Dr. David Childs, D.D., Ph.D.
Northern Kentucky University 
Getty; Adam Maida / The Atlantic
Introduction
Have you noticed lately that when you go to many public places there seems to be a shortage of staffing (Not to mention a lack of product and materials, but that is for a different article). In terms of a shortage of staffing, when we go to our local grocery store to do shopping there are very few workers available to check out our items. Or when we go to a fast food restaurant the lines are unusually long. Further, when receiving or sending mail through the United States Postal Service, it seems that it has been taking longer than usual to receive or send packages or letters. This labor shortage is in many ways connected to the ongoing and relentless pandemic and its devastating impact on our economy. It has been a perfect storm. Workers in sectors such as the meat packing industry, the shipping industry and warehouses began to be sick from the pandemic which resulted in a shortage of workers. Further, when the world was in quarantine and people either lost their jobs or worked from home, they no longer accepted the fact that they needed to be on site daily to get work done or had to accept low wages for a thankless job. All in all, we are experiencing the global effects of people simply deciding not to come to work. Experts are calling this phenomenon the Great Resignation. Derek Thompson, in his October Atlantic article entitled “The Great Resignation Is Accelerating” states that “a lasting effect of this pandemic will be a revolution in worker expectation.”
Getty- Forbes.com
“The Great Resignation Is Accelerating”
Thompson offers more insight on this phenomenon in his article. He states “I first noticed that something weird was happening this past spring. In April, the number of workers who quit their job in a single month broke an all-time U.S. record. Economists called it the “Great Resignation.” But America’s quittin’ spirit was just getting started. In July, even more people left their job. In August, quitters set yet another record. That Great Resignation? It just keeps getting greater. “Quits,” as the Bureau of Labor Statistics calls them, are rising in almost every industry. For those in leisure and hospitality, especially, the workplace must feel like one giant revolving door. Nearly 7 percent of employees in the “accommodations and food services” sector left their job in August. That means one in 14 hotel clerks, restaurant servers, and barbacks said sayonara in a single month. Thanks to several pandemic-relief checks, a rent moratorium, and student-loan forgiveness, everybody, particularly if they are young and have a low income, has more freedom to quit jobs they hate and hop to something else… As I wrote in the spring, quitting is a concept typically associated with losers and loafers. But this level of quitting is really an expression of optimism that says, We can do better… Since the 1980s, Americans have quit less, and many have clung to crappy jobs for fear that the safety net wouldn’t support them while they looked for a new one. But Americans seem to be done with sticking it out. And they’re being rewarded for their lack of patience: Wages for low-income workers are rising at their fastest rate since the Great Recession. The Great Resignation is, literally, great. For workers, that is… Job openings are sky-high. Many positions are going unfilled for months. Meanwhile, supply chains are breaking down because of a hydra of bottlenecks. Running a company requires people and parts. With people quitting and parts missing, it must kinda suck to be a boss right now. (Oh, well!).”
Conclusion
Indeed this phenomenon is like nothing we have ever experienced in our lifetime. Often workers (Especially low wage employees) have had very little autonomy or control over their labor or conditions at the job. But for the first time they feel empowered to explore other options. If you want to read more on this topic you can read the rest of Thompson’s article. You can also read Thompson’s more recent article entitled Three Myths of the Great Resignation. Also please see other articles below about the Great Resignation.
Other articles on the Great Resignation
Great Resignation
What Quitters Understand About the Job Market
The Great Resignation: Why People Are Leaving Their Jobs In Growing Numbers
Why are so many Americans quitting their jobs?
From The Great Resignation To The Great Migration
The Great Resignation gets even greater
Quitting is just half the story: the truth behind the ‘Great Resignation’
Another 4.5 million workers quit in the 8th month of record exits, and it shows how the Great Resignation is here to stay
Great Resignation: The number of people quitting jobs hit an all-time high in November as openings stayed near record
Resignation nation: Record number of Americans quit their jobs before the holidays
Help Wanted: Where Are The Workers?
