From our survey of Upshifters

How to keep your best hourly workers coming back without raising pay

Upshifters are the hourly workers that hotels, kitchens, venues and warehouses book through Upshift. To learn what hourly workers want from a business, we asked 120 of the top-rated ones what makes them come back.

They scored 13 things that happen on a shift from 1 to 5: how important each one is, and how often it actually happens. The survey did not ask about pay. Every Upshifter quoted below had a 5-star rating from the businesses they work for when they answered.

Phone screen showing one survey question: good arrival and parking instructions, rated for importance and for how often it happens, each from 1 to 5.

1. Workers ranked arrival and parking instructions first, at 4.76 out of 5

Of all 13 things, Upshifters rated good arrival and parking instructions the most important, at 4.76 out of 5. Second was clear expectations of the job before the shift, at 4.72 out of 5. Here are the 6 things rated most important, each scored out of 5:

The 6 things Upshifters rate most important, out of 5: clear arrival and parking instructions 4.76, clear expectations of the job before the shift 4.72, a manager who is open to questions and helps 4.59, proper training 4.56, feeling respected by the manager 4.55, good teamwork 4.49.

A worker who parks in the wrong lot, walks in the wrong door or cannot find the person they report to can start the shift late and stressed.

Proper instructions for the location of the job.
QLQuecyon L.
Upshifter in Cleveland
A true explanation of the type of work expected from me. Too many of the job descriptions are just vague boiler plate. Also up to date info on whom I’m supposed to report to.
CMCameron M.
Upshifter in Columbus

Here is what that means for the shift details, based on their answers:

  • Where to go: the entrance to use and where to park.
  • Who to ask for: a name, not a department.
  • What the job involves: the station or area, the tasks, and what a good shift looks like.

2. Workers say being asked back happens most often, at 4.31 out of 5

Three things happen more often than anything else on the list: being asked back to future shifts, feeling respected by the manager, and good teamwork. Here are their scores for how often each one happens:

Table from our Upshifter survey. Feeling respected by the manager: 4.55 out of 5 for importance and 4.14 for how often it happens. Good teamwork: 4.49 and 4.14. Being asked to return to future shifts: 4.20 and 4.31.
Scores out of 5. Feeling respected by the manager: 4.55 for importance, 4.14 for how often. Good teamwork: 4.49 and 4.14. Being asked back to future shifts: 4.20 and 4.31.
Ask you to come back. You’re not an employee, so when they ask to reserve you for a number of days, it’s a testimony of what they think of your work.
OSOscar S.
Upshifter in Charlotte
I would be willing to return because everyone worked together like a All-Star team and got the job done.
TJTorrence J.
Upshifter in Houston
Be there and available when needed and provide feedback on the job without being an overseer.
TCTonya C.
Upshifter in Dayton

Two more sit just behind them. A manager who is open to questions and willing to help scored 4.06 out of 5 for how often it happens, and feeling respected by the other employees scored 4.08.

3. Three important things happen less often: job expectations, training and coworker effort

These three are rated very important, but all scored under 3.9 out of 5 for how often they happen.

Knowing the job before they arrive

How important4.72
How often3.82
Gap between the two scores: 0.90 points

Clear expectations of the job before the shift: Upshifters scored it 4.72 out of 5 for importance, the second highest of all 13, and 3.82 out of 5 for how often it happens.

My best employers have been businesses [...] who also had fair, approachable, and effective leadership & management in place that explained the goals and expectations for each shift.
TAThomas A.
Upshifter in Columbus

Training on how your site works

How important4.56
How often3.87
Gap between the two scores: 0.69 points

Proper training: Upshifters scored it 4.56 out of 5 for importance and 3.87 out of 5 for how often it happens. In the written answers, they asked for training on how each site works.

The best employer I’ve worked at really took time to train us and set expectations.
ECEric C.
Upshifter in Houston

Coworkers who do their share

How important4.44
How often3.72
Gap between the two scores: 0.72 points

Working with people who have a good work ethic: Upshifters scored it 4.44 out of 5 for importance and 3.72 out of 5 for how often it happens.

Don’t let other employees get away with not doing work just because one employee is doing a lot of work.
TCTonya C.
Upshifter in Dayton

4. A greeting on the first shift happens least often of all 13

A manager greeting you on your first shift scored 4.17 out of 5 for importance and 3.70 out of 5 for how often it happens. That is the lowest how-often score of all 13.

Feeling part of the team scored 4.21 out of 5 for importance and 4.01 out of 5 for how often it happens.

Welcomed feeling when arriving for work. It was great to see the smiles, waves and being greeted upon arrival.
MDMark D.
Upshifter in Las Vegas
Employer made extra effort to treat me as a valuable asset and made me feel welcomed and part of the team.
PLPatricia L.
Upshifter in Dallas

What workers asked for before, during and after the shift

Putting the answers in the order of a shift, this is what Upshifters described.

  1. Before the shift

    • The shift details above: where to go, who to ask for and what the job involves.

  2. When they arrive

    • Someone greets them on their first shift.
    • A few minutes on how this station or line works.
    • An introduction to the people they will work next to.

  3. During the shift

    • A manager who is around when questions come up.
    • Teammates who do their share of the work.

  4. At the end

    • If the shift went well, they are asked back.

Upshifters asked for clear details before the shift, a greeting on arrival and a short walkthrough. A worker who comes back already knows your site, so the walkthrough can be shorter.

Three ways to get the same workers back and set them up well

On Upshift you can book the same workers again.

Favorites: mark the Upshifters you want back, and post your shifts to them first.

Rosters: group your workers into named rosters by role or shift, like your weekend line cooks or your peak-season pickers.

Shift description: put the job and the arrival and parking details in the shift description, so Upshifters read it before they claim the shift.

Client quote from Cassidy Siler-Smith, HR Manager at Kao Collins: [...] we can invite workers that we have enjoyed and bring them back directly. That was never an option with temp agencies.

These businesses get the same Upshifters back

Return rate is the share of Upshifters who come back to the same business for more shifts. Fill rate is the share of posted shifts that get filled.

Compass GroupUniversity dining
85%
return rate

Chartwells at UNC Charlotte built a regular group of Upshifters to supplement its student staff.

See how they did it →
TenteManufacturing
92%
return rate

Tente staffs its warehouse with 5 to 10 flexible workers every day.

See how they did it →
HyattHotels
82%
return rate, and a 92% fill rate

Hyatt Regency Cincinnati built a core culinary team of Upshifters who know the job and the kitchen.

See how they did it →
See how flexible teams work

About the survey: 120 high-performing Upshifters rated 13 things that happen on a shift, for how important each one is to them and how often it happens, both on a scale of 1 to 5. Quotes are their own words, lightly trimmed.