The sticker shock is especially hitting businesses that rely on transportation to get the job done, from truckers to meal delivery and other services that require employees to drive.
That includes Cambridge Caregivers and Manchester Care Homes based in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Their caregivers must drive across North Texas for in-home visits to elderly patients.
Gas prices have gotten so bad, their boss is now putting extra money in the checks – out of pocket – to help cover gas to come to work and respond to house calls.
“I mean, these people are going to their jobs. They’re living their lives and costs are higher for all of us,” said CEO Adam Lampert.
Lampert has a couple hundred staff, so the costs are adding up but he plans to assist employees indefinitely.
“I have every intention of continuing this until there’s some moderation in the gas prices,” said Lampert. “The reality is, is that this is not going to change in the near term. I mean, there’s geopolitical risks. There’s everything that’s going on with Russia, which is a huge supplier of oil and gas. And so the risk of it is such that the prices are not going to come down for quite a while.”
It’s a move he says is a must because it’s already difficult keeping good employees in the health industry.
Lampert is currently hiring and hopes that assisting his employees through these times of inflation and other financial strains can help people feel supported.
“We’re struggling to keep up. We’re struggling to be able to hire people to offer services to our clients,” said Lampert. “Every day, we’re working to put programs together for our staff to attract them and retain them.”