Do People Just Not Want To Work Anymore?

[Deleted]

So I had a chance today, to work from home. I was working my side gig, not for my real employer. But my side gig is somewhat related to my real employer, which is why I was allowed the day off today from my real employer without penalty.

Normally, everyone that does what I do for my side gig, travels every year to a different city in the US for a seminar that lasts 3 days, plus the travel time to get there, so really 4 days. At no cost to us. They feed us breakfast and dinner, (and a free bar each evening for those that indulge) with entertainment one night and they always put us up in a nice hotel in the downtown area of whatever city we are in. And if we bring spouses/SO’s, they just have to pay for the flight if that’s the mode of transportation we use to get there. Spouses and SO’s can attend everything except the business parts of the trip at no extra cost to us. But because of COVID, it was a virtual thing last year and this year, for just one day.

Sooooo, working today, I attended the zoom meeting while sitting outside on my deck. The weather was nice and I like to be out there anyway. And I earned about $80/hour doing it.

If I could find a job that I can do from home that pays even half that, I’d quit my job so fast MY head would spin.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Oct 8, 2021 19:20:56 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

So I had a chance today, to work from home. I was working my side gig, not for my real employer. But my side gig is somewhat related to my real employer, which is why I was allowed the day off today from my real employer without penalty.

Normally, everyone that does what I do for my side gig, travels every year to a different city in the US for a seminar that lasts 3 days, plus the travel time to get there, so really 4 days. At no cost to us. They feed us breakfast and dinner, (and a free bar each evening for those that indulge) with entertainment one night and they always put us up in a nice hotel in the downtown area of whatever city we are in. And if we bring spouses/SO’s, they just have to pay for the flight if that’s the mode of transportation we use to get there. Spouses and SO’s can attend everything except the business parts of the trip at no extra cost to us. But because of COVID, it was a virtual thing last year and this year, for just one day.

Sooooo, working today, I attended the zoom meeting while sitting outside on my deck. The weather was nice and I like to be out there anyway. And I earned about $80/hour doing it.

If I could find a job that I can do from home that pays even half that, I’d quit my job so fast MY head would spin.

If I could find a WFH job that paid even a QUARTER of that I'd be all over it!  I seriously can't even imagine making $80/hour.  I mean I could, but it's like lottery fantasies. 

Actually, I have found one, but it is temporary and PT.  I'm still kind of tempted because maybe it would be my foot in the door for something more permanent or something I could continue after retiring from current job, but it would mean working 70 hours a week for a few months.

[Tiny]

No one has mentioned the Great Resignation as a reason there are no workers for jobs...

hbr.org/2021/09/who-is-driving-the-great-resignation

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021. Resignations peaked in April and have remained abnormally high for the last several months, with a record-breaking 10.9 million open jobs at the end of July. How can employers retain people in the face of this tidal wave of resignations?

I saw statics that say Since April 2021 - close to 4 million people per month have been quitting their jobs.

This NPR article talks about why people are quitting:
www.npr.org/2021/06/24/1007914455/as-the-pandemic-recedes-millions-of-workers-are-saying-i-quit

The pandemic has given people all kinds of reasons to change direction. Some people, particularly those who work in low wage jobs at restaurants, are leaving for better pay. Others may have worked in jobs that weren't a good fit but were waiting out the pandemic before they quit. And some workers are leaving positions because they fear returning to an unsafe workplace.

I've seen articles that talked about people who have decided to leave the work place for good - they realized they could do so - via "financial independence" OR that they were of retirement age - and they don't need the income from their job. Lets not forget a large amount of boomers are in the 62 to 65 age group and if they they were waiting to turn 65 to get medicare many of them reached that age in the last 18 months - and I'm guessing a lot of the 62-65 year olds may have figured out they have enough money to bridge themselves to 65.

I'm thinking there are enough 55 plus year olds who realized they are FI or darn close to it and are switching jobs or just leaving the work force.

