We are living in time when the employees have many options. Those options may consist of finding another role within another organization/company, self employment, contract employment, or unemployment. Americans are making the the decision not to go back into the workplace for personal and professional reasons, but also due to the mandates on employees at organizations/companies across the United States.
According to Cate Chapman of Linkedin, approximately 4.2 million abandoned positions in October which accounts for about 2.8% of the overall U.S. workforce. At this time, the U.S. job market has almost 5 million more open positions than the people who are seeking work. Moreover, the most affected industries are the retail and hospitality. At this point and really always, people want work/life balance. People do not want to have to put their life on the line for minimal wages, not have time off or flexibility, and just simply be unhappy at some of the places of employment. It is not about being lazy; it is about having a life and not living to work only. It is important for people to be able to take care of their families, take care of their health concerns, take care of themselves mentally, and having time to decompress. Honestly, it does not seem like much to me, but it is evident that many companies are still not trying to empathize and incorporate more flexibility in the workplace.
It is vital that companies pay employees correctly, offer benefits, offer opportunities for flexibility and work/life balance, and be open to providing professional development for employees. Thus, I am not sure what 2022 is going to look like regarding the workforce, but my hope is that work/life balance becomes the norm, people are paid what they are worth and receive at least cost of living adjustments, and policies are generated which encourages more and better professional development opportunities.
