The following was posted on the KC SmartPort Blog on April 6, 2021.
March of 2020 was the beginning of a new wave of massive change in the workforce. Words and phrases we have never used before crept into our daily conversations: Lockdown, Pandemic, Quarantine, “Blursday”.
One thing that didn’t change was the continued growth of industrial labor in the Kansas City region. $123 million of industrial payroll was added to the region, a record total for a one-year period.
Coming out of 2020, the workforce in general appears to be committed to “staying put.” LinkedIn did an excellent job recently compiling information about how the workforce feels right now:
- When current job-holders were asked about their top motivations for staying in their current roles, 74% chose answers that amounted to some variant of “shelter in job.”
- Collecting a steady paycheck and keeping household finances stable was also a key factor for 59%.
- Only 18% of those surveyed would consider a reduction in pay for the opportunity to start a new position.
In 2020, Percipio Partners established a branch office in Kansas City. The consulting business, which focuses on human resources and workforce development, will help employers in Kansas City adapt to the new employment climate of 2021:
- How to find talent when employees are fearful to make a change.
- Reviewing and modifying onboarding techniques to ensure an excellent employee experience.
- Building an engagement strategy for the new employees, as well as your seasoned staff. Providing feedback is critical!
- Targeting turnover reduction and reducing the reasons why employees leave.
- Utilizing new job access transportation programs to bring people from where they live to where they work.
We all face a brave new world in employment, one with new rules that have no historic “playbook” to fall back on. Adapting your business to the new rules and focusing your efforts on becoming (or sustaining) premier employer status is critical.