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It is tempting to consider money as the primary determinant of labor. Certainly, this commodity view of labor, popularized nearly a century ago by economist John Maynard Keynes, is usually the "go to" reason why jobs and labor are often mismatched. However, more recent analysis of the workplace suggest this is a gross simplification of a more complex problem of loyalty and trust and sufficiency.

In the pressroom, where jobs are dirty, disagreeable and physically demanding, the challenge of recruiting and retaining workers cannot be resolved with pay alone. Even if money was no object, an unreasonable assumption where costs are limited by potential revenue, there is little chance that enough workers could be found, whatever the pay, as long as other, more agreeable, jobs exist at a wage sufficient to meet workers' personal needs.

The only way to overcome this barrier is through a combination of goal congruence and mission adherence. Pay workers, sure. Yet, recruit them with the promise of loyalty, and retain them with an acknowledgement of their value, not just to the company, but the mission of the company. Without these workers, the newspaper cannot go to press and the community is poorer for the loss. Make sure they know it and they know you know it, too.

From: Newspapers are Facing a Post-Pandemic Worker Shortage

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