I'm guessing this allows employers either to remove jobs (they aren't going to replace the 50yo plus person who quit) OR allows another employed person to move into that position - possibly creating a chain reaction of people moving up - which opens up a low level or entry level position. (or if a long time low level employee quits - 2 or more jobs open up to "fill that position").

I'm guessing a lot of the people who were under employed may have been able to move out of their "crappy hourly jobs" into better Full Time jobs.


I'm guessing the lack of workers isn't because they are at home enjoying their unemployment benefits or government handouts - I'm guessing the lack of workers is literally because unemployment is low - and there are few if any people who NEED the low paying jobs.

[Tiny]

I'm extrapolating from incomplete data here about my employer. I am piecing together bits that managers from various areas have said or hinted at.

1.) my employer has discussed the effect of loosing different percentages of employees as the biggest effects from the pandemic end (as in WFH, no social gatherings, etc)   basically acknowledging the Great Resignation. 

If I extrapolate from that - I'm guessing my employer is paying attention to key positions/projects and who is working them.

2.) my employer didn't cut back/let people go for the most part when the pandemic started (ok, food service people and maintenance staff took a big hit because it was no longer necessary to feed hundreds of people every day or provide food to conference rooms. And with fewer people in the office - fewer people were needed to maintain the office space.)

The vast majority of "support staff" made the transition to WFH without too much difficulty. My employer's "bread winners" were NOT working so often in the office (heck in 2015 when we moved to a 'brand new' office space - that space was designed around the fact that the "bread winners" didn't spend much time in the office...

3.) the "support staff" has gotten a taste of "we don't really need to work in the office 4 or 5 days a week - and look! our employer made gobs and gobs of money and all of us being back in the office in say 2022 isn't effecting the amount of money our employer will make in 2022... so maybe we don't need to be in the office 4 or 5 days a week.


I'm thinking my employer will cave in and offer a more "flexible" in the office schedule rather than the just the one day a week WFH for support staff. I think they will have to - or they will have trouble recruiting new employees and they may loose employees (as people jump ship for an employer who will offer a more "flexible" work/office schedule.


FWIW: My life is set up around "going to the office" - I intentionally live near public transportation and I intentionally choose to work for an employer in the Big City. Returning to the office isn't that onerous for me. But, I will admit working from home 1 or 2 days a week (or more) would VASTLY improve my "life" by giving me back hours spent on commuting or "preparing" to go to the office.

I'm so close to FIre-ing that it doesn't really effect me - but I can tell that my co-workers MIGHT look for greener pastures if some adjustment isn't made to the WFH policy at work (currently only get one day a week). It's obvious WFHing didn't really effect my employers "bottom line" as we had another year that wildly surpassed the projections. Many of my co-workers have long commutes (they live in less costly areas (as in they can own a REALLY Big House) further away from the Big City - but choose to work in the Big City because they can command a higher salary. They sacrificed their time. Being able to WFH means not having to sacrifice so much time.

My employer actually subtly reminded us all that we are a LARGE expense that comes out of the LARGE earnings... basically saying "don't get cocky" you all are still an expense that we could cut if we had too.

I think we will get more WFH time - if my employer wants to hold down salaries (as it will cost more to replace us than to let us WFH).

[Deleted]

Oct 9, 2021 9:49:11 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Oct 8, 2021 19:20:56 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

So I had a chance today, to work from home. I was working my side gig, not for my real employer. But my side gig is somewhat related to my real employer, which is why I was allowed the day off today from my real employer without penalty.

Normally, everyone that does what I do for my side gig, travels every year to a different city in the US for a seminar that lasts 3 days, plus the travel time to get there, so really 4 days. At no cost to us. They feed us breakfast and dinner, (and a free bar each evening for those that indulge) with entertainment one night and they always put us up in a nice hotel in the downtown area of whatever city we are in. And if we bring spouses/SO’s, they just have to pay for the flight if that’s the mode of transportation we use to get there. Spouses and SO’s can attend everything except the business parts of the trip at no extra cost to us. But because of COVID, it was a virtual thing last year and this year, for just one day.

