WP2: How long will workers leverage for an employer to last for?
Beginning on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2, a pandemic. From then on I bet you have seen many signs on business and shops saying “help wanted” or “we are hiring”. This is due to the pandemic and covid 19 disease taking a toll on the workforce. Even with jobs and businesses giving hiring pay and better work hours there seems to be no rise of workers wanting to come back and work for them. Since this pandemic started workers have been quitting jobs due to them wanting a time of self reflection and what they want to do in their life because they are “burnt out’’. This has led to workers creating leverage over these employers because the employers are needing these workers more than they need them. I believe that workers’ leverage will not last much longer because the pandemic has created more room for air with workers but with employees coming back and the demand for workers going down the chance of more leeway is worsening due to people wanting the same job as you being ready to come and take it.
To add to the reasoning behind why I believe workers leverage will not last much longer Jack Kelly argues in the forbes article Why The ‘Great Resignation’ Is Greatly Exaggerated, “Now that a large percentage of Americans have received their vaccinations, states have loosened restrictions and opened up and trillions of dollars from the federal government have been flooded into the economy, things look much brighter and workers have become emboldened.” People are going to need to find jobs in order to support themselves, leading to them having no choice but to get a job. Whether it’s a bigger paycheck, more manageable hours or a training opportunity offered to a person with few formal credentials, employees will always be working for employers and the benefits of a tight labor market and shifting leverage can take many forms leading me to think that employees can’t have leverage on this very long.
Workers need different rules and tactics in order to boost productivity in workplaces in order to make the best working conditions possible. Your workplace is the location where you are employed and where you go to work every day and usually involves competition between each other. However, with the pandemic hitting our world working conditions have changed drastically leading to workers having room to be able to make changes in the working environment . In the article, The Great Resignation: Why more Americans are quitting their jobs than ever before, Bill Whitaker explains how “The pendulum of power may soon swing back toward employers, especially as workers who’ve quit their jobs deplete their savings. But Karin Kimbrough expects employees to cling to the flexibility they’ve fought for”. Here Whitaker explains that workers are getting leverage of their working conditions. However, I feel Whitaker fails to explain the other complications that come along with workers’ leverage as far as what the bosses of the companies are going to do to make sure they keep the power with them.
Employers are doing all they can to help shift their power back to them and away from the employees. With all these other workers getting new jobs, going back to school, moving to new areas, and so on employers are doing all they can to get these workers back working for them and bringing their business back to pre covid times.
According to Elaina Morris, chief executive of Ascend Hospitality, a midsize restaurant company based in Bellevue, Wash; “Morris has resorted to sending her managers to Starbucks and Home Depot to scout out and poach employees. Some employers are offering cash and other incentives just to show up for interviews. Sign-on, retention and referral bonuses are commonplace, even in industries such as fast food that have rarely needed to use such carrots before. Employers are customizing work schedules. Others are waiving job requirements, such as drug tests.” With employers doing all they can it almost seems like they’re at the lowest of the lows ``poaching employees’ ‘ from other companies to come work for them. It’s even coming to a point that Don Lee of the Los Angeles Times says in The COVID-19 pandemic is giving workers leverage over employers. How long will it last? that “If workers continue to gain leverage, it’s almost certain many employers will step up investments in labor-saving technology, which could boost productivity in the long run but also tends to funnel more of the benefits to owners of capital than to labor. Businesses also will probably press for a loosening of immigration to allow more workers into the country.” Even though the employees are doing all they can to help get employees back working for them I don’t think they have to worry much longer as these employees will start coming back soon especially with all these restrictions opening up and they have no other choice.
With restrictions coming down and states opening up, workers and employees will have no other choice but to come back to these jobs that need help in order to support themselves and their families. According to Jack Kelly and Why The ‘Great Resignation’ Is Greatly Exaggerated, “A quarter of workers plan on looking for a new job when the threat of the pandemic decreases, signaling a looming ‘war for talent.’” With that being said over a short amount of time the pendulum will swing back to the employers and the power will be back in their hands.
Citations:
“The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Giving Workers Leverage over Employers. How Long Will It Last?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2021, https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-07-22/workers-gain-leverage-over-employers.
Kelly, Jack. “Why the ‘Great Resignation’ Is Greatly Exaggerated.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 8 June 2021, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/06/08/why-the-great-resignation-is-greatly-exaggerated/?sh=6a747288bccd.
