Labor shortage, what in bloody hell is going on? (collection, bank, lawyer)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
“There’s only one boss. The customer. And he or she can fire everybody from the chairman on down simply by shopping somewhere else” Sam Walton.
Prices are cheap and the consequences on stakeholders from the employees at Walmart to the manufacturers and suppliers they put cost pressure on is because the customers demanded it.
That quote isn't the whole story though.
Businesses can fire some of their customers. And more likely never hire them at all. Louis Vuitton never went after the customer base that Wal-Mart did. You should pick your customers carefully because they will determine the shape of your business.
Wal-Mart went after a cost-conscious mass market segment. There was huge opportunity there, but also some price to be paid in terms of how "clean" the business is. Not in a legal sense, but just how bare-knuckled the business owners would have to fight for business within their chosen market.
The state is the one that tells by law what qualifications instructors have to possess.
We can't hire a high school dropout to teach college level organic chemistry. They don't exist. There is no "adjustment" at some point; there is operation or there is closure. Automotive tech is one we are having extreme trouble with; techs can make 125k in the industry. None will work for us for 60k in that context.
What's fascinating is for the first time in my career, I'm seeing failed searches for things like social science and humanities instructors. Those useless eaters who got useless degrees appear to have finally found jobs. Don't get me started on staff. For non-regulated jobs like staff, we are in competition with the private sector. Things like IT, public relations, systems analysts, etc... VERY hard to hire now. But so are un or low-skilled staff like food service and custodians. If anything they're even harder to recruit and retain.
I expressed this sentiment to the president not long ago using these exact words: "I will not succeed in delivering qualified instructors if my only hiring pool derives from the homeless camp."
The adjustment we could make is to raise tuition, probably about 20%. Of course, the public will complain about that and very likely vote down the board members who authorize such a thing.
You can call it "entitled whining" if you want... I don't see how it's entitlement to try and offer the public the best service to the best of my ability. That is my job and what I'm trying to do. If you have a better idea of how to manage this staffing difficulty I've described, I would be glad to hear it.
However, they do manage to make special salary ranges for the higher ups and executives. You have a budget and you might have to eliminate needless jobs and pay other job titles more. You might have to pay more to higher achievers and then have them do more for you. You likely have too much administrative expense (and focus) when the focus should be on delivering the actual product.
Our unemployment figures came out today. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-...cron/100917296
Lowest since 2008.
It is going to tricky with Omicron surging again and staff hard to find. I think a lot of overtime will be worked to keep things going.
There is an active anti work "strike" with people not applying to crud jobs or actively quitting.
Pay better, you will get applications.
Yep.
About half a year ago, this topic was being debated on another thread. All the boomers were out there 'when the free money dries up, they'll be back'.
Huh. They aren't. Isn't that something.
I'll repeat what I said back then: When you lock people down, you give them all the time in the world to figure out other ways to make money. As was earlier mentioned, some decided to further their education. Others, a lot of others, found ways to make money online.
A lot of people mock those who make money online, not realizing that they can make a lot!! of money online with very little effort. Lock someone down, they have months to do nothing but build their 'brand' and build their audience. You don't even need millions of followers to make a decent living. In fact, those with millions of followers are making more than many people who go out to work every day. Even those with a few hundred thousand followers can make a very comfortable living thanks to ads, and thanks to sponsors.
This model is not going to die off any time soon. Everyone wins here. The person who creates the social media account and attracts followers, showing off their talents (it's not just 'influencers' - it's every day people like those with cooking skills, wood working skills, tech skills, gardening, homesteading, cleaning, car repair, dog training, and even....yes...those 'dumb gamers in their mommy's basement', etc.) are making money.
The advertisers get cheap advertising. The sponsors get cheap advertising. Those companies are not paying the high price of advertising on TV, they are paying low prices advertising on social media through people who have a lot of followers. They aren't going to give that up. The people making the money are not going to give it up anytime soon, either.
Some of them have teams, some of them have contracts, some of them fly solo the whole way. Some of them are making millions of dollars a year, and yet I still see people on these forums saying dumb things like, "they should get a 'real' job". If I made that kind of money a year making videos and uploading pics on Instagram....well, I'd laugh in the face of anyone who said that.
Others have found other ways to make money online. Some share all the work from home jobs - the legit work at home jobs. Some people just flat out retired. So yes, you have a whole lot of people who were in the standard work force no longer in the work force, and people still can't figure out why.
What some out there still FAIL to comprehend, is that people have had enough of the BS. Look at that:
The free money has dried up, and yet we still can't fill jobs.