Sooooo, working today, I attended the zoom meeting while sitting outside on my deck. The weather was nice and I like to be out there anyway. And I earned about $80/hour doing it.

If I could find a job that I can do from home that pays even half that, I’d quit my job so fast MY head would spin.

If I could find a WFH job that paid even a QUARTER of that I'd be all over it!  I seriously can't even imagine making $80/hour.  I mean I could, but it's like lottery fantasies. 

Actually, I have found one, but it is temporary and PT.  I'm still kind of tempted because maybe it would be my foot in the door for something more permanent or something I could continue after retiring from current job, but it would mean working 70 hours a week for a few months.

Well, it’s not like making $80/hour is my norm lol. I wish! Usually the math works out where I get paid between $40-$60/hour working my side gig. And yesterday was the first time it was from the comfort of my own home.

One of the things about my real job that I really value is the stability. I can’t be laid off (yet) and I’d have to be really stupid to get fired. And the closer I get to retirement, the more I value those benefits when I consider what some other employers offer. The pay is less than half of $80/hour, but it’s decent for where I live. I just don’t really wanna do it anymore. 

[nidena]

More than a year and a half into the pandemic, the U.S. is still missing around 4.3 million workers. That’s how much bigger the labor force would be if the participation rate—the share of the population 16 or older either working or looking for work—returned to its February 2020 level of 63.3%. In September, it stood at 61.6%.

www.wsj.com/articles/labor-shortage-missing-workers-jobs-pay-raises-economy-11634224519

[stillmovingforward]

Oct 16, 2021 10:35:17 GMT -5 nidena said:

More than a year and a half into the pandemic, the U.S. is still missing around 4.3 million workers. That’s how much bigger the labor force would be if the participation rate—the share of the population 16 or older either working or looking for work—returned to its February 2020 level of 63.3%. In September, it stood at 61.6%.

www.wsj.com/articles/labor-shortage-missing-workers-jobs-pay-raises-economy-11634224519

During the midst of the pandemic, my DH got seriously hurt and can't work. And labor and industry is so backed up that they haven't been able to approve his claim still. Makes me wonder how many others are in the same boat. At least I make enough to pay our bills without his contribution.

[Deleted]

Many of the jobs begging for workers require that you be on-site- food service, other retail, daycare, school bus drivers... with the schools vacillating between closed, hybrid, open again, closed down for quarantine when a case is discovered- how is anyone supposed to be able to promise to be on-site when needed? They may also pay less than child care costs, especially if you have 2+ kids in daycare. A disproportionately large % of women have left the workforce and the % of kids who are home-schooled in the US has doubled.

I know there are people who are happy to stay home and live off whatever the taxpayers provide but there are some who just aren't in a position to take on the available jobs.

[TheOtherMe]

Many employees are fed up with working conditions and the corporate executives taking huge salaries and bonuses and saying they can't afford raises or want employees to pay more for health insurance.

Hence, John Deere is on strike.  It had to have been a bad contract for 94% of union members to vote no on it.

[Deleted]

Oct 16, 2021 14:13:02 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Many employees are fed up with working conditions and the corporate executives taking huge salaries and bonuses and saying they can't afford raises or want employees to pay more for health insurance.

Hence, John Deere is on strike.  It had to have been a bad contract for 94% of union members to vote no on it.

Kellogg’s employees are on strike too. I haven’t read why.

[stillmovingforward]

The company I work for is seeing a lot of turn over this year as well. Not really sure why. The conditions are good, hours can be long but we are compensated for them, benefits are amazing. No one really can give a solid reason why they are leaving. So I wonder if part of it is just people realizing time is short and want to see if anything better is out there? IDK.....

