How Hotel Engine supports agency staffing during strikes

In 2023 alone, more than 33 significant strikes took place, marking the highest number of labor disputes in over two decades.¹ This high number indicates that while quiet quitting remains an ongoing challenge for businesses, the threat of workers going on strike is an equally pressing concern.²

No matter the cause, it is clear that worker shortages are a major concern for various industries, including healthcare, hospitality, transportation, and construction. In these instances, organizations and businesses need to find employees quickly. 

Here is where staffing agencies step in. They alleviate the challenge of staffing shortages by

ensuring businesses can operate as usual (or close to usual) during labor disputes. But they may face their own set of stresses during strikes, including looking for hotel deals with flexible date and securing proper lodging for the surge of laborers they might see.

Fortunately, staffing agencies don’t have to navigate complex group bookings for large teams alone. Read on to discover how you can set your staffing operations up for success to help your own staffing operations continue without a hitch during labor strikes.

Navigating strike-induced staffing challenges

Unemployment reached record lows during the pandemic, but the United States job market bounced back in its aftermath—and then some.¹ At the same time, a collective desire for better pay, benefits, and conditions fueled unrest. According to the U.S. Department of Labor³:

• A total of 458,900 workers participated in strikes throughout 2023.
• The majority of the strikes took place in the film, healthcare, and automotive industries.

On one hand, the long-term advantages of strikes for workers—whether it’s ensuring safer conditions or higher pay—are often just as necessary. On the other hand, the staffing challenges that arise during strikes can hit businesses and the economy as a whole hard. Let’s have a closer look.

Exploring the operational impact of strikes

Whether a strike occurs within the manufacturing industry or at a hospital, the impact is often deeply felt across the board. In fact, businesses and organizations may experience a wide range of problems that can become catastrophic, including^4,5:^,

• School closures
• Delivery disruptions
• Supply chain snags
• Decreased production and profitability 
• Inventory imbalances
• Loss of employee morale
• Damaged reputation
• Reduced patient care, longer wait times, and treatment postponements

Strikes can also wreak havoc on the economy, primarily by slowing its growth while also skyrocketing consumer prices.⁶

What does all of this underscore? Staffing agencies play a pivotal, if not imperative, role in helping businesses manage these challenging times.  

Critical features for effective crisis management 

Organizations have several tools at their disposal to handle strikes, such as⁷:

• Offering presentations to the public – As mentioned, one of the biggest fallouts businesses face during strikes is the long-term harm to their reputation, both from an employee and public standpoint. To this end, it’s widely advised to communicate with the media and public through formal press conferences and other events.

• Creating a crisis management team – Strikes can take on many forms, from demonstrations to walk-outs. They can also be (and often are) driven by high emotions. A crisis management team can help dispel the tensions that may emerge and do so in a trained, responsive manner that further shields the organization’s reputation.

• Bringing in temporary and replacement workers – For large-scale operations, temporary and replacement employees can be a lifesaver—the difference between a business continuing to exist and being forced to shutter its doors. Naturally, and as you know, staffing agencies must comply with legislation set forth by the National Labor Relations Act (NRLA), just as they must work toward protecting the rights of all parties involved.⁸ And yet, the help they can offer might be downright priceless.

The benefits of using Hotel Engine for strike staffing

As instrumental as a staffing agency may be during a labor dispute, some, and perhaps yours, may have to figure out the logistics of where to house their temporary workers. 

Here is where Hotel Engine Groups can be a lifesaver of its own kind. Our M.O. is to streamline the hotel and booking process and turn it into what it should be: seamless and effortless so that agencies like yours can concentrate on the other priorities at hand. A few of the leading benefits we provide include:

• An app and website that’s free to join and use.
• Incidental coverage so that you or your employees don’t have to hand over a credit card at check-in.
• No membership fees—in other words, no catch. 

When staffing agencies use Hotel Engine for group booking, they can expect white-glove service, simple side-by-side property comparisons, expertly negotiated rates (that aren’t typically available to the public), and guidance from a dedicated Travel Manager. 

Let’s dive into all of our offers to give you a feel for our suite of services. 

Customized group booking solutions

When responding to strikes, both large and small, staffing agencies often take a group approach to finding lodging—they try their best to place the entire temporary labor team in one location. Spreading workers across properties poses logistical challenges and drives up the cost of temporary housing. 

But this isn’t always easy. 

The urgency of unpredictable labor events leaves little time for a staffing agency to filter through dozens and perhaps hundreds of accommodations to locate the most fitting housing solutions for their workers. 

Hotel Engine streamlines your travel experience with our premium group booking services. Our expert travel team handles the booking and management of group hotel reservations, negotiating the best deals on your behalf.  

Start by entering your trip details into the platform. Then, use our interactive map to find hotels that best match your criteria, filtering by walking distance, star rating, popular amenities, and more. 

Once you submit details, your dedicated travel manager will begin sourcing hotels that match your selections. As proposals come in, you can review the options side-by-side and accept the best lodging for your group. 

With access to over 750,000 properties worldwide, you're sure to find the perfect group lodging, whether you're in San Francisco or relocating temporary employees to Seattle.

Access to competitive rates and adaptable terms

When you’re booking at scale, housing costs can add up fast. Hotel Engine’s pricing approach was built with group bookings in mind, helping staffing agencies and freestanding companies make lodging as economical as possible. 

