving door culture they create.

I didn't say it'd be easy, but it is simple. Create a place people want to work and you will have less trouble getting workers to come back.