Written by: Sâmella Oliveira
As the owner of Wired Coffee Bar, located in Collegedale, Lisa Goolsby has been working longer hours since the pandemic.
“I have had to pivot a lot,” Goolsby said. “We made significant changes in our hours of operation. We trimmed back where we could. As the owner, I worked harder.”
Goolsby is among thousands of business owners across the country experiencing significant employment challenges as many workers reassess the need for in-person employment. Some employers are beginning to transition into an in-person work environment from their previously remote operations.
For some employees, being back in an office sounds exciting, but for others it’s an added challenge. As a result, the pandemic continues to make shifts in how society functions.
In an ABC News Australia article written by Lisa Leong, Monique Ross and Maria Tickle, research was conducted on the causes of “The Great Resignation.” According to the report, people have been looking for ways to downsize their careers due to work stressors. However, it’s not just about work challenges, but also how their jobs help fulfill their life goals.
“Many people are choosing to move away from ambition, to emphasize other aspects of life,” the article stated, “… They are embracing ‘career downsizing’ — looking for a job involving fewer hours or something with less responsibility and less stress.”
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that four million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021. Ian Cook, a contributor to the Harvard Business Review, stated that he and his team “conducted an in-depth analysis of more than nine million employee records from more than 4,000 companies. This global dataset included employees from a wide variety of industries, functions and levels of experience, and it revealed two key trends: Resignation rates are highest among mid-career employees and are the highest in the tech and healthcare industries.”
While the impact has been nationally difficult, the local challenge has been equally daunting. At the Wired Coffee Bar, most of Goolsby’s current employees are college and high school students. Since most have the same availability, it’s been difficult trying to cover certain hours. She said the biggest challenge has been students getting quarantined at the last moment and having to scramble to find others to cover the shifts.
Goolsby said she has been able to weather the pandemic because of strategic decisions that she made, despite the lack of workers.
“We expanded our store by adding a joint venture with RMarket,” she said. “They have opened up a gourmet grocery with grab-and-go soups, salads, sandwiches and custom charcuterie boards as well as other much sought-after items.”
Another business that has been affected by employment challenges has been Tropical Cuisine in Ooltewah. Since its grand opening last October, finding reliable employees has been a struggle.
Nathanael Suero and Alberto Torres are the owners of Tropical Cuisine. Suero said many people looking for jobs will come to the restaurant. However, once a job offer is made, applicants change their minds.
“People have said [they’re] committed but they never came,” he said. “Some of them said that they can’t work right now, or most of them are studying.”
It’s not just local businesses that have been struggling, — universities have also seen a worker shortage. Southern Adventist University is currently struggling to fill positions. According to the Human Resources office, there are over 80 student worker positions open and over 25 staff and faculty positions open.
According to a previous Accent article, departments all over the university have been struggling with the shortage. One place that has been impacted is the Village Market. The grocery store has cut its hot dinner service due to worker shortages, as reported in a separate Accent article. In doing that, it has limited the dinner options for students on campus.
According to a CNBC article by Michelle Fox, many Americans continue to reevaluate their work lives.
“For millions of people, the pandemic changed the place of work in their lives, and for those individuals, the change is likely permanent,” the article stated.