Low Pay, No Benefits, Rude Customers: Restaurant Workers Quit At Record Rate
As The Pandemic Recedes, Millions Of Workers Are Saying ‘I Quit’
One of the topics it addresses is the fact that people are leaving jobs they despise or are no longer interested in. This, I believe, is an important factor to consider because it creates a cycle. I’ve been working in the food service industry for almost three years, so I began about a year before the pandemic. throughout everyday life and reading this article it seems we as the American people have lost their work ethic and have become overly reliant on government help. I disagree that this is a symbol of hope and opportunity; rather, it is a sign that the American people are losing their freedom and becoming more dependent on the government.
The Great Resignation is something that we have never experienced before, but if I am being honest, I do not blame the workers for not wanting to work under these circumstances. We are living in a time of uncertainty and some companies are clueless to the health, safety, and wellbeing of their associates. Now more than ever, employees have the upper hand over the companies. This is a product of devaluing employees and giving them less than they deserve. It is sad to see how it is affecting our economy and day-to-day lives, though.
I have noticed the changes around when going out to eat or shopping places. Im sure everyone started to notice the populations starting to quit their jobs and stick with unemployment and we are really seeing how it is effecting our economy now. I also know it was a huge debate when companies started making vaccines mandatory based on where you work due to the pandemic and allot of people voluntarily quit or got fired because of their opinion on the vaccine.
The Great Resignation is something that we have never experienced before, but if I am being honest, I do not blame the workers for not wanting to work under these circumstances. We are living in a time of uncertainty and some companies are clueless to the health, safety, and well being of their associates. Now more than ever, employees have the upper hand over the companies. This is a product of devaluing employees and giving them less than they deserve. It is sad to see how it is affecting our economy and day-to-day lives, though.
This article went into depth of The Great Resignation, and this affected businesses,educators,and grocery stores. Many businesses, educators, and many more paid a big price due to so many people resigning from their jobs starting last spring in April. The world that we live in now in my opinion is more so lacking work ethic. It’s sad, but sometimes the world we live in can be not so great especially going through a pandemic. This is a great article that opened my mind to new things about the pandemic, and how it affected our world. Thank you for sharing.
This article grabbed my attention in the aspect that within its title “The Great Resignation” sounded so interesting as I had never heard the time, we are in be referred to it as that. I think that there was a lot of the workers quitting due to their safety in the beginning. Now knowing what we do, how to help prevent the spread of the virus along with many precautions taken all over the world I feel as there is not as big of a reasoning for workers to be quitting. I also think that the unemployment covid-relief checks people received during the time they were out also incentivized them to remain on leave for a longer amount of time. Not that it was true for all but there are definitely people who took advantage of the unemployment covid-relief checks, and hopefully when they stop handing out the unemployment to just anyone, we will start to see normal numbers of people working again.
This article highlights how big of an impact “The Great Resignation” is. It is true that whenever you walk into a store or business, they are short on workers, whether they are working remotely or they are just short of workers in general. This is something like we have never experienced, and I believe people working at low income jobs finally feel as if they are making a difference or impact on not only their wages, but their working conditions as well.
I found this article intriguing to read because I have also noticed a shortage of workers everywhere. Mostly at restaurants where dining rooms are now closed or at grocery stores with long lines and hardly any grocery clerks. I did not know this shortage of workers was called “The Great Resignation” and I definitely think the Pandemic has greatly affected this. Many people lost their jobs due to COVID and then went on unemployment, where most make more money from this than their jobs. The one positive of this, is the many openings of job opportunities for Educators. Many schools have a shortage of teachers and need subs, so hopefully I will be able to find a job right after graduating.
As an “essential worker” during this pandemic, that seems to never be ending, this article grabbed my attention immediately. I am a Respiratory Therapist at a local hospital and not only in my department, but in every area of the hospital, we are short handed. There are dozens of job openings in every department. The ones who have remained loyal, are starting to go to other hospitals because they are paying more or paying more “crisis money.” The companies are getting extreme amounts of government money for the pandemic and some are choosing not to give it to the employees that have worked the frontlines of the pandemic.
I believe that many of the people that ended up quitting their job when COVID hit may have been a smart idea. I say this because when people were quitting their jobs they would file for unemployment and make good money, and not have to do any work. I’m not saying that is the complete right thing to do be during “The Great Resignation” when people were getting sick and dying I believe if I was able to unemployment then I would’ve.