Economic Impacts Facing Industrial Athletes Pose Rising Challenges

Concerns of Rising Costs of Living and Inadequate Pay is Cause For Concern

A boom in eCommerce and the lingering possibility of a recession are at the forefront of most people’s minds, especially the Industrial Athletes working across critical industries in the United States. The possibility of a global recession currently sits at 98% and may have an impact not only on consumers but on blue-collar workers as well.

In our new Industrial Athlete Workforce Report — which anonymously polled more than 600 active industrial workers across the U.S. — workers reported the economy’s health as a top fear. They have every reason for concern too  as the boom in eCommerce and consumer purchasing behavior continues to evolve post-pandemic. With a pending recession and fluctuation in demand, workers may become over-strained, laid off, or have to pursue a new job. Sixteen percent of workers reported concerns that extra work will need to be covered for laid-off employees. 

According to Insider:

When people work, and how much they work, depends on the whims of online shoppers, whose expectations of overnight delivery — or even same-day delivery — forces workers to spring into action to fulfill the never-ending cascade of orders.

When shopping behavior shifts so do the hours of industrial workers, which increases the chance for safety risk and potential workers’ comp time due to injury. 

Demanding hours and extra work coverage isn’t the only concern either. 

Workers are worried that raises and promotions will be withheld especially as the turnover rate increases across some major retailers. 

“Even before the pandemic, Amazon was thought to be hemorrhaging 3% of its hourly associates every week — an annual turnover rate of 150%, almost double that of the retail industry, reports Insider. “For warehouses, keeping the floor stocked with workers is harder than keeping the shelves stocked with inventory.”

An uncertain economy also leads Industrial Athletes to one of their top concerns which is their pay not covering the rising costs of living. Fueling this concern is also a top stressor for workers: lack of adequate income. Both of which have a large impact on workers’ financial and mental well-being. 

“The future of work shouldn’t be exclusive,” said StrongArm Founder Sean Petterson in a recent piece from Occupational Health & Safety. “The conversation that we’re hearing so much today around flexible benefits and more comprehensive body and mind support from employers isn’t including our most critical workforce – the Industrial Athletes who manufacture all of our goods, keep our grocery shelves stocked and deliver critical services.” said Sean Petterson via.

Read more on economic factors and stressors Industrial Workers are facing in our report here.