5 Questions About What We Should Be Asking Ourselves About Work Right Now
Where Do You Stand With The "Great Resignation?"
Depending on who you ask, we are in the great “great reassessment of work,” or “great resignation,” Whatever the case, today’s job market is facing upheaval as millions of Americans re-evaluate work and how they want to work, with many choosing to leave for other opportunities, or just leave.The number of articles alone on this topic has grown exponentially over the past few weeks. There’s a shift underway, and whether it ends up being transformative or something smaller, it has major implications for the way we think about our jobs and careers.
Derek Thompson from The Atlantic sums it up best, offering that we could either be in:
“The summer of quitting could augur something bigger: a new golden age, not only of worker power, but also of tech adoption and productivity growth.”
“On the other hand, maybe this isn’t a revolution. Maybe it’s an illusion.”
While we aren’t sure where this will land, in terms of being a blip in the radar or a larger transformational shift, its clear something is in the air. I know this from talking to people across the hiring market, whether that be hiring managers, recruiters, career educators and job seekers. As we think about what lies ahead, One thing to remember is that while this is very much a time of reckoning and reflection, work hasn’t been great for some time. Prior to March 2020, We employee engagement was still pretty low, and while the overall economy seemed to be measuring and tracking, the stock market was humming along, there was massive economic inequality, the lowest labor participation in decades, and companies were undergoing massive transformation with technology.
Topics like upskilling, reskilling, tying education to career outcomes and diversity, equity and inclusion were all in the stratosphere for organizations, higher education institutions and policymakers at the state and federal level. Furthermore, many of the things that came to light during COVID-19, such as the lack of commute, change in work environment, interaction with people, use of meetings, and ways to communicate and connect either made work more or less bearable depending on who you were and your unique situation.
But like many other things, COVID-19 and the events that followed exacerbated and accelerated these trends for people and organizations. In addition to this, and COVID-19, we’ve had a number of other large-scale impactful events that have happened over the past 16-18 months that have impacted us all differently. Whether it be the growing inequality between the haves and have nots, events of police brutality towards Black men and women, political insurrection in the United States, Anti-Asian American hate, or the growing health crisis, these events all impacted people differently but they made us collectively all think about what’s important to us and our lives.
The past 16-18 months for many of us have given us multiple transformative events like that, which is causing all of us to pause and reflect deeply about how to proceed.
In the United States, work is a big part of our lives, and having work be a central part of our lives is a big part of our culture. Given how many of us are taking time to reevaluate our lives, we’re naturally also re-evaluating how work plays a role in it.
Reset and Reflect
A number of questions are continuing to pop up in conversations I have with individuals. While many of them come in the form of tactics (should I apply for this job) when you talk to people and have a conversation with them, they unveil greater fundamental questions of life. These include:
If life is truly finite, what do we want to do to live a “good life?”
What role does work play in our life, and our ability to live a “good life” as we define it?
What is “good work” and what kind of “workplace” do we want to work in?
Let’s be clear - there is a certain amount of privilege that comes with being able to ask and answer these questions. And while the circles I am in are predominantly white collar and knowledge worker circles, we can also see that people of diverse backgrounds are asking these questions as well, as many workers across industries and functions are asking themselves the same thing and coming up with their own answers.
The reality for many of us is that we are going to be working for quite some time. The decisions we make right now may alter our career trajectory and open new doors, but they aren’t irreversible. Furthermore, if you are in a field that is in demand, or if you do have skills and experiences that are in high demand, chances are you will be able to find work if you need to, regardless of which path you choose. Think of Jeff Bezos’ concept of Type 1 (reversible) and Type 2 (irreversible) decisions, and acknowledge that most likely, the next decision you make, is probably not irreversible.
How Can You Make Work Work For you?
Something that I always found interesting is that companies often come out with blanket policies that are meant to apply to lots of people who are all different and unique. Not everyone works in the same way and needs to work in the same way. I don’t think its a controversial statement to think that if you asked two separate employees their idea work environment and work schedule that they would come back with two separate answers. The employee who is the video editor who needs to be in a dark room to edit and splice clips and the BDR/SDR who needs to be near their manager in case they need approval to progress a deal in the pipeline have inherently different work environment structures and needs, yet we expect them to work in the same way. We have an office culture of 9-5, and don’t recognize how that punishes certain groups of our company who have other priorities or needs.
The Upshot
Right now, the best thing you can do is to figure out what makes sense for you, and how you want to make your work, work for you. What that means and how that comes about is going to be different from your peers, and that’s by design and okay. And while it may be tempting to jump ship or YOLO because it seems like everyone else is doing just that, you might find that the best thing you can do right now is staying the course you are on.
If you are considering taking advantage of this time to reflect on what work and workplace you want, consider these questions:
#1:What role does my job and career play in my life?
Are you someone who gets a lot of identity and meaning from your work? Do you want your work to represent your values? Do you see work as a means to an end? Perhaps you see work as a component of your life, adjacent to many other components, like hobbies, interests, or family. None of these are perfect, all of these are valid, but examining the role that want and need to play in your life is a great place to start
#2: What role do humans play in our work life?
Part of why we work is to be social and to connect with other human beings. This was often a struggle during COVID-19 since many of us could not be connected outside of zoom calls. Consider how you see yourself wanting to connect and engage with others, whether that’s colleagues or customers each and every day.
#3: What work environment allows me to do my best work?
The shift we had to make to work from home brought to light the importance of having a good work environment where each of us can produce good work. This often means having space to be creative and having time to think, but also extends to having the right resources such as technology and tools.
#4 What type of work format do I want?
Freelancing is on the rise, and by 2027 it is estimated that the majority of workers will be freelancers. Furthermore, many employers who are facing hiring challenges may be open to part-time or contract work versus losing out on top talent. Think about how various types of employment could work for you.
#5: What is one thing I will miss if I were to leave this job?
The grass may seem greener and seeing everyone else make a career move might tempt you into doing the same, but getting clear on what you appreciate about your job and reflecting on what you might miss can give you perspective on what it would feel like to walk away.
The great resignation is a great chance to rethink and reframe not just our jobs, but the role that work and careers play in our quest to live a good life, however we choose to define it. This is exactly why the time we are in is an exciting opportunity to take time to reflect and define your career aspirations.
Sometimes moving on from a job is clearly the right decision, and while there are reasons to believe that now is a great time to find a new job or career opportunity, reflecting upon what is important to you and defining what you need right now from your job and work is critical to moving forward in a direction that is meaningful to you. By raising these questions strategically, you’re giving yourself the best chance possible to make your current job work for you, without the stress and hassle of having to leave if you don’t really want to.
Additional Resources and Reading:
Hello Monday Podcast: The Great Resignation
WSJ Podcast: Why is Everyone Quitting?
Axios: 53% of workers say they want to leave their job
The Atlantic: Quitting Your Job is a Sign Of Optimism
CNBC: Workers are quitting their jobs to prioritize their mental health
NPR: Why Millions of Workers are Quitting
WSJ: Forget Going Back To Offices, people are just quitting