Nobody Wants to Work Anymore
Are people dismissing the root-cause with this statement?
“Nobody wants to work anymore”. Have you heard this phrase? I’ve seen it on the internet and tossed around in conversation to help explain why businesses everywhere seem to be short-staffed.
“Nobody wants to work anymore” — could we possibly reframe or rephrase? Because, at its core, that means me, too. And you. Everybody. NOBODY wants to work anymore?
During the pandemic, workers in many industries were told to stay home. (As an aside, I’m ready for my 1-2 year paid vacation when everything settles down). There were streams of money made available to people so they could afford their rent/mortgage, groceries, utilities, etc. while unable to work (not allowed to work). So the world didn’t plunge further into chaos. So people weren’t having to choose between the health/safety of themselves, their families, their workplace, and their communities. So the Healthcare industry could try to catch its breath — in the middle of chaos. As restrictions were lifted, the expectation was that the workers would, you know, return to work. Business as usual.
One way the story gets told is that everyone got a taste of being paid to not work, and they’ve all collectively decided not to return.
“Nobody wants to work anymore”.
Like a strong-willed toddler? “I WON’T eat my dinner” or “I WON’T go to bed”? They don’t want to, so they don’t?
I have a hard time believing this to be true. Personally, I enjoy working hard, being compensated for my time and hard work, feeling that it was well-spent, and being able to do things I enjoy during my non-work time. Being a nurse, I also get the added satisfaction of (sometimes) helping improve someone’s life or health. Even just a smidge. It’s pretty rad doing fulfilling work that seems to make an positive impact in the lives of others.
So how about we reframe the titular phrase and think of everyone like we think of nurses or other Healthcare workers.
Can we take a moment to give everyone the benefit of the doubt?
Nobody wants to WORK anymore? — is that possible? Have all we humans lost our ability and drive to work? What are we wanting to do instead?
Nobody wants to work anymore? — Did they used to want to work above all else? Is work the same here as it is around the world? Could we be doing something better to support workers as a whole?
What if any of the following are possible/true:
Maybe folks ….
don’t want to spend 40+ hours a week making minimum wage (which, don’t forget, is not a living wage) (and that’s not to mention server wages + tips)
are tired of working two jobs to just “get by”
don’t want to perform uncompensated over-time due to their pay structure (salaried workers, mandatory overtime)
haven’t seen a raise that’s kept up with inflation in a while
would prefer to have benefits that actually benefit workers and their families
are afraid of the liability of continuing to work short-staffed, rushed, tired, untrained, unprepared
believe health insurance should not be tied to employment
have found child/elder/dependent care to be cost-prohibitive or unavailable, especially on off-shifts (evenings, nights, weekends, holidays)
would rather spend their time on what they value most, like taking care of themselves, their loved ones, and their community
Consider the time and energy that was spent creating these panels. Did anyone question the value of a minute?
How we spend our time is how we spend ourselves.
Is work our worth?
Is how we spend our time our worth?
No, that can’t be right.
How we spend our time is how we spend ourselves.
Whether it’s making less than minimum wage (+ tips) as a server or taking drive-thru orders for a little bit more, or those in the top 1%, every human you encounter in their work is being paid for their time. How much is your time worth?
I can’t tell anyone how much is enough. I don’t know.
I do know this is something that impacts all industries, and we’re really feeling it in Healthcare. When I hear that “nobody wants to work…” — while I’m surrounded by diligent, vigilant, hardworking, tenacious individuals and teams — there’s no validity in that statement. And this is my counter to it.
I think ENOUGH might mean:
Leaving work at a reasonable time with enough energy to perform at home
Spending time outside of work not thinking or worrying about work
Getting to enjoy time off when the rest of the world seems to also be off (holidays, nights, weekends)
Having money to spend on enjoyable activities during free time
How do we get there from here?
I think it starts by changing our assumptions about people. Reframing this conversation. And maybe, instead of this blanket statement about “them”, we could ask some questions. We, as a collective, could start asking “why”, then start figuring out what to do about it.
My question to you, listener/reader is: How can frontline Healthcare keep the frontline/bedside care of patients desirable for experienced, loving, compassionate clinicians? If they’re leaving in droves — where are they going? What can be done to keep that experience at the bedside?
What do we do?
Take some time to noodle on this, and I hope you have a lovely day.
Love,
Jessie
Love your commentary on this. I have been hearing this more and more lately but the people gripping don’t want to look deeply at the issue.
This is magic