Blame it largely on the pandemic, which weakened the hold the workplace held on people’s psyches
By outward appearances, the labor market today looks much as it did before the pandemic. The unemployment rate is just as low, the share of adults in the labor force is just as high, and wages are growing at roughly the same pace after inflation.
But beneath the surface, the nature of labor has changed profoundly. Career and work aren’t nearly as central to the lives of Americans. They want more time for their families and themselves, and more flexibility about when, where and how they work.
The impact of this change can already be seen in both individual companies and the broader economy. It has led to a persistent shortage of workers, especially in jobs that seem less desirable because, for example, they require in-person work or fixed hours. That, in turn, has altered the bargaining position of employers and employees—forcing employers to adapt, not just by paying more but giving priority to quality of life in job offers.
To be sure, some of these changes arise from an exceptionally tight labor market. If unemployment rises, some of employees’ newfound leverage may evaporate.
Yeah, people stopped caring about work because we all know it doesn’t matter. You can give every last inch of yourself to your employer and they will simply say “not enough”. You can give your left kidney to an executive in need of a transplant, in the hopes that it will look good on your review, and the executive will say, “Should have given me both kidneys.”. They are hungry and ravenous beasts, who bite and bite and bite and are never full.
1 in 5 Executive leaders agree with this statement…
Imagine lie so bad that even executives have hard time agreeing xD
They say blame the pandemic. I say blame the companies that bitch when people finally realize how important their time was.
I say blame the lack of enforcement of antitrust law for eroding the value of work.
People finally realized what is important and got a taste of life without constantly being overworked. Good for them. Most of modern work is totally ridiculous bullshit in the big scheme of things.
Cause companies don’t care. It’s a 2 way street. Help me help you.
I just realized at some point how bullshit it is that I spend so much of my not doing what I really love to do. Work on projects I care about, hang out with friends, play games, go camping, sew, paint, read, cook, bake, all the little things we’re told to appreciate get crammed into our limited waking hours after clocking out. And the job just sucks away the energy I have to do those things. Why do I have to be 65 (at least) to finally relax and just enjoy life?
I’m just a sponge being squeezed of every ounce of productivity when I’m at work. It’s never a case of “you’re good enough” but always “aim higher, be better”. I’m over it. The veil has been lifted. None of these businesses see me as a human, and I’m dedicating my world to them I’m exchange for the bare minimum. If everyone was fighting together I’d want to rally, but I don’t get a better slice of the pie if I make it bigger. So… fuck em.
make a fourth of what made five years ago but same job
think part of why people work less now is because of no incentive
pay is way down, moral is low, and bills are higher than the income
recreational drugs are being outpriced for the first time in my lifetime by food costs
Americans are being treated like shit by their bosses and are finally starting to realize that the fantasy of “anyone can be rich” they’ve been promised all their lives is a total sham. Of course they’re not working as hard.
Talk to some older folks.
As late as 1980, $20.00 made you feel like a big shot. You could buy yourself something fancy, or go out for a nice night on the town, or throw a great party.
You can have $20,000.00 in your hand today and feel like a chump. It won’t get you a new car, or make a downpayment on a house, Might let you rent a tiny room for a year, but you’ll be eating a lot of ramen.
That’s because people already had cars and houses then. So the $20 was extra. You could spend it on a nice meal, or some gas to go on a road trip. You could have seen the Rolling Stones in San Francisco for $15.50 in 1981:
Life is “better” now, because communications are essentially free. But basic things cost way more.
Can confirm
I personally was tired of working my ass off for some rich ceo douche bag so I quit and am looking for something better
So, that means we’ll soon have a minimum of 5 weeks vacation time like the Europeans, right? Right?
I’ve done the math. I make $10,000 less today than I did in 2018, adjusted for inflation. No shit I care less about work.
The pandemic also showed how quick companies were to cut staff the second stuff happened. And while the government quickly came up with PPP, with Trump’s poor oversight, companies learned they could just pocket the money and screw the employees it was meant for.
That said, the pandemic just exposed a lot of long term feelings the younger generation has had.
so what the solution beside not working guys ? in the past we have french revolution, now because everyone can watch netflix and play games nobody do shit anymore
So many different ways to cope with the horrifying idea that companies need us more than we need them. For this rare moment, just a sliver of time, we workers are not forced to prostrate ourselves at their feet. Instead of understanding that labor is a market and right now it’s a sellers market, they are inventing cultural changes to explain their sudden loss of fortune and power.
Millions of American workers died or became disabled due to a virus that we failed to handle responsibly. Millions more left the workforce to care for children or family members. All the while, demand for goods and services stayed strong. More work to do and fewer people to do it, gonna have to pay more for labor. It’s so fucking simple.
It’s not that I don’t care about work, it’s that I don’t care about YOU! I have other options my dude, cough up or I will find somebody who will.
This also isn’t the first time this has happened. The Black Death in the 14th century put the final nail in the coffin of serfdom and also led to the rise of the middle class. It turns out that, when a significant portion of the workforce either dies or leaves the workforce, the bargaining power of the remaining workers goes up. I don’t think it’s any surprise that we are also seeing a resurgence of unions as well. Workers have been tired of this shit for a long time, we’re just now in a position to do something about it.
