During the pandemic, work changed. More people worked at home because COVID-19 was so contagious.
After the pandemic, employers created more flexible work schedules. Some shifted to four day work weeks.
And consumers changed. People did everything online. Ordering items as simple as soap or clothes, along with pizza and other food. That’s led to another shift: companies made record profits. Workers took notice. Some of them wanted more pay or they weren’t returning to the job, or they’d find a better job.
But those who stayed were many times having to take on additional shifts. Longer hours. Burnout. And that's led to a push in this country for more service workers to unionize. You’ve seen it in the ultimate corporation, Starbucks, and you’ve seen efforts at Amazon.
Is more on the way? If you work in the service industry, what’s it like after the pandemic? Email son@knpr.org.
REMOTE WORK
The pandemic forced businesses and employers to quickly and dramatically change how they approach work, and one of those changes was a larger embrace of remote work policies. We know the positives to remote working for employees like the back of our hand; more flexibility, no commute, less distractions, and it can lead to less stress and more focus depending on the type of person. But what about for employers? What's in it for them?
Sociology of work professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Robert Parker, thinks that employers have many reasons why they push for remote work policies.
"Remote work offers a way to reduce attrition," said Parker. "It's provided a new way for employees to hold on to the workers they have and attract new employees from outside, so you can look for workers outside of this county or outside of the state."
But, is there an altruistic reason for it too, or is it just smart business? Parker, says it doesn't have anything to do with trust, as many employers have introduced key stroke technology to know exactly what and when workers type at any given time on their work laptops. They can also track when and how much they work.
WHAT TYPE OF JOBS ARE NEVADANS LOOKING FOR?
Many remote jobs today happen to be administrative and tech-oriented jobs, and while Nevada is a service-industry first state, tech jobs are becoming more sought after by Nevadans.
Andy Martinez, employment manager for the EmployNV Career Hub in Henderson, Nevada says the influence of California's tech industry along with the recent instability of service work is partly responsible for the increased interest in tech jobs in Nevada. Additionally, through the EmployNV Career Hub, prospective employees can partake in certification and training for a diverse set of jobs.
"Individuals can come in and qualify for different programs through the Career Enhancement Program to help them and we've seen more and more individuals do so," said Martinez. "Usually we do truck driving training or culinary training, but what we've seen is people coming in asking a for technical training, cybersecurity training, and data analytical training, because they've heard those jobs are coming, or corporations are coming here. That's a trend we see from the public coming in."
WORKER BURNOUT AND UNIONIZATION
What about those not working remotely because they're in the service industry? Well, service workers all over the country have claimed they are being overworked and underpaid. In some cases, workers have even unionized, and in Nevada, a third Starbucks unionized earlier this year.
The relationship between employee and employer is changing, and director of UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research, Andrew Woods, says the tide is turning to the employees' favor.
"Workers are seeing that they have more bargaining power, and therefore wanting to exercise that bargaining power in the labor force to see if wages or other work conditions can be improved," said Woods. "This is a really interesting time for economists, because for the last 20 years, it has it felt like the bargaining power has been in the hands of employers, and then with the pandemic that flipped it on its head. And certainly that's where we're kind of hitting a new equilibrium, but we're also then seeing what happens if we do have an economic slowdown. Employers are also more reluctant to let workers go now, so does that mean workers can continue to have more bargaining power? If employers are less willing to let workers go, workers feel like they can get better working conditions, higher wages, etc."
Guests: Robert Parker, professor of sociology of work, UNLV; Andy Martinez, employment manager, EmployNV Career Hub; Andrew Woods, Director of The Center for Business and Economic Research, UNLV
