Enthusiasm for unionization and organized labor is on the rise. With 71% of Americans approving of labor unions, unionization experienced its highest approval ratings since 1965.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2023, 16.2 million workers were represented by a union. Unionization among workers younger than 45 grew by 229,000 last year. Evidence suggests that in 2023, more than 60 million workers wanted to join a union but couldn’t do so.

In Legion’s 2024 State of the Hourly Workforce, an independent study of more than 1,500 hourly workers and 550 managers explains why almost one-third of hourly employees wish there was a unionization effort at their place of employment.

What is Driving the Desire for Employees to Unionize?

The Legion study found the following were the top reasons hourly employees wished there were a unionization effort:

• Low wages (68%)
• Poor employee benefits (56%)
• Poor work-life balance (51%)
• Lack of schedule flexibility (46%)
• Social and/or political issues (41%)
• Compliance and safety violations (31%)

Frustrated hourly employees are turning to unions and other labor organizations to improve compensation, benefits, and the employee experience. These are the same factors driving high turnover in many of the same organizations.

Unionized or Not: How Can You Satisfy Employees?

Only 50% of employees say, “My employer cares about creating a good work experience for me and my coworkers.” That leaves another 50% of employees wanting more.

Employers can meet the needs of hourly employees, unionized or not, with intelligently automated, employee-centric workforce management. Here are three strategies employers can implement to boost employee satisfaction:

1. Earned Wage Access

Financial stability will always be at the top of an employee’s wishlist.

Financial stability can be a challenge for frontline employees. Earned wage access allows employees to access a portion of their earned wages before their scheduled payday. This flexibility is designed to better align income with expenses, providing hourly workers greater flexibility and financial control.

For Gen Z and Millennial workers, getting paid early is a top priority. According to the survey, 43% of those aged 18-24 and 47% of those a Legion Workforce Management (WFM) delivers earned wage access with InstantPay, which is the same app employees use to view their schedules,, improving financial well-being and boosting retention rates. Additionally, InstantPay has been proven to improve operational efficiency. ALDO Group, saw clock-in performance for employees who adopted InstantPay improve by 66% in the first three months. Today, InstantPay users have 72% better clock-in performance than non-users.

2. Schedule Flexibility

Hourly employees cited the following key reasons for unionization efforts: poor work-life balance (51%), and a lack of schedule flexibility (46%).

Further, schedule flexibility ranks among the top 3 things all employees value in a job.

Managers struggle to match the needs of hourly employees with those of the business. One in four managers report that matching employee needs with business requirements is the most difficult part of managing schedules.

With tools like Legion Automated Scheduling, managers can instantly create schedules that match business needs with employee skills and preferences. And workers can easily swap shifts or pick up extra hours even at other locations.

Gig-like flexibility is not just about swapping shifts but also about the ability to set preferences. Employees can define when and how often they want to work, where they want to work, and the desired shift length and update their preferences at any time. Flexibility is empowerment—autonomously making choices without handholding from a manager.

“I think flexibility is really key nowadays. We need to be flexible to provide our associates with the best possible experience in the stores. If they want to be able to take an extra shift whenever they want, to be able to swap shifts with their colleagues to attend to personal business, they can easily do that.”

– François Paquin, Senior Operations Manager

3. Fair Schedules With No Bias

Hourly employees, like all of us, want to be treated fairly. Fairness in the workplace often manifests in how and when team members are scheduled. In fact, 11% of managers share that “creating fair and equitable schedules” is one of the most challenging aspects of their job.

35% of hourly employees say greater transparency into shift assignments and hours would lure them to a new job, indicating that current employers haven’t done enough to meet their expectations.

Employers can relieve managers’ burdens and satisfy hourly employees by using AI-powered technology to create more predictable schedules, automate time off and shift offers, provide frontline communications, and more. This approach demonstrates a commitment to a flexible, transparent work environment that enhances the frontline experience, promotes equitability, and boosts the overall productivity of all workers.

A Collective Effort to Move Forward

Employers can meet the needs of hourly employees by focusing on creating a better employee experience, embracing AI-powered WFM, and offering financial stability.

Offering employees more control over schedules and pay will create greater frontline engagement while maintaining labor efficiency.

Dive deeper into the 2024 State of the Hourly Workforce report to learn more about hourly employee and manager sentiment.

Download our 2024 State of the Hourly Workforce report for additional insights and strategies to manage union and nonunion employees. You can also schedule a demo now.