I know this is antiwork but I am pretty close with my family and they have been struggling during COVID to keep a team and meet deadlines. My parents and older brother are auto bodywork shop owners in Canada and they have been making SO many improvements for their employees!
They raised all entry level jobs (car cleaners, shop assistants and drivers) from 16$ to 20$ an hour. The painters and bodyworkers also got raises (their salaries vary with experience).
They have signed a contract with the town’s school to give opportunities to students in body repairs and painting to do a PAID internship for their end of program with the possibility of permanent hire.
They have recently hired a Cuban man and my parents and brother are taking Spanish lessons to be able to better communicate with him. They invited his girlfriend and him to dinner so that she could help translate and everyday my dad stays 30 minutes more at the end of the day to speak with him about how things went that day (his girlfriend picks him up so he waits and so my dad waits with him).
They ditched their old insurance company and upgraded everyone to a new plan that includes dental, optometry, chiro/massotherapy AND a telemedicine program for mental health and physical care. They also paid extra for the program so that their employees can receive money back that they did not use so they can put it in savings or spend it on whatever they want.
They have also decided to do a four day week with a “flexible Friday” so employees can choose to work on Friday morning or afternoon or not at all and can use another day’s time for appointments or other responsibilities. They are getting paid 40h anyways.
They have also decided to start employees with 18 days off per year instead of 1 week (which is the norm in this field) and adding a week per year they have been there for.
I am very close with my family and when my mom (who does the accounting and general management) told me of all the changes and new additions, my heart swelled. My parents are hard working people and they know what it is to struggle with three kids in a capitalist hellscape! My dad is always in the shop running around and working with his team making sure things run smoothly, my brother is dealing with the customers and purchases. It is a “ma and pa” shop and even though I know the whole “we’re a family” type teams are not well perceived here, I think that my parents have achieved something awesome for their team!
I can only hope to find something similar in my field!