One more thing about the WFH environment. It has spawned massive quitting of jobs, so much so that it even has a name -- The Great Resignation. Do an internet search and you'll find all kinds of information about it.
It seems extended time at home got folks to rethinking a lot of things, including their careers.
Some members of two-earner households decided they could get by on one income.
Others decided life is too short to work for a toxic, narcissistic manager.
Still others concluded, as I have mentioned previously, WFH is a good fit, and when their employer said, "Come back to the office," they said, "I don't think so," gave notice and found a job in which WFH is acceptable.
It's fascinating stuff, and yet another example of how the pandemic has turned things upside down.
Employers are in a dilemma, of course, as workers are quitting in droves. Companies are finding new ways to entice employees and I suspect some, who are harping on the "come back to the office" message, might have to back off a bit if they want to retain good employees.
I don't ever remember it being like this, where workers have these kinds of choices.
As for me, I'm hoping to ride my current train to retirement, WFH or not, although it's what I'm doing now and it looks as if it will last a while.
I'm not ready to hang it up just yet.
6 comments:
Yes it is a funny old world we are living in at present - heaven knows how we shall all end up.
Things really have changed (in many ways!). We're a far cry from the days of staying with a single company throughout one's career, retiring with a gold watch.
It is amazing how the work environment has changed, with fast food establishments now offering $15 an hour and signing bonuses... Of course, those are jobs that can't be done at home. The WFH movement will help rural communities if we could have been internet options.
Although I'm sure you know this, WFH is largely an urban thing. Out in the boondocks where I'm from, I know very few people who have WFH during this entire ordeal. Some of it is just the lack of white collar jobs where this is possible but a big part of this is just the quality of the internet. I'm fortunate in that I can afford to pay through the teeth to the one provider in our area that can provide high speed and reliable internet. Most can't and are left with other options that are far from high speed and can be out days if not weeks at a time due to problems.
I think this is part of why my vision is skewed on the pandemic as most people around me have continued to work and go about their lives, albeit with many wearing masks, during this entire thing. Staying home just wasn't an option.
That’s very interesting, Ed, and I appreciate your enlightening me. Obviously it has affected education as well.
I never had the option of work from home although some people in our company did (and still are). There are a lot of jobs crying to be filled in my area too. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out. I received a written warning because I took two days off because I was sick. I brought in paperwork from the doctor as well as a negative covid test. I said, "I'm not signing that. You have a sign on the door listing symptoms that we are not allowed to enter the building with. I had four of them." The topic was brought up once more. I explained in my mind I was being sensible and following the directions on the door. I also said that I wasn't trying to be a pisser about the whole thing, but really, if it was going to turn into a big deal, I was quitting.
It was dropped. Of course they knew that we already had active covid in our department and that word was not being passed along. The following Monday, the death of our coworker was announced.
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