Understaffed

Ever since the first Covid shutdown, America’s employment has almost done a complete turnaround.  Especially coming from high school students, it’s rare that teenagers are still at the same job they’ve had. Unfortunately, there is a serious lack of help from the generation just above ours.  The topic of discussion in so many classrooms seems to be how stressed students are with their jobs outside of school.  

After talking to several students, the general consensus is that teenagers are getting overworked at their part time job. There is such a turnover that teens are the only reliable source of good help.  

One student said he worked 14 hours in one day because the people scheduled didn’t show up.  

There are kids under 18 that are working more hours than legally allowed for the sake of businesses that rely on them to function. Students enrolled in school are allowed no more than 30 hours a week of work. Establishments are taking the liberty to work some kids up to 40 or even more. One student stated he has to work a minimum of 36 hours a week despite him being a minor.  

Managers like to use the excuse that there’s nobody else to schedule, so why aren’t they hiring more people? The turnover rate of part time jobs has sky rocketed since 2020. Companies can’t hire people as fast as they are leaving. Despite the highest pay fast food has ever seen, employers can’t seem to get people to show up to work, and high school students are having to constantly fill those shifts.  

With 40 hours of school and around 30 hours of work, students have no time unwind. A problem that could be worked on with the support of their employers and understanding that if your job is a team effort, you need to make sure you have a solid team.