Many Hourly workers give up on jobs and workplaces EARLY into their employment.
Many Hourly workers give up on jobs and workplaces EARLY into their employment.
We can say that they have no “old school” ethics about keeping their word or about how having too many jobs will affect their longer-term career or stability prospects. And that will be the case, but let’s look further into this:
Reasons Hourly Workers Walk Out on Jobs:
1) In the first few weeks of employment, new hourly workers have yet to fully understand their place of work. They have yet to “attach themselves” (connect) to the job, supervisor, other employees and the organization’s Mission or Purpose. To MANY hourly workers, it is simply another paycheck until something grabs them in. The new hourly worker will typically approach a new job/workplace with a sense of “caution” until proven they should jump into the pool. Being burned or disappointed in the past, plus typical media about “companies don’t care about you” are real culprits.
2) The average hourly worker can and will have many OTHER opportunities/ places to work, and in today’s market may have recruiters luring them to another employer for 25-50 cents per hour more, just before or just after they begin work at a new “paycheck”. As a matter of fact, many sleazy employment services will badger workers to do so.
3) In the first day or week of employment, supervisors may unknowingly ignore, insult or treat new workers like commodities (Piece of raw material that has no emotions) or use negative innuendos about other staff or management to try to create a relationship with the new worker (See our article on “Trainers”). This is especially true with disgruntled co-workers who love to create drama.
4) A new worker who is not properly/ thoroughly trained to do a job will approach the actual duties with hesitation. Their thoughts are that if they don’t do the job well, they will get fired. Many will simply leave rather than face getting fired.
5) If a new worker is put into a group of other workers who are disgruntled (minor to major) they will have a tendency to assume the same attitude. If not corrected quickly, the new worker may “throw in the towel” quickly believing it cannot or will not get better. They will also hesitate telling the supervisor about others’ attitudes for fear of being “A Rat”.
6) Many times either through a sloppy employment service or a lack of true understanding of the job by the company interviewer, a new worker may have the wrong idea of what the new job really is, until they see it and experience it for themselves. If the job or descriptions of the job/ environment is way off base, the new worker, surprised by the new reality, will have a tendency to think “What else have I been told that wasn’t truthful?” This can easily cause an immediate dis-engagement followed by a worker walk-off or no return to work the next day.
7) A new hourly worker may have “put on” their desire to become part of the team, when their real motivation and interest was to get a couple paychecks. Then they go do something else or do nothing at all except spend the small amount of money they have made until they are beyond broke again. Many hourly workers, especially in low-pay non-skilled jobs will do this. They can be better at lying than the average hiring authority is at discerning the lie. This is further fueled by the authority feeling they cannot legally ask the person questions that could uncover the person’s true intentions or life/commitment circumstances.
8) A negative “Life Experience” may have happened to them. It may have been probable or unexpected. That experience may have caused them to “Give Up” on a job or on life for the time being. It could have been a relationship gone bad, a warrant for an unpaid traffic ticket catching up to them, or a personally created situation (bills, car, residence) coming to a head. It could be as small as having a flat tire and no money to get it fixed (and not knowing how to do it themselves). Many people who can only command a low-wage, unskilled job will be “behind the eight ball” when something like that happens. They can be likely to simply give up, not go to work due to the negative consequences at work (getting fired). They have not yet learned how to live life with back up plans.
These are only a few of the reasons new hourly workers walk off jobs.
Remember that the lower the wage, the lower the level or ease of the job, the more this will happen.
Are there solutions to all of this?
Yes. Turnover can be lowered, but not eliminated.
ASK US HOW
And call Robert Schepens, CEO for both “Macro” answers and answers customized to your situation. 216.823.5900 or mobile: 216.280.9768. Or email: ras@thegreatworkplace.com for a personal consultation. I won’t try to sell you anything.
Honestly, we would love to tell you here in a downloadable white paper. But we have discovered that many of our competitors have learned how to talk our ballgame, without being able to provide a system to assure it happens. We have ownership of the solutions.
Virteom