It’s working, too: Our members may secure accommodations that are up to 60% less expensive than lodging typically found on consumer sites. This includes rooms at some of the world’s most well-known and beloved properties, like:

• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
• Hilton Hotels & Resorts
• Choice Hotels
• Best Western
• The Red Collection
• Drury Hotels
• Extended Stay America
• Radisson Hotels
• Marriott

In addition, Hotel Engine offers its members the ability to modify their reservations with a simple click of a button. This is especially helpful for staffing agencies contending with group housing challenges—strike circumstances can change quickly, so simple reservation changes to large-scale bookings are a must.

Streamlined billing 

Handling the cost of accommodations for a large group of temporary and replacement workers can be a sheer headache. Our all-in-one platform eases this by offering two ways to pay:

• Upon booking your group of rooms, or 
• Through direct billing, with the option of consolidated billing

No matter which option you choose, you’ll make only one payment—instead of entering or reading off payment information for multiple individual reservations, Hotel Engine partners can include all of your lodging expenses in one transaction. 

We even supply agencies like yours with a customizable dashboard to keep track of your travel expenses. Instead of sifting through credit card statements for cost coding, you can use our simple platform to generate reports and visualize your overall lodging spend.

A first-rate rewards system

One of the most attractive perks Hotel Engine offers its members is the chance to rack up reward points—both with Hotel Engine and with more than 15 participating hotels on select stays. 

Since staffing agencies must coordinate temporary lodgings for groups of employees every day, reward points can add up quickly. By streamlining the booking and rewards process for large groups, Hotel Engine makes it easy to actually use those precious points.

Effective management of your bookings with a dedicated travel manager

Booking accommodations for either a large or small group of temporary workers can feel more than overwhelming when you’re already dealing with managing a strike. Hotel Engine gives members the option of working with a committed Travel Manager who will handle your bookings and modifications for you. We’ll also leverage our relationships with hotels across the world to find you vacancies that aren’t publicly listed.

When it comes to large-scale housing logistics, our Travel Managers have unmatched expertise. They’ll leverage their resources and relationships to:

• Try to house your entire team in one location (if this isn’t possible, they can arrange accommodations in close proximity).
• Secure benefits like dining packages and access to amenities.
• Get you the best bang for your buck.

For staffing agencies in a time crunch or working with limited budgets, our Travel Managers are the collaborators you need for group lodging ease.

How to begin with Hotel Engine

Intrigued? It’s easy to get started: 

• Register your staffing agency directly with Hotel Engine by filling out the group form
• Await contact from your Travel Manager
• Compare hotel rates chosen especially for your workers’ needs 
• Book with confidence—and know that we’ll be with you every step of the way

And, here’s proof that our relationship doesn’t end at booking. Our member support team offers help for an array of issues that can arise during group bookings, including:

• Missing reservations
• Double credit card charges
• Early departures
• Trip extensions

Trust that we work towards resolving complications and other issues as rapidly as possible. Our member support team is 100% free and can be reached 24/7, 365 days a year. As such, we offer round-the-clock, live customer support in the U.S. via chat, phone, or email. 

Simplify your lodging needs during a strike with Hotel Engine

As mentioned earlier, last year's strikes in 2023 were the highest in over twenty years, affecting nearly half a million employees.⁹ Whether we’ll see an uptick in labor disputes in the coming year or years remains unclear, but some experts suggest that the present political and economic climate indicates we will. 

What is clear is that staffing agencies play a critical role in helping businesses stay afloat during these labor crises. Some may also have a job that’s just as crucial: providing temporary and replacement workers with safe and satisfying group accommodations. 

Hotel Engine is the all-in-one hotel search and booking solution you’ve been hoping to find. From negotiating the most attractive rates to supplying members with best-in-class 24/7 customer support, you can rest assured your employees will receive the rest they need to work well. And because strikes often call for a swift response, know that we’ll work just as quickly and hard.

Learn why we’re the go-to platform for more than 40,000 companies and 700,000 travelers by starting a trip request now.

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Sources: 

1. ‍‍The Washington Post. Major strikes in 2023 set a 20-year record, labor department says. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/02/21/strikes-2023-workers-labor-department/
2. Investopedia. What is quiet quitting—and is it a real trend? https://www.investopedia.com/what-is-quiet-quitting-6743910
3. News Release. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkstp.pdf‍
4. USC Consulting Group. How do strikes impact the manufacturing industry?https://usccg.com/blog/how-do-strikes-impact-the-manufacturing-industry/
5. Trusted Health. Understanding nursing & healthcare strikes. https://www.trustedhealth.com/blog/nursing-healthcare-strikes‍
6. The New York Times. Economic impact of an auto strike could be felt nationwide. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/13/business/economy/uaw-strike-economic-impact.html‍
7. Projections. Four tips for crisis control during a labor event. https://projectionsinc.com/unionproof/keeping-it-cool-4-tips-for-crisis-control-during-a-labor-union-event/‍
8. RSS Inc. The role of strike staffing agencies in protecting employee rights. https://www.rssinc.com/blog/the-role-of-strike-staffing-agencies-in-protecting-employee-rights‍
9. Employment Law Worldview. Union strike activity surged in 2023: More of the same in 2024? (US) https://www.employmentlawworldview.com/union-strike-activity-surged-in-2023-more-of-the-same-in-2024/