Throughout the day I’ve been thinking about work, including the role it has played in my life and the ways work has changed during my lifetime. On social media, I’ve paused to ponder memes exploring advances in workers’ rights and on pictures of friends having fun outdoors. I’ve also taken time to read a number of articles exploring the end of unemployment benefits for 7 million American workers and the end of a $300 week federal supplement to state unemployment benefits for 3 million more American workers.
Pandemic Shifts
Generally speaking, the pandemic has accelerated change and innovation that was already happening. This is seen in the world of work most clearly in the expanded use of remote work. My wife and her team shifted from an entirely in person workforce to a fully virtual one necessitating significant change to how people interacted with one another and delivered services. I actually found myself spending more rather than less time on campus in order to directly encourage, support, and lead the work of those with jobs that could not be virtualized. Even with that change, I also interacted with others online more than I had in years primarily through Zoom and other platforms that enable real-time virtual meetings.
Other shifts in work include increased attention to providing a safe workspace (shifting each time new guidance was issued by the CDC), flexibility in work schedules (including new leave options for those suffering from COVID-19), more casual dress, and challenges related to attracting and retaining talent (a trend directly related to more people needing to stay home to provide care for children and other workers not ready to return to in person work because of health conditions or concerns about exposure to COVID-19).
So What?
Many people have reevaluated the role of work in their lives.
More people are approaching work more thoughtfully than at any point in my lifetime. Both are positive changes.
On this Labor Day, I’m thankful for advances in workers rights and for the increased flexibility many (but far from all) workers now enjoy. I’m also well aware that many workers perform work that cannot be virtualized, rescheduled, or otherwise shifted. And, I recognize that inequalities continue to widen.
I recognize the toll the extended pandemic is taking on workers, especially front-line workers in healthcare, retail, and hospitality. I don’t believe easy answers exist. I do, however, know that we are in this together and that, as a result of all we are currently enduring, work will continue to evolve. I commit to do my part to make the future of work better for all workers, and to advocate for the expansion of benefits for those who have lost work or are unable to work.