[Deleted]

Oct 16, 2021 15:39:43 GMT -5 stillmovingforward said:

The company I work for is seeing a lot of turn over this year as well. Not really sure why. The conditions are good, hours can be long but we are compensated for them, benefits are amazing. No one really can give a solid reason why they are leaving. So I wonder if part of it is just people realizing time is short and want to see if anything better is out there? IDK.....

I’ve been more aware lately that time is short. And I’ve done more things in my personal life due to that awareness. 

As far as work, I’d love it if I didn’t have to, so I could spend more time on the things that really matter to me. I have a life partner, but I don’t want to be dependent on ANYONE to survive. Cue my midlife crisis.

[TheOtherMe]

I am retired on disability.  I probably recovered enough that I could have worked but OPM never asked that I recertify.

One of the reasons I decided to supplement my income by working part time is that I decided that life is short and, while I will never be rich, I have enough.  

When the last tax place here changed the job description to something I didn't want to do, I didn't apply.

I would still be working my 4 hours a week at the church if the Synod hadn't closed the church.  While the pay wasn't particularly good, it was a nice outing and it did give me something to do that I enjoyed and was good at.  However, it's closed and I'm not looking for anything else.

I am aware Kellogg's is on strike but I am not familiar with the issues here.

There is a John Deere plant here, so it's big news when they go on strike.

[Deleted]

Oct 16, 2021 17:48:53 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I am retired on disability.  I probably recovered enough that I could have worked but OPM never asked that I recertify.

One of the reasons I decided to supplement my income by working part time is that I decided that life is short and, while I will never be rich, I have enough.  

When the last tax place here changed the job description to something I didn't want to do, I didn't apply.

I would still be working my 4 hours a week at the church if the Synod hadn't closed the church.  While the pay wasn't particularly good, it was a nice outing and it did give me something to do that I enjoyed and was good at.  However, it's closed and I'm not looking for anything else.

I am aware Kellogg's is on strike but I am not familiar with the issues here.

There is a John Deere plant here, so it's big news when they go on strike.

The only reason I know Kellogg’s is on strike is because they have a plant near me. I’m Union and I support other union members. But I don’t even know if Kellogg’s has Union employees. 

But whether they do or not, their employees are striking and that is enough make me hesitant to buy Kellogg products until I learn more about what their employees consider important enough to go on strike.

[nidena]

What appears to be a pretty thorough covering of the Kellogg's strike: www.forbes.com/sites/errolschweizer/2021/10/11/why-are-kelloggs-workers-on-strike/?sh=7f1657b05f34 

[nidena]

The pandemic has upended labor market dynamics, leading to a staggering 10.4 million job openings as of the end of August even as about 7.7 million people were officially unemployed in September. A range of factors has been blamed for the disconnect, including lack of childcare, generous federal government-funded unemployment benefits, early retirements and career changes.

Though schools have reopened for in-person learning and the expanded unemployment benefits ended in early September, there was no boost to the labor force last month. About 183,000 people dropped out, leading to a decline in the labor force participation rate, or the proportion of working-age Americans who have a job or are looking for one.

“We remain skeptical that the end of expanded unemployment benefits will lead to a substantial and quick return to the labor force in the near-term,” said Veronica Clark, an economist at Citigroup in New York.

The claims report showed the number of people continuing to receive benefits after an initial week of aid dropped 122,000 to 2.481 million in the week ended Oct. 9. That was also the lowest level since mid-March 2020.

The total number of people collecting unemployment checks under all programs dropped 369,992 to 3.279 million during the week ended Oct. 2. That largely reflected the end of extended benefits on Sept. 6.

www.reuters.com/article/usa-economy-idUSKBN2HB1HG

[TheOtherMe]

John Deere has sued to get injunctions so that only 4 union members can picket at a time.  They claim having picketers is hurting their business.  Yes, neither UPS nor Fedex will cross the line, so it probably is.  Isn't that part of why union members strike?

