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’
I decided to read the article, “Where are all the Workers? The Great Resignation Explained.” I choose this article because I feel like every place I go to; they are short staffed. I have had horrible service at sit down restaurants, and even drive thru restaurants. I think that the working world for certain fields is in trouble. I really liked the statement, “…had to accept low wages for a thankless job.” I think that if you are looking for a career change, now is the time. There are so many positions and opportunities open. Restaurant and labor jobs are suffering because it’s hard work. Especially when you can get paid more money elsewhere. This article was very eye opening to why some places are so short staffed. But I still don’t understand why some people do not have jobs, because everywhere is hiring and there are so many opportunities! Overall, this is definitely the first time we have seen so many people quit their jobs, let’s just hope The Great Resignation doesn’t last much longer.
I can personally relate to this article, because I am a hostess at a restaurant that has been understaffed for months. On top of not having enough staff, there is also a lack of materials. It seems like everyday were we are out of some kind of food item. The pandemic has effected my job greatly. No one seems to want to work, and the people who do get hired only stay for about a month. Our wages have also increased to convince the current workers to stay. It is extremely hard, and stressful to work in the service industry especially when understaffed.
I think this article highlights how it is possible to fight back against unfair working standards. I completely understand why so many people have decided to quit their low paying jobs. It forces companies to raise their pay and get workers the wages they deserve. So many people have to work ridiculous hours, or have 2-3 minimum wage jobs in order to support themselves. Showing companies that their workers are worth more than their current salary helps people struggling to pay for expenses. As the article states, workers feel “empowered to explore other options” to help them get better careers.
Unemployment checks are hurting businesses because people are realizing that they are making more from the unemployment checks instead of actually working. Considering many businesses are hurting due to lack of employees, you are noticing a rise in wages that are typically low. It will be interesting how long Americans will continue to fight this battle. Hopefully this does not continue to long because this chain of reaction is causing everyone to take the easier route and lose their work ethics.
Unemployment checks are hurting businesses because people are realizing that they are making more from the unemployment checks instead of actually working. Considering many businesses are hurting due to lack of employees, you are noticing a rise in wages that are typically low. It will be interesting how long Americans will continue to fight this battle.
This article looks into why there is a current influx in resignations. One of the topics it discusses is the fact that people are not sticking to jobs that they hate or no longer enjoy. I feel this is an important factor to look at because it is creating a cycle. I have been in the food service industry for nearly three years now, so I started about a year before the pandemic hit. I transferred from my restaurant at home to one up at NKU and it feels like we’ve never been fully staffed since I got there. It seems to have gotten worse when I came back after summer break. The great resignation is causing a cycle of quitting because some people do not like their jobs because it’s so stressful being understaffed and always working so they quit, thus making them more understaffed and keeping the cycle going. I think it is great that people are leaving jobs that make them miserable, but this does make me nervous. I think there will be a huge change in the hours and ways that our society runs.
Prior to the pandemic, most of the people in my social circle of twenty-somethings worked low paying customer service and hospitality jobs. Some of these individuals even have college degrees. However, most of those peers found salaried jobs with benefits between 2020-2021. And although I still work in customer service, I was able to upgrade to a much better company and position after the initial shutdown. I have seen “The Great Resignation” portrayed in a negative light by people who value the convenience hospitality workers bring to their life, but not the workers themselves. While no one likes to wait in longer lines to order food, or see their favorite brands not stocked on the shelves, I am glad people who previously worked those roles have seemingly found better work.
I would argue that the industries that are experiencing the greatest worker shortages relied on the financial desperation of their employees and their lack of a safety net to search for better opportunities. The job roles that are now difficult to fill, and often referred to as “unskilled labor,” are more likely to have low pay, no benefits, and subject employees to poor treatment from employers and customers alike. If we want to see our stores, restaurants, hotels, etc. running smoothly again, both companies and consumers should reassess the value they place on “unskilled laborers.”
This article grabbed my attention because the employee shortages are something we have all seen lately. However, I had never heard the term “The Great Resignation” and was intrigued to read more. The article reads, “This labor shortage is in many ways connected to the ongoing and relentless pandemic and its devastating impact on our economy”. I could not agree more with this sentence. I fully believe that this pandemic and our government’s response to this pandemic have forever impacted our nation’s economy and our citizen’s work ethic. When Thompson mentioned that employee resignations have broken all- time U.S. records, the weight of this issue really hit home for me. Personally, I see this “great resignation” as a scary thing. Thompson said, “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”. This is alarming to me because I can see that the American people are losing their work ethic and becoming very dependent on the government for assistance. I disagree that this is an expression of optimism and opportunity, rather a sign that the American people are losing their independence and falling under government control.
Many of the employees in these fields left to either take a higher paying job or go on unemployment. I work at Kroger, and we had 8 associates quit at the start of covid to collect the unemployment because it was paying better than what they were making. When we stop handing out unemployment checks like they are candy I’m sure we will see a rise in the number of people looking for jobs.
Honestly I don’t blame the people for “The Great Resignation”. Ever since the pandemic started it only showed how the majority of these companies don’t value their workers. They want their workers to work all these hours, go above and beyond to keep their businesses running while being in the middle of a pandemic. People are risking their lives every single day working in these companies but these companies don’t want to pay their workers a livable wage which is sad but this is the world that we live in.