this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
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I miswrote that last sentence. I know people won't believe it, but it ISN'T about the pay. I KNOW we pay our people well. You just can't find qualified employees. There is zero work ethic in a group of people out there. Showing up on time and actually showing up at all? That's a foreign concept to some people. Basic skills - communicating with people, having basic understanding of how things are assembled or understanding how tools work.
This is especially bad when you can hire people in other countries to do the same work, pay them a fraction of US workers and you'll get far better production out of them with far less headaches. It's like WTF? We're trying to reshore some production and in essence people are saying "nah, we don't want it". These same people would be the first to complain when they hear some product is made overseas.
IDK your personal experience, but it's almost always the pay. Possibly you're just matching the pay other companies offer, and the industry doesn't pay much in the U.S. comparable to trades that require equal training, so there aren't many workers that go into that trade. Or, the labor market is extremely tight for that trade.
I was in a similar circumstance, and was able to find quality candidates by raising what we were offering considerably (+30-50% above regional average, according to sites like glassdoor). We were able to attract very good employees away from their previous employers this way. But, these were more "professional" jobs, and sounds like you're looking for "lower-skilled" technicians, which may have different subtleties. Another option is apprenticeship-like arrangements (on-the-job training + paying for technical school), depending on the industry/trade.
If people don't care to have work ethic, show up on time, etc, it's usually because they feel like they're being shafted, and have horrible, non-inspiring management, so they feel they owe the company nothing. If people feel like they're working for a company, instead of with a company that's helping them "self-actualize" or whatever, you get the "companies pay just enough so their workers don't quit, employees work just hard enough to not get fired," attitude.
You can pay these people 3x what the position is worth and you still won't get someone that actually shows up and has some of the basic skills needed. There's always some excuse or increasingly these days, it's almost always some scheme to get free money. And the word "scheme" perfectly fits the situation here what either all the connotation that word comes with.
Literally watched a YT video the other day of some guy traveling around Appalachia and visiting coal country and his experience interviewing some of the people there was eye opening and very similar to what we were seeing with a whole generation devoid of a work ethic and trying ways to exploit the system for freebies. Doesn't matter what your position is paying, free money will always win.
LOL. I watched that too yesterday. I don't think the people he talked to were the most reliable narrators though. People have been claiming everyone else doesn't want to work since the beginning of time :) Some of the people they were complaining about "collecting checks" sounded like they actually were disabled (seizures, anxiety, etc). Regardless, if you feel your choices in life are to work at a gas station for $7/hr and still need government assistance just to survive, or just collect a check, you're going to choose the check. These people are broken by poverty, and believe they have no hope to lead successful, rewarding lives (which may or may not be true).
I have family that lived in some of those exact same towns. Sadly, most died very young (in their 20s) ) due to poverty/drugs/shit-life-syndrome.