This year has brought with it the Great Resignation, a time in American history that has seen the greatest increase in job resignations ever recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics since they started tracking over two decades ago.
Some people are quitting for health reasons, some have resigned for personal reasons, and others are leaving for higher pay and better opportunities elsewhere. No matter what is causing the surge of people leaving their jobs, this will have an effect on the companies and workers they leave behind. Apart from missing their former coworkers, employees are missing help with projects and meeting deadlines.
Along with the Great Resignation, the pandemic conditions of the last few years have brought with them difficulties for businesses, such as decreased sales, difficulties obtaining stock, rising costs due to inflation, and dwindling customer bases. Unfortunately, this has led many companies to have to close their doors permanently. Those who were fortunate enough to stay afloat during these trying times have had to cut staffing and let go of vital members of their teams. While they most assuredly would prefer to keep their staff together and business running as usual, this is not the reality of our times. Regardless of staffing issues, employers still need to get products out and meet deadlines.
How many times have you been asked to do the work of two people, or three, or a whole department? I can personally remember this starting as early as elementary school. You don’t get extra recognition or rewards most of the time either. You just do it so your boss doesn’t complain and so that the job gets done.
Well, that ends now. There is a concept that has been making the rounds recently called Additional Duties Pay. It is exactly what it sounds like. When an employee is asked to take on extra tasks outside of the scope of their regular job, they should be reimbursed for their time and effort. With Additional Duties Pay, either the employee can ask for additional pay to meet the growing demand for their services, or better yet, the company can offer this benefit at the time of the proposed job changes.
The state of Wisconsin has provided a guide to how they handle Additional Duties Pay here. Not all companies, such as those that are very small will be able to offer this to their valued employees. Those that can, and have the means to follow through, should definitely implement this policy.