By Patrick Adrian EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT — Sullivan County officials will begin researching regional market wages and priorities of workers in a pandemic-influenced economy that has created new challenges in the competition for skilled labor.
In a trend dubbed “The Great Resignation,” many people are pursuing different careers from the field where they worked prior to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, largely influenced by the economic and societal shutdown that has now spanned nearly two years.
While higher wages can still influence employment choices, many workers are prioritizing other incentives such as flexibility and a better balance of work and personal life, according to Sullivan County Human Resources Director Hilary Snide.
“[Workforce experts] are now saying that one category in how people are thinking about employment is flexibility,” Snide said. “Can I work from home? Can I only come into the office two days per week? How much flexibility are you giving me not to leave my homestead?”
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on society — ranging from education to the economy and beyond — has arguably broached upon revolutionary change. Long-discussed ideas such as increasing wages from the bottom up via minimum wage hikes and the option of working from home are now realities that employers must consider when recruiting workers as a result of advances in technology and changes in lifestyles during the pandemic that have given many professionals a taste of alternative work environments and structures.
Of course, most jobs in Sullivan County government are in the nursing home and county prison, whose duties are not compatible with working from home. But understanding the driving influences in people’s employment choices is highly valuable, particularly in county government like Sullivan County that lacks the financial resources to compete with wealthier health care and assisted living institutions.
“We will never compete with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center [in terms of pay],” said County Manager Derek Ferland. “So we have to be really good at everything else, such as our leadership climate or being a workplace that fosters employee appreciation.”
Creating a positive work climate has been a priority under Ferland, who said he is increasingly encouraged by the feedback he receives from former or returning employees about their experience in Sullivan County.
“That [climate] won’t always solve the crisis,” Ferland said. “But that is how we are going to compete.”
County Commissioner Ben Nelson also noted how many companies in the region are looking into offering childcare as an employment incentive.
Snide agreed that childcare frequently factors into an employee’s work availability and flexibility.
At present, officials are looking at wages in particular as the county plans a proposed budget for the next fiscal year.
To evaluate the competitiveness of the county’s pay system, officials first need to study what comparable employers are currently offering.
Ferland said this has become more difficult than in the past because “no one is giving up their wage information now.”
One option is to fund a compensation study, as the city of Claremont did in 2020. But Ferland said these compensation studies, in addition to costing roughly $50,000, take about six months to complete, and would not help inform the county in planning the next fiscal year.
Instead, the Sullivan County Commissioners approved having Snide estimate average pay of positions from comparable employers, using findings from a Cheshire County survey that Sullivan County participated in — whose findings are expected to be published in February — and local job postings.
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