Most organizations are extremely proactive about advertising the benefits available to salaried workers, but planning benefits for hourly workers can be much harder. What do hourly workers want? The question is not a complex one, and neither is the answer, but many businesses forget to account for their needs and preferences. Hourly wage work is often seen as temporary employment that workers take up when they are in between jobs; however, this is an outdated image of such roles.
In many situations, hourly work pays for entire families and supports the livelihood of many workers, and most who take up such positions still look for stability and consistency despite the transitional nature of the role. Understanding hourly employees and their needs can be very beneficial in guaranteeing retention, reducing the cost and time of rehiring and training new employees for a role every few months. Hourly work is still honest work, and learning how to support these hourly workers can be in a company’s best interest in the long run.
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What Do Hourly Workers Want? Let’s Understand How to Support Hourly Workers in 2025
Salaried roles are easy to understand—an employee is assigned to a particular role and they are expected to perform it from 9-to-5 for five days a week, receiving a fixed salary at regular intervals in exchange for their performance of the role. The rules around hourly work grow a little more complex because these positions involve greater flexibility in working hours, wage rates, and overtime pay in accordance with their status as non-exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Cashiers, servers, cooks, machine operators, security workers, housekeeping staff, and a long list of other roles often hinge on hourly workers to perform their duties in shifts. Each of these roles comes with conditions and criteria of their own, but they are universally treated as temporary workers who will not stay at their job for long.
This makes it easier for employers to withhold benefits from these positions as they are easier to fill, even if an employee decides to leave suddenly. This is why unions gain popularity among hourly workers, as they represent the workers’ interests and seek out benefits for hourly employees when they cannot do so themselves. Despite their poor treatment, hourly workers keep a large portion of our society in running condition, so it’s only fair that we consider what hourly employees want and provide them with resources to make the best of their employment.
Gen Z is Tired of the State of Hourly Work
Gen Z workers are known for being more vocal about work conditions compared to many of their predecessors, and they are extremely unsatisfied with the state of the hourly wage industry right now. We’ve seen that Gen Z employees are being locked out of the corporate world already, and now they appear to be struggling with hourly work as well.
The State of the Hourly Workforce Report recently showed that 32% of Gen Z employees said their employers had done nothing to improve the workplace in the last 12 months. Around 76% of them also explained that they were planning to quit their jobs in the next 12 months due to their frustrations with the poor standards of work.
Employers in these sectors may not see this as a threat, but replacing workers frequently can be extremely damaging to their business. Not only does the hiring and firing cycle dent morale, it also makes it difficult to keep trained workers who can improve the performance of the organization as a whole. Retention may not seem like the biggest priority in these industries, but it can change how an organization operates entirely.
How to Support Hourly Workers in 2025?
In 2025, Starbucks is doubling down on its strategy to improve foot traffic at its outlets, and it is doing so by improving the working conditions for its baristas and in-store employees. There’s a lot that we can learn from this strategy. Hourly workers want better wages and benefits, but there are a considerable number of changes that can keep them satisfied and loyal to the business overall.
Better retention means less time and money spent on onboarding and no time wasted on bringing new employees up to speed. Employee retention is a sign of a healthy business, and organizations need to start understanding their hourly employees to help them embrace their roles more enthusiastically. There are some simple considerations here.
1. Better Scheduling and Time Management
Organizations that are aware of their staffing needs and have a sufficient workforce to support the work that needs to be done are always better off than understaffed businesses with overworked employees. Working at a business that is constantly short-staffed can be very grueling, motivating workers to seek employment elsewhere.
It is important to have sufficient workers and also have an efficient scheduling system so employees are aware of their upcoming shifts well in advance.
2. Flexibility and Control Over Work
One of the major benefits of hourly work is the flexibility in setting the conditions of work; however, employees are losing some of their decision-making power in that regard. Giving employees more control over their work can ensure that they are able to manage their personal lives and attend to their shifts without distraction.
3. Better Pay and Wages
While the regulations around federal minimum wage and overtime pay are under discussion, organizations need to actively provide livable wages to their employees to fairly compensate them for their work. Better pay provides businesses with an automatic competitive advantage over others in the industry, aiding considerably with retention.
4. Better Safety Conditions and Workplace Regulations
Warehouse workers and delivery personnel often lead the conversation around improving workplace safety, but this is important regardless of the job. Hourly workers want a better guarantee of their well-being, whether that’s through regular checks of the workplace equipment or protections from customers and clients they meet on the job. Adding mental health checks and other well-being benefits is always welcome.
5. Career Advancement Opportunities
Career paths for hourly workers are never clearly charted out. Some workers eventually get elevated to managerial positions, however, more often than not, businesses fill more senior positions with external hires. Helping employees envision a long-term future for themselves at the organization and providing them with the opportunities to climb the ladder can be one of the best contributors to employee retention.
7. Inclusion and Support
Hourly workers want to feel like a part of the organization and not as replaceable cogs in the wheel. It doesn’t hurt to organize events and create community-centric events that build a sense of togetherness at the company, helping employees feel like a valued part of the team. This has to go beyond arbitrarily awarding an “employee of the month” broach and calling it a day.
8. Health and Education Benefits
There are many benefits for hourly workers that can vastly improve their quality of life. From health insurance to tuition reimbursement, workers can be rewarded for their long-term commitment to the job with benefits that support their efforts to improve their lives. Educational benefits are a wonderful way to support hourly workers.
9. Employee Training Programs and Upskilling Efforts
Understanding hourly employees and giving them a place of importance at the organization comes with the responsibility of helping them grow in their careers. Employee training programs and upskilling efforts help ensure that your employees are prepared to handle how your business is evolving, offering them a better chance to stay relevant to the organization. An employer that invests in the future of its employees is one worth staying committed to.
10. Provide Feedback and Listen to Feedback
Instead of being replaced in a heartbeat, hourly employees want feedback and support to make the necessary improvements in their performance. Organizations that want to build a better relationship with their employees also need to create opportunities for workers to be more involved in the decisions made at the organization and take their advice and feedback into consideration. Two-way communication is critical for any organization.
Hourly Workers Want Respect, Opportunity, and Support
Hourly workers quit and move jobs frequently because they are often worked to the bone and have no good reason to stay at the organization. Improving the working conditions and creating career paths for hourly workers can go a long way in promoting retention and creating a healthy culture at your organization.
There are many benefits for hourly workers that don’t have to center around a wage hike, although that never hurts either. The best place to start giving hourly workers what they want is by treating them like essential contributors to the organization’s future.