November 2021
Vaccine mandates may give a boost to organizations looking to bring on new hires, as 47% of adults would be more likely to accept a job offer from an employer requiring vaccinations (compared to only 29% who would be less likely to accept the offer). The two biggest factors motivating those more likely to accept the offer were an “increased comfort interacting with coworkers” and “a sense of personal safety.” (Fast Company)
A combination of COVID concerns, childcare struggles, and a lower labor force participation rate are leaving companies struggling to find employees all over the world. Many are pulling out all the stops in order to remain competitive amid a tight labor market — 74% of firms globally report offering more flexible hours, 71% say they are giving employees more choice when it comes to work locations, and 66% have increased base pay. (Bloomberg)
Half of U.S. workers consider their workplaces understaffed, and those who do are almost twice as likely to say that they have recently considered quitting. Many organizations are struggling to fill vacancies right now, but employers on a hiring spree need to keep the welfare of their current workers in mind as well or risk creating a “feedback loop” of departures. (CNBC)
Manufacturing employees worked an average of 4.2 overtime hours a week last month (up from 2.8 hours in April 2020) likely in response to labor scarcity. This is not a viable long-term solution — even the most motivated employees will eventually feel frustrated and overworked, and as one CEO put it: “You are paying 50% more for less productivity.” (Wall Street Journal)
Amazon recently debuted FamilyFlex, a program designed to offer parents increased flexibility and benefits like pregnancy and parental leave. This is a smart move by Amazon in what is currently a tight labor market: Many young women in particular (constrained by caretaking responsibilities during the pandemic) still have not returned to work and may be looking for opportunities that afford them this level of flexibility. (CBS)
While some large firms have made the news announcing that remote employees’ pay would be scaled back to reflect their location, the vast majority (81%) of companies do not currently have a pay strategy that is specific to remote workers. Most aren’t planning on it either, with 16% considering lower pay for future remote hires and only 9% considering pay cuts for current remote employees. (Payscale)
Fully 81% of Millennials avoid making phone calls or have to prepare before dialing because it causes them anxiety, and 75% say that phone calls are overly time-consuming. However, while over a quarter of Millennials dodge calls from friends and family, this conscientious generation is far less likely to ignore a colleague (21%) or a boss (14%). (BankMyCell)
Nearly half of US workers are still working remotely either all or part of the time, including over two-thirds of white-collar employees, whose working-from-home rates have remained stable since March 2021. The data show that the return-to-the-office is on hold, and many experts believe that remote (or at least hybrid) work is here to stay for white-collar employees. (Gallup)