You were told, you didn't listen, and here we are.
Here's what this simpleton clearly doesn't understand:
Prior to the pandemic and the economic havoc it caused, which started just two years ago, unemployment was low but positions were filled for the most part. In fact, unemployment was at its lowest point ever in my lifetime. Then we had the shutdowns. Now unemployment is low again, but there are WE'RE HIRING signs everywhere, and there's a dearth of workers. Where did everyone go?
I know, it's a simplistic question but it's an honest one.
About half a year ago, this topic was being debated on another thread. All the boomers were out there 'when the free money dries up, they'll be back'.
Huh. They aren't. Isn't that something.
I'll repeat what I said back then: When you lock people down, you give them all the time in the world to figure out other ways to make money. As was earlier mentioned, some decided to further their education. Others, a lot of others, found ways to make money online.
A lot of people mock those who make money online, not realizing that they can make a lot!! of money online with very little effort. Lock someone down, they have months to do nothing but build their 'brand' and build their audience. You don't even need millions of followers to make a decent living. In fact, those with millions of followers are making more than many people who go out to work every day. Even those with a few hundred thousand followers can make a very comfortable living thanks to ads, and thanks to sponsors.
This model is not going to die off any time soon. Everyone wins here. The person who creates the social media account and attracts followers, showing off their talents (it's not just 'influencers' - it's every day people like those with cooking skills, wood working skills, tech skills, gardening, homesteading, cleaning, car repair, dog training, and even....yes...those 'dumb gamers in their mommy's basement', etc.) are making money.
The advertisers get cheap advertising. The sponsors get cheap advertising. Those companies are not paying the high price of advertising on TV, they are paying low prices advertising on social media through people who have a lot of followers. They aren't going to give that up. The people making the money are not going to give it up anytime soon, either.
Some of them have teams, some of them have contracts, some of them fly solo the whole way. Some of them are making millions of dollars a year, and yet I still see people on these forums saying dumb things like, "they should get a 'real' job". If I made that kind of money a year making videos and uploading pics on Instagram....well, I'd laugh in the face of anyone who said that.
Others have found other ways to make money online. Some share all the work from home jobs - the legit work at home jobs. Some people just flat out retired. So yes, you have a whole lot of people who were in the standard work force no longer in the work force, and people still can't figure out why.
What some out there still FAIL to comprehend, is that people have had enough of the BS. Look at that:
The free money has dried up, and yet we still can't fill jobs.
You were told, you didn't listen, and here we are.
Don't forget to include oil and gas workers in this equation. They couldn't sit at home for years making nothing. They had to go out and get other careers too and I'm not talking about Door Dashers or online work.
Here's what this simpleton clearly doesn't understand:
Prior to the pandemic and the economic havoc it caused, which started just two years ago, unemployment was low but positions were filled for the most part. In fact, unemployment was at its lowest point ever in my lifetime. Then we had the shutdowns. Now unemployment is low again, but there are WE'RE HIRING signs everywhere, and there's a dearth of workers. Where did everyone go?
I know, it's a simplistic question but it's an honest one.
Despite the unemployment figures were places being filled?
On one end the work force has retired but continued to demand services like someone making coffee 24 hours or providing massages', pre pandemic, that previous generations never had to staff.
On the other end the Brady Bunch of 6 ha become the bunch of 3 but that was hidden by many leaving home crossing borders to work and that influx has slowed
About half a year ago, this topic was being debated on another thread. All the boomers were out there 'when the free money dries up, they'll be back'.
Huh. They aren't. Isn't that something.
I'll repeat what I said back then: When you lock people down, you give them all the time in the world to figure out other ways to make money. As was earlier mentioned, some decided to further their education. Others, a lot of others, found ways to make money online.
A lot of people mock those who make money online, not realizing that they can make a lot!! of money online with very little effort. Lock someone down, they have months to do nothing but build their 'brand' and build their audience. You don't even need millions of followers to make a decent living. In fact, those with millions of followers are making more than many people who go out to work every day. Even those with a few hundred thousand followers can make a very comfortable living thanks to ads, and thanks to sponsors.
This model is not going to die off any time soon. Everyone wins here. The person who creates the social media account and attracts followers, showing off their talents (it's not just 'influencers' - it's every day people like those with cooking skills, wood working skills, tech skills, gardening, homesteading, cleaning, car repair, dog training, and even....yes...those 'dumb gamers in their mommy's basement', etc.) are making money.
