The Great Resignation

I find compelling evidence as to why both younger people and older people are not willing to return back to the office in white-collar work settings. Child care is a huge hurdle for many workers and at the moment, many companies simply don’t offer the flexibility that is needed to accommodate for that. This has led to a sharp drop off in the number of women in the workforce today because they still tend to be the primary child caregiver in many households. Older people now have the time to fully realize what they want to do in their lives as the pandemic allowed them to reflect and think about their choices. Many people are switching industries because they realize they are dissatisfied with their previous work.

Specifically, the social contract between employers and employees is being rewritten as power is being handed to employees. 4 day work weeks are being rolled out in limited but promising samples. Especially due to the interconnectivity of the world today, having 5 day work weeks and 9–5 hours don’t make sense with time zones. If productivity is either increased or constant and people workers remain much happier, then I believe the current structure of work will fundamentally shift. Commutes also waste a huge amount of time that can otherwise be spent getting sleep or exercise, both of which should benefit the morale and overall wellbeing of employees.

Stimulus checks have been lauded as something that allows millions of lazy Americans to just sit at home and collect money. However, it actually is allowing people to take their time and decide what is best for them. People are being much pickier with their careers and want benefits and flexibility that will allow work to not feel dead end. With increased benefits and flexibility, there is a lot less stress on employees as they won’t have to work about basic services they need to provide themselves with. The increase in remote jobs is likely directly correlated to the increase in emigration out of high-rent cities with apartments so people can finally enjoy a nice home.