Writing this blog I hear from all kinds of people.  Lately I’ve heard from funeral home owners/employers who tell me it is difficult to find qualified funeral directors to work for them in this day and age.  I also hear from employed funeral directors who are down on the profession, or simply their current owner, because of what they perceive as to below average working conditions, low wages, and long hours or a combination of all of those items.

I listen and I’ve came to believe that the answer is, like a lot of things, somewhere in between what the owners and the employees are telling me.  And, I think satisfaction by either party comes down to the expectations that each had going into the agreement.  Many times I’ve found that “expectation” comes down to the place and era where each of the parties grew up and that idea of funeral service.

There is no doubt that so much that was par for the course in employment in the past is not the norm today.  The day of  doing everything the boss says because “I am simply happy that I have a job” are gone.  I’ve learned that employees live in the “here and now” and a promise by an owner of equity 20 years down the road “if all goes well” doesn’t go far when that employee today never has time to see his family or his wages are so low he struggles to be able to pay for his kids’ Cub Scout dues.

The people at business consultant Clifton Larson Allen (CLA) recently put out this short paper on “Workforce Challenges”.  While it is meant for the workforce at large, in my opinion it is very relevant to the death care funeral home employment issues as well.  CLA concludes the following, “. . . .when addressing concerns about their workforce, organizations offering their employees the five key essentials below repeatedly emerged better prepared to weather the uncertainty of the pandemic.”

I’ll list the Five Essentials below with a key statement or two from CLA, but if you are an employer I would encourage you to read the entire short article.

• Market-Based Compensation — “. . . talented employees expect to be compensated at market-based rates. . . .As the pandemic progressed, employers who were able to maintain employee’s salaries at pre-COVID levels generally retained their talent and experienced less workforce disruption.“

 

• Flexibility and Competitive Wages –“Employees who aren’t given a more flexible or hybrid work arrangement are voting with their feet. The recent 39-year high inflation reporting is compounding the issue; alongside workplace flexibility, compensation became a top-3 reason for quitting.. . . . If employers do not adequately address workplace flexibility and market competitiveness for wages, employees may perpetuate what is being called “the great resignation” into the new year.”

 

• Stability — “The COVID-19 pandemic brought an incredible amount of uncertainty to people’s lives — both at home and in the workforce. . . Employers who conveyed a sense of stability throughout the pandemic were more likely to reassure and keep their talented employees.”

 

• Family Culture –“Small- to mid-market companies are in essence like a family. . . Companies that provide a safe and compassionate environment for employees may discover their workforce is more adaptable. . “

 

• Challenges — ” . .Companies that offer new challenges and diverse opportunities are more likely to keep their employees interested and engaged. . ” 

 

So, there are five essential elements that each employer should look at and think about in their quest to retain great employees.  In this time period when funeral directors seem to be in short supply, if an owner is not doing the best he can do in these categories, he may find employees looking to find someone that is.

Finally, funeral service is truly local market oriented.  Wages and benefits seem to be vary quite a bit in different regions of North America.  Make sure that you are aware of your area and the standards.

More news from the world of Death Care: 

• Put your best foot forward:  A new 5k to benefit historic Easton Cemetery.  Morning Call (PA)
• Eco-friendly pet cremation service opens in Heyburn.  MagicValley.com (ID)
• UK funeral service firm Dignity warns of lower profit, seeks debt relief.  Yahoo Finance – Reuters

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