Before the labor shortage, DRCC in Duluth saw employee turnover rates of about 18 percent. The rate recently shot up to 27 percent.
"The workforce crisis has definitely impacted us here in the Duluth area and on the [Iron] Range," said Jeanette Curry, program manager for DRCC, formerly Duluth Regional Care Center. "It makes it difficult to find quality applicants. And we are not alone. Our industry in general has turnover rates ranging from 30 to 60 percent."
The agency, whose 650 staffers care for 350 disabled clients in 50 group, family and single homes across northeast Minnesota, is among many large firms wrestling with baby boomer retirements and a swell of job openings that give workers fresh choices that didn't exist 10 years ago.
To fight back, DRCC employs generous benefits, training, cupcakes, movies, bowling and more to inject a sense of welcome, appreciation and fun into the job, which can sometimes prove quite stressful.
That attention to employee benefits and rewards helped DRCC rank second on the Star Tribune's 2018 Top Workplaces list of large companies. Keller Williams Realty is No. 1 on this year's list, with Bridge Realty, Edward Jones and ACR Homes filling out the top five.
While this year's Top Workplaces list won marks higher than the national average in areas from worker recognition and culture, the results did show marks consistent with a tight job market. For example, while still scoring high, workers at this year's Top Workplaces as a whole were less satisfied with benefits, work-life flexibility and pay than last year. The percentage of people who said they were satisfied with their pay went down 4.1 percent.
The survey results are telling and help companies keep workers at a critical time, say experts in the field.
Right now, about "68 percent of organizations are experiencing recruitment difficulties and skill shortages. So you have to have these great benefits to keep and recruit talent," said Cassidy Solis, a senior adviser of the Society for Human Resource Management.