Unionization potential casts spotlight on employee experience

If it seems like unionization is becoming more widespread among hourly restaurant employees right now, new research confirms its appeal: According to 2024: The State of the Hourly Workforce, a survey of over 1,500 hourly workers and 550 managers in North America, 27 percent of hourly workers hope their organizations will unionize. Poor employee morale and retention are at the root of this, with just half of respondents believing their employers care about creating a positive work environment and 41 percent reporting that they have seen no workplace culture improvements in the past year. If any of this sounds familiar, it might help to understand what hourly workers value in an employer – as well as the reasons driving the appeal of unionization. Among the top aspects they appreciate, according to the findings, are their coworkers (69 percent), the work itself (60 percent) and schedule flexibility (52 percent). Recognition, early pay and shift flexibility also encourage people to remain in their jobs. On the other hand, low wages, poor benefits, poor work-life balance and lack of schedule flexibility are driving workers’ efforts to unionize. Improving just one of these factors, specifically schedule flexibility, could have a significant impact on employees’ job satisfaction – yet less than 20 percent of managers surveyed report using automated scheduling programs, instead using inefficient methods like calling or texting to fill shifts. If you’re looking to improving staff morale and retention, where might you make incremental improvements to your culture in ways that could have a positive impact?