Desperate times call for innovative measures...and we've been hearing some pretty creative solutions to the hospitality workforce issue in our work with community leaders and entrepreneurs around the nation.
In one community, the discussion regarding workforce established that the real reason the industry is struggling to attract workers is a lack of nearby affordable housing and, thus, lack of effective transportation to and from work for those that can't find appropriate housing. And one enterprising soul suggested that, instead of signing bonuses, employers reward each new hire with a solid, all weather bicycle; an incentive and a solution all in one.
And then there was this from a business leader that said it seemed like Dollar General stores were going up everywhere. Those stores, he said, are one floor affairs, usually clocking in at 10,000 sq.ft. "What a waste of air rights," he exclaimed. "If Dollar General was smart, they'd be part of the solution rather than simply extracting revenue from our communities," he continued.
Build three or four more floors, make them affordable housing and you not only help the community with an existential pain point and create constant revenue for the building...but you place ±30 people within steps of the stuff you sell.
Win-Win-Win.
I love the people I meet on the road.
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