The advertisers get cheap advertising. The sponsors get cheap advertising. Those companies are not paying the high price of advertising on TV, they are paying low prices advertising on social media through people who have a lot of followers. They aren't going to give that up. The people making the money are not going to give it up anytime soon, either.
Some of them have teams, some of them have contracts, some of them fly solo the whole way. Some of them are making millions of dollars a year, and yet I still see people on these forums saying dumb things like, "they should get a 'real' job". If I made that kind of money a year making videos and uploading pics on Instagram....well, I'd laugh in the face of anyone who said that.
Others have found other ways to make money online. Some share all the work from home jobs - the legit work at home jobs. Some people just flat out retired. So yes, you have a whole lot of people who were in the standard work force no longer in the work force, and people still can't figure out why.
What some out there still FAIL to comprehend, is that people have had enough of the BS. Look at that:
The free money has dried up, and yet we still can't fill jobs.
You were told, you didn't listen, and here we are.
For those on the lower end of the pay scale the shutdown did not result in most moving online or upgrading their education and/or skills. 3 years ago I didn't see large numbers of people, some nicely dressed, standing at nearly every intersection and walking down the sidewalk holding signs and/or asking directly for money. The other day I witnessed two people arguing over ownership of a popular intersection to hold their signs. Some are walking between traffic on busy, multi-lane, roadways with speed limits of of 40 to 50 mph. At the same time, many of the businesses surrounding these areas have help wanted signs in their windows and are paying $15 per hour or more.
I was speaking to someone who works in one of the nearby banks and they reported that many of those standing on the street corners come in sometimes with $250 to $300 in mostly singles that they collected. Some of those standing on street corners are homeless, have substance abuse issues, etc. However, now there are others that are holding signs who are fraudulently playing on people's emotions to collect large sums of money just because it is easy and tax-free. There are also nefarious organizers that drive around in vans and drop off collectors in exchange for drugs to support their habits.
Social services should not be ignoring the plight of the homeless and addicted but law enforcement should not be allowing this type of activity to take place. It is not a victimless activity. It creates a hopelessness and who cares attitude and cynicism which works counter to societal goals of a contributing, self-sufficient and productive citizenship.
The answer isn't to just pay everyone more money. A trip to the local fast food restaurant illustrates why that doesn't work. Many have raised their per item prices 25 to 33% just within the past year. This far outpaces even a 10% raise for those near the lower end of the wage scale and is hitting nearly every item they consume. They are further hurt by the increased sales taxes they are paying as the items increase in price.
The solution is far more difficult. It is a cultural one. One that promotes pride in work, responsibility, and compassion for others. I believe it also requires adopting a universal health insurance plan so that all citizens are covered wherever they live and the cost burden doesn't disproportionately penalize small businesses and self-employed individuals. This solution requires developing a balance between capital and labor where the goal isn't to maximize one and minimize the other. In the past it was called corporate responsibility and companies often connected with the community in which the company operated. In a global/connected environment this is a more difficult task but not impossible as many companies have found ways to positively connect in the communities they operate in.
However, they do manage to make special salary ranges for the higher ups and executives. You have a budget and you might have to eliminate needless jobs and pay other job titles more. You might have to pay more to higher achievers and then have them do more for you. You likely have too much administrative expense (and focus) when the focus should be on delivering the actual product.
Blaming administrators is a popular horse to kick, but at least at my institution, we are reasonably lean on administration. There isn't much to cut there. To cut them too far would put administrative work on faculty, and they have already indicated they will strike if we put more uncompensated non-instructional work on them. It has creeped up over the years and they are sick of it.
The worst case scenario is that we could lose accreditation, grant money, etc... by cutting administration indiscriminately. Most of our need for administration comes from various state and federal legal mandates connected to funding streams and accreditation.
Blaming administrators is a popular horse to kick, but at least at my institution, we are reasonably lean on administration. There isn't much to cut there. To cut them too far would put administrative work on faculty, and they have already indicated they will strike if we put more uncompensated non-instructional work on them. It has creeped up over the years and they are sick of it.
The worst case scenario is that we could lose accreditation, grant money, etc... by cutting administration indiscriminately. Most of our need for administration comes from various state and federal legal mandates connected to funding streams and accreditation.
So, in no way should the people at the top of the food chain be held responsible for anything ever. How dare we insinuate that they have responsibility or have made any wrong decisions and that there is nothing they can do but, sit and be victims (of their own system). They are mere employees with no power or control over anything (yet, do not eliminate positions or lower salaries or there will be hell to be paid).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
