Staggering stat: 56% of grocery workers want to quit
- Erica Pandey, author of Axios Finish Line
A worker organizes deli meats at a Save Mart in Porterville, Calif. Photo: Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
More than half — 56% — of frontline grocery store employees have plans to leave their jobs due to pandemic-induced burnout, according to a new report from the software firm Axonify.
Why it matters: The "Great Resignation" is more pronounced among frontline workers, who bore the brunt of the pandemic's dangers and demands.
- Mass resignations at grocery stores, restaurants and retailers could push those establishments to reduce hours or close for good.
The reasons grocery workers plan to quit include burnout (58%), poor compensation (52%) and lack of appreciation from management or peers (53%), per the survey from Axonify, which provides online training materials for frontline workers.
The bottom line: The pandemic revealed how much we rely on low-wage, frontline workers, but it also exposed the ugly ways in which these essential workers are treated by employers and consumers alike.
- Many of those quitting may be set on leaving their jobs and moving to different fields with fewer demands and more flexibility.
- If firms want to retain overtaxed workers, they'll have to bump pay and beef up benefits.