'The employee is in the catbird seat.' It's about time.

School divisions around the commonwealth, including the Richmond area and Hampton Roads, are worried about a lack of bus drivers as the new school year starts. Norfolk, for example, has 91 openings, nearly twice the number than at the same time in 2019.

Restaurants and other service industries have resorted to offering higher wages to lure people for the physically demanding, on-your-feet-all-day jobs. Some dangle additional benefits, including bonuses.

Yet people who sheltered at home during the pandemic are evaluating whether it makes sense to return to careers not always fulfilling — and potentially dangerous, too, if they’re at a higher risk of catching COVID-19.

The situation has led one business leader, the executive director of the Front Royal/Warren County Economic Development Authority, to opine on the altered dynamics. “The employee is in the catbird seat,” Douglas Parsons told Virginia Business.

Read more: https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/09/08/the-employee-is-in-the-catbird-seat-its-about-time/