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Publications
  • May–June 2023
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review

The High Cost of Neglecting Low-Wage Workers: Six Mistakes That Companies Make—and How They Can Do Better

By: Joseph Fuller and Manjari Raman
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:9
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Abstract

Many companies blame outside factors for the trouble they’ve been having in finding and retaining frontline workers: the pandemic, the government’s stimulus checks, the intrinsic nature of low-wage work. The authors argue that in fact the real problem lies in six big mistakes companies themselves have long been making, in such basic areas as hiring, career development, and mentoring. They offer some practical suggestions for how leaders can do better, for their workers and their organizations.

Keywords

Retention; Recruitment; Human Capital; Personal Development and Career; Compensation and Benefits; Performance Productivity

Citation

Fuller, Joseph, and Manjari Raman. "The High Cost of Neglecting Low-Wage Workers: Six Mistakes That Companies Make—and How They Can Do Better." Harvard Business Review 101, no. 3 (May–June 2023): 40–48.
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About The Author

Joseph B. Fuller

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • 2025
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    Governors Reshaping Workforce Development: Turning WIOA Challenges into Workforce Solutions

    By: Joseph B. Fuller, Kerry McKittrick, Nathalie Gazzaneo, Ariel Higuchi, Justine Gluck, Zoe Butler, Jack Porter and Malena Dailey
    • 2025
    • Faculty Research

    Navigating Opportunity: Career Information and Mobility in Low-Wage Employment

    By: Joseph B. Fuller, Kerry McKittrick, Amanda Holloway, Rony Rodriguez Ramirez and Ali Epstein
    • March 10, 2025
    • Harvard Business Review (website)

    How Gen AI Could Change the Value of Expertise

    By: Joseph Fuller, Matt Sigelman and Michael Fenlon
More from the Authors
  • Governors Reshaping Workforce Development: Turning WIOA Challenges into Workforce Solutions By: Joseph B. Fuller, Kerry McKittrick, Nathalie Gazzaneo, Ariel Higuchi, Justine Gluck, Zoe Butler, Jack Porter and Malena Dailey
  • Navigating Opportunity: Career Information and Mobility in Low-Wage Employment By: Joseph B. Fuller, Kerry McKittrick, Amanda Holloway, Rony Rodriguez Ramirez and Ali Epstein
  • How Gen AI Could Change the Value of Expertise By: Joseph Fuller, Matt Sigelman and Michael Fenlon
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