How Candidates Are Shifting Their Mindset Towards Jobs During the Pandemic

Worker attitudes towards their jobs are changing constantly, especially during the pandemic. In fact, 4.3 million Americans, or 2.9% of the whole workforce, quit their jobs this past August. August was a record-breaking month, thus donning the nickname “The Great Resignation” which can be seen across every industry. 

Many business owners mistakenly think that all of their employees would rather quit and stay at home than come to work. While this might be true for some individuals, evidence suggests that this is not the case for many others. Some are interested in a raise after years of pay that has stayed the same. There are more family pressures due to schools closing down, businesses reopening and closing, population moves to different industries and locations, and a very real fear of the virus in high contact places. All of these factors have certainly played a role in what we are seeing in the job market today among candidates. 

What is the current state of workers?

Employers have really been feeling the heat during the pandemic, as the balance between worker and employer continues to shift in favor towards the worker. Many are willing to leave one job to pursue something better. And these transition levels are much higher than they were pre-pandemic. Some industries that have been in flux because of worker shortages include healthcare, transportation, and logistics. 

A majority of American workers are re-imagining their relationship to their careers. One of the common reasons behind this is that many of them have now reached a tipping point where the jobs that they had were becoming too emotionally, and sometimes physically, draining. Some chose to quit entirely, and others shifted their work to freelance so that they could gain more control over their work hours and their lives. 

In the service industry, many staff has gotten tired of facing risks of contracting COVID on top of long hours and rude customers. Many of these conditions in the hospitality and service industry have been around, but became crystalized once the pandemic hit. So, they were not necessarily created by the pandemic, but were merely exacerbated. 

What can employers do about this?

Many companies have begun to implement some key changes for their workers. They reported increasing starting wages in order to attract talent, as well as increasing wages for existing workers to help retain them. Many companies also offered signing and retention bonuses, flexible work schedules, or gave out increased vacation time to help incentivize workers to stay. 

Some experts argue that these changes to raise the minimum wage and pressures on improvements in the workplace have been long overdue. While companies may need to start paying their workers more, this is some good news for the workers overall. 

Use 1Huddle to Keep Your Employees Engaged

At 1Huddle, we offer cloud-based employee gamification software that can easily adapt to any employee training or gamification strategy you want to implement at your workplace. You can customize your content for a seamless experience and all of your employees will be able to access their training anywhere, anytime and at the push of a button. You can use our gamification platform to measure their performance and make key decisions on where you should take your gamification strategy next. 

Do you want to learn more about how 1Huddle can help you level up your own workforce? Request a demo today.