If you are a Baby Boomer (1946-1964) like me, or a member of the Silent Generation (1928 – 1945), the following will probably be a little frustrating. I was recently part of an International Association of Movers discussion panel on Pandemic Related Workforce issues. The part of the discussion that I found most interesting, and yes frustrating, was a discussion on trends in the workforce based upon workers’ age, broken down by group. For example, Baby Boomers still have a significant presence in moving company ownership and management, but Millennials (1981–1996) and Generation Z or Zoomer (1997-2012) make up an ever-larger portion of movers, packers, and warehouse workers.

Studies and our own anecdotal evidence show us that different age groups, on average, look at work differently. Successful operators need to adapt to the reality of the marketplace as it applies to both customers and employees. One challenge for employers is that those willing to work have more options than ever in the type of available work, schedules, and wages they will accept.

While we concede that there are outliers at either end of the spectrum, most would agree that Baby Boomers, who are overrepresented in the management, scheduling, and dispatch of moving companies, think differently than their younger workers. Baby Boomers see the historic pattern of significant overtime opportunities in our industry as a benefit, an opportunity to get ahead financially. Millennials and Zoomers regularly view job overtime as a negative or even a penalty, taking away coveted personal time, and a reason to not accept or quit a job. Perhaps shorter shifts with more crew members per job is a possibility, I know that isn’t easy, but many potential workers state they would rather work a six-hour shift than 10 hours.

Industry veterans frequently speak of the graying of our workforce; and while some gray is good, we need to find a way to encourage new entry into our ranks. Modifying our business model is one of the steps that will be needed to be competitive employers in the years ahead.

Pages 15 & 16 of this issue contain Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS) tables from the enforcement presentation at our August BHGS Advisory Council meeting. The amount of permits and revenue remain in a relatively normal range. The April–June 2021 cells reflect the incomplete collection of data at the time of the report. Expectations are that this period will reflect a significant increase. Of interest is a new column that lists Household Moving (HHM) citations assessed. Important note: 100% or the $173,000 in fines was assessed against non-permitted operators! We applaud BHGS staff for their responsive work as they continue their early efforts addressing this longstanding problem.

October 2021 - CMSA Communicator