Workforce Challenges

from the Wisconsin Restaurant Association

As we start to see customers coming back to their favorite restaurants, the age-old struggle of having enough employees to serve customers is rearing its ugly head again. The problem never really went away; the factors leading to the worker shorter pre-pandemic are still there. Plus, new issues have arisen like employees wanting to continue to receive unemployment benefits instead of working and employees who were furloughed who found permanent employment in other industries. We understand that restaurant operators who survived a year-long pandemic crisis are now facing another crisis: the workforce shortage.

WRA is working diligently on many fronts to provide our restaurant members with the information, resources and assistance to help with workforce challenges.
A new taskforce has been assembled to develop and execute solid strategies to help support restaurant operators in their workforce recruitment and retention challenges. We look forward to sharing these new initiatives in the weeks to come. In addition, WRA has many initiatives currently in place to address workforce challenges.
Increasing Awareness
WRA is taking every opportunity to talk about the restaurant industry’s workforce woes to the media, the general public and political leaders. It is more important than ever that they understand these challenges. Awareness is the first step to effecting positive change.
Training
WRA continues to provide valuable education and training on key aspects of workforce recruitment and retention including advice directly from restaurant operators who have successfully implemented creative solutions to the workforce dilemma. This includes Restaurant Insights Summits webinars on many key workforce topics and videos highlighting best practices for workforce recruitment and retention.
Workforce Resources & Assistance
The Ask WRA Team is ready to answer questions from restaurant operators on pretty much any restaurant topic. From what to do if your employees refuse hours to continue to receive unemployment benefits to pandemic related requirements like the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Our experienced team has answers to your questions.
Advocacy
The WRA and National Restaurant Association are working on many fronts to advocate at the state and federal level to address the worker shortage.
We are working hard to increase the number or worker and student visas available, to allow young people from other countries to travel here, earn money and learn our culture. We are advocating for immigration reform to improve our vetting system to allow people who wish to work in the US the ability to apply, be vetted and find gainful employment in jobs that US citizens do not want. 
We are urging the Wisconsin legislature to rescind the Emergency Rule that waives work searches for those who are on unemployment insurance and the automatic “no work available” clause that allows employees to turn down work and remain on unemployment insurance. The WRA has joined many other leading business groups and are urging the Governor to end Wisconsin’s participation in the enhanced federal unemployment benefits. Other factors, such as lack of child care facilities and virtual learning, are keeping employees at home. Longer term solutions to help get part time workers back into the workforce are also being explored, but will take more time. In the meantime, we encourage you to contact your elected officials and tell them your stories – let them know what your worker situation is and that you need them to work with the WRA and other business groups to help get people back into the work force.

Visit www.wirestaurant.org/news-details/2021/05/19/workforce-challenges for more information.