While companies are crying out for workers, Ingham’s is hoping that free chicken and family-friendly shifts will help its own efforts to attract people.
The reality is that even though wages are increasing at the moment, for many Kiwis their earnings are still being outpaced by the rising cost of living with inflation at 7.3%.
Even if pay packets have no hope of keeping up, there are some things employers can do to keep workers happy, and actually keep them, full stop.
Best of all, some of them are free.
READ MORE:
* Want a pay rise? Here is why experts say you should act soon
* Locked out Kawerau workers accept higher Essity pay offer with ‘relief’
* Covid-19: Some hospitality workers asked to work during lockdown in apparent breach of restrictions
Long-time hospitality worker Chloe Ann-King, founder of Raise the Bar union, said workers would love employers to provide nutritious staff meals free of charge, or at an affordable price.
With hospo’s fast pace and unsociable hours it was hard for workers to eat properly during a shift. “A meal on the job 50 years ago was just a given, and now it’s seen as a bonus you should be thankful for,” she said.
Workers at Ingham’s get free chicken, a box of about 10 to 15 kilograms a month. There’s also a free lunch every Friday for the 700 staff at the Te Aroha site in Waikato, which has a canteen.
Ingham’s New Zealand chief executive Ed Alexander also introduced more music at processing facilities; some more family-friendly shifts between 9am and 3pm; and opportunities for staff development. The changes were partly as a result of feedback, and partly in a bid to attract and keep workers.
Workers wanted consecutive days off.
“They might get a Monday off, and then maybe they’ll get a Wednesday off, but to really recover after high-volume hospo and being slammed all weekend they need two to three days off,” Ann-King said.
People also wanted a decent place to rest during breaks, such as a staff room.
“So many of them, all they get is a little corridor to hang up their bag and that’s it. And then they’ve got to sit outside or, if they’re allowed to, on the venue floor to eat food or rest. There’s nowhere for them to just actually take a proper break,” she said.
Hospo workers also wanted to get paid for their breaks as required by law, and to actually be able to take breaks, also required by law.
Annie Newman, E tū union assistant national secretary, agreed that getting consecutive days off was important. Members also wanted to do a lot less overtime.
Some factory workers worked at least 70 hours a week to make ends meet, and wanted to spend more time with their families.
“Some of these people are probably 10 or 15 years to retirement, and they’re tired. Those are physical jobs, and they want to have a life where they can actually have a weekend out.”
Workers also wanted flexibility.
Newman said one of the biggest concerns was health and safety, particularly since the pandemic.
Healthcare and support workers were given the wrong equipment during Covid, such as food-grade gloves rather than medical-grade gloves. That could have been avoided if employers listened to people on the ground who knew what conditions were like, she said.
Ann-King said health and safety was an issue in her industry too, and hospo workers would like health insurance.
Workers developed back problems, from having to lug around beer kegs and other heavy items, and foot problems such as plantar fasciitis which was common in the industry.
Kel McBeath, chief operating officer at Height Project Management, said the company was incorporating well-being time into work time, so it was “baked in” and people did not feel guilty about taking it.
“It could be Pilates or yoga or going for a run, or it might be attending social functions. We also put in educational time, for personal development.”
McBeath said many people were attracted to the values of the company, to the extent of accepting a lower salary than working somewhere else with more pay and different values.
Newman said respect was very important, and key to that was for employers to listen.
“It undermines people’s sense of purpose, and purpose in life, if you do a job for 70 hours a week and at no point does anybody want to hear you, then that goes to your sense of dignity and value,” she said.
Ann-King said respect and communication were basic needs. As part of that, employers needed to understand and follow employment law.
Newman and Ann-King both said lack of training was a big issue for workers. Many workers learned skills on the job, but that was not really training.
© 2022 Stuff Limited