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Poll results

Sponsored by: OTELCO

It's become a familiar part of doing business now. As many companies reopened to the public in recent months, they struggled to keep pace with demand. The issue: Lack of staff and lack of qualified applicants. Whether it's the pandemic, students heading back to school or the competitive wage environment, companies are struggling to find workers. Hotels, restaurants and grocery stores are just a few of those affected. For consumers, we're seeing restaurants closed on weekends, longer grocery lines and fewer coffee shops. 

How is your company responding to the labor shortage?
We are giving existing employees more shifts, hours, etc. (65%, 123 VOTES)
We have reduced the hours we're open. (17%, 33 VOTES)
We plan to sell or close the business. (8%, 15 VOTES)
We have applicants standing at the door ready to work. (10%, 19 VOTES)
Poll Description

Sponsored by: OTELCO

It's become a familiar part of doing business now. As many companies reopened to the public in recent months, they struggled to keep pace with demand. The issue: Lack of staff and lack of qualified applicants. Whether it's the pandemic, students heading back to school or the competitive wage environment, companies are struggling to find workers. Hotels, restaurants and grocery stores are just a few of those affected. For consumers, we're seeing restaurants closed on weekends, longer grocery lines and fewer coffee shops. 

  • 190 Votes
  • 8 Comments
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8 Comments

  • September 15, 2021

    Tax payers take notice! In 2019 44% of the U.S. eligible citizens did not pay taxes, and in 2020 61% did not pay taxes. We are now in a society that the citizens being paid by the government outnumber the citizens that are paying taxes. If this is not corrected it will be the end of our country as we know it.

  • September 15, 2021

    The Bureau of Labor says that there are 10,100,000 available jobs and 7,500,000 people on unemployment. There is a drastic labor shortage that is being caused by our state and federal governments. Every business owner that I know is operating with a short staff, and their teams are overworked in attempts to keep the business open. These hardworking folks are then taxed to pay for the extra unemployment benefits for those who are choosing to not work. Crazy is not a strong enough word for what is happened this year!

  • September 14, 2021

    Human beings are resourceful and when there aren't enough of us around or the labor cost is too expensive, alternatives will be developed. Many of the options that will come from a prolonged labor shortage will come from automation. If people can't be found, alternatives will fill the void. Think automobile assembly lines which have evolved over decades and will continue into the future. Think online grocery shopping with parking lot pick up. This is just the beginning of the solution, having people picking other peoples groceries. Eventually, machines/robots will pick the groceries and the grocery store as we know it will be a very different experience. Look at Amazon's success. Think also about restaurants that have already sprung out of the pandemic that are only kitchens with a vast menu and pick-up or delivery services to the end consumer. The automation of everything has been evolving over the past many decades and this will only be accelerated. Yes, some models will fail, however eventually we will advance as a society with fewer workers. Many jobs have gone overseas in the search of lower labor costs, however many more have and will continue to be gobbled up by automation.

  • September 13, 2021

    I like the question but not the available answers?? How about businesses that are continuing on in the same manner and doing the best they can to recruit the employees they need?

  • William Jenks
    September 13, 2021

    Need another option: We're paying more and doing everything we can to make the employment experience with us the best in the business.