It’s in the news. We overhear people talking about it in public. It’s right in front of us every day at work and the businesses we patronize. There is no denying it…
The world is facing a labor crisis.
Limited staffing has affected nearly every major industry across the world in recent years, with an estimated one in three deskless workers to quit within six months of starting a job. What began with the pandemic quickly shifted into what is now known as “The Great Resignation” as we see more and more frontline employees exit their roles in search for higher pay and more control over their schedules.
With the obvious burden of a global health crisis throwing a wrench into the works, the two sectors that have been hit the hardest are senior living and healthcare. This has created even more instability within industries that already have statistically high turnover rates.
So, the question has now become: how can companies find reliable employees that will stick around? Since we’re living in 2023, we look to technology to provide the tools for success.
Here are four ways that organizations can utilize simple technology like smartphone applications and software to better train, engage, and develop their staff.
Hiring applications and software are becoming increasingly popular to help with hiring both temp workers as well as full-time and part-time staff. There’s a wide variety of companies focused on providing potential employees with tools to help them find both gig work and permanent employment. Some individuals are doing this in order to “test out” what working at a particular business would be like before they commit to accepting a position. They are looking for the right culture to fit their needs.
This type of arrangement can be incredibly beneficial to a business, as hiring the wrong employee can slow your team down, reduce morale, create the need for re-work, and can cost the business 5 to 27 times the amount of their annual salary. Many of these software solutions use recruiters to help best match the right employee to the right business, creating a cohesive relationship for both parties.
According to a recent Boston Consulting Group study, 50% of at-risk deskless workers have considered quitting due to a lack of flexibility and poor work-life balance. They are tired of not knowing their schedule for the week until the last minute, being unable to schedule basic appointments to the doctor and dentist, and struggling to ensure they have childcare coverage for when they’re on the clock. Putting any amount of control back into their hands will pay dividends in loyalty, commitment, and attitude at work.
In today’s world, there are many choices available to help manage schedules, allow team members to manage their shifts, and to better coordinate production and shift coverage. Being able to easily swap shifts, bid on preferred shifts, as well as put in personal requests can make a huge difference in the relationship management has with staff, ultimately cutting down on turnover and reducing the time it takes to constantly look for new hires.
As a business, your onboarding methods are incredibly important. Take time to evaluate your current process and utilize available tools to standardize the procedure. This is the first experience your new hire will have working with you and the management team and can make or break a relationship. Focus on a smooth process from start to finish. This includes taking care of all paperwork, preferably in digital format for ease of use and filing, and getting the new hire acclimated to the work environment.
Many companies offer software to create a systematic flow for new hires, allowing them to easily complete any required paperwork, initial safety training, and more.
Additionally, introducing fellow co-workers and key points of contact to ensure the employee knows what is expected of them, who they can ask questions to, and any other information relevant to their job duties is critical.
There’s no quicker way to lose a new employee than “throwing them into the fire” without providing necessary training. These initial lessons provide employees with key information to help keep them and their fellow employees safe on the job and perform their job with efficiency. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, it’s your newest employees that are most apt to be involved in an accident. More than one-third of work-related, nonfatal injuries involve employees who have been on the job for less than a year.
One way to help reduce the need for in-person training and messaging to employees, both in-house and remote, is to use a Learning Management System. This type of online application or software platform demonstrates to the new hire that you are interested in their development while they are under your employ.
There are a variety of online training platforms that can be utilized for new employees – but consider how that will factor into your worker’s time on the clock. Are they spending 30 minutes away from their duties to watch a video? What information will they retain from such a long training? Consider the subject-matter, the work/training balance, and the overall goal of the training before making the final decision for your organization.
Pineapple Academy’s approach is packaged to deliver short video training content that workers can consume in 5 minutes or less, thereby maximizing retention of the information and reducing the overall time it takes to learn the necessary skills. Combining this process for new hires along with ongoing skill development helps to create a culture of learning and advancement within the industry, assisting with reducing staff turnover.
Do you have a specific topic you need your employees to be trained on? Are you a subject-matter expert that wants to standardize your training methods? Pineapple Academy offers a variety of affordable, customized production packages to help organizations like yours bring their messaging to life.
At the end of the day, your frontline staff members want something more than a “dead-end” job. 62% of deskless employees are not provided additional training or educational resources, and 94% of employees said they would stay at a company longer if it better invested in their career.
With those statistics on the table, it’s imperative for companies to take a hard look at their hiring, onboarding, and training processes, and to take advantage of the tools that are available on the market. More flexible schedules, expanded benefits, career development for employees and more support from management are surefire ways to keep staff members happy, loyal, and proficient, ultimately boosting your organization’s bottom line.
What are some other ways your business has seen success with hiring and retaining quality employees? Let us know in the comments!
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