Regardless, people are volunteering to picket if the injunction comes to be.

[nidena]

I'm off to do an online search for the restaurant chain to which this applies: www.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/qdorp7/whats_the_most_disrespectful_thing_that_has/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

ETA: it was a short search...
Elon Musk's Billionaire Brother Told His Workers They Were Family. Until COVID-19 Hit

[formerroomate99]

Virtual vocations has a lot of remote jobs. And there are ways to set up searches on LinkedIn, indeed and dice to only look for remote jobs. I knew a guy who got a 40 grand a year raise taking a job at a company that lost a quarter of their IT department when they require that they go back into the office.

I was remote before the pandemic. This is my third remote job. I don’t want to ever go back into the office if I can avoid it. I mean, I’m cool with going in a couple times a week for meetings, But traveling at rush-hour five days a week is off the table now.

I think there were a lot of women who were working low paying jobs that will never pay the bills, who were forced to become a stay at home moms during the pandemic lockdown. It seems like a lot of them have decided that they would rather just continue being stay at home moms or used the time to upskill. Either way, I don’t really see that as a bad thing. And if salaries and working conditions start getting better in the retail and hospitality sector, it’s about time.

[formerroomate99]

Oct 16, 2021 12:23:06 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Many of the jobs begging for workers require that you be on-site- food service, other retail, daycare, school bus drivers... with the schools vacillating between closed, hybrid, open again, closed down for quarantine when a case is discovered- how is anyone supposed to be able to promise to be on-site when needed? They may also pay less than child care costs, especially if you have 2+ kids in daycare. A disproportionately large % of women have left the workforce and the % of kids who are home-schooled in the US has doubled.

I know there are people who are happy to stay home and live off whatever the taxpayers provide but there are some who just aren't in a position to take on the available jobs.

Even with jobs that do cover the cost of reliable daycare, I’m sure there are women who decided that working a job that that’s less than five bucks an hour after daycare and taxes just isn’t worth it. Early in my career, I knew lots of women who basically worked for daycare because they thought that was what they were supposed to do and that was what would make them the most fulfilled. If some women in that position change their minds on the issue after getting exposed to a different lifestyle, more power to them.

[formerroomate99]

Oct 16, 2021 17:48:53 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I am retired on disability.  I probably recovered enough that I could have worked but OPM never asked that I recertify.

One of the reasons I decided to supplement my income by working part time is that I decided that life is short and, while I will never be rich, I have enough.  

When the last tax place here changed the job description to something I didn't want to do, I didn't apply.

I would still be working my 4 hours a week at the church if the Synod hadn't closed the church.  While the pay wasn't particularly good, it was a nice outing and it did give me something to do that I enjoyed and was good at.  However, it's closed and I'm not looking for anything else.

I am aware Kellogg's is on strike but I am not familiar with the issues here.

There is a John Deere plant here, so it's big news when they go on strike.

Have you ever thought of getting a gig is a virtual assistant? I think there’s a book called ‘Work from home while you roam’. that has a ton of information on those kind of jobs.

[Deleted]

DD applied for many places in July and never heard anything back from any of them, retail, grocery store, and some waitressing.  When she didn't hear anything she gave up and focused on summer classes, then getting ready for the fall semester.  She was bored on Sunday, applied to 3 places, and was scheduling interviews for 2 of them the next day.  Not sure what changed.  

[thyme4change]

Nov 2, 2021 16:49:14 GMT -5 @pooks said:

DD applied for many places in July and never heard anything back from any of them, retail, grocery store, and some waitressing.  When she didn't hear anything she gave up and focused on summer classes, then getting ready for the fall semester.  She was bored on Sunday, applied to 3 places, and was scheduling interviews for 2 of them the next day.  Not sure what changed.  

Maybe we already talked about this - but there is a theory out there that all the "help wanted" signs aren't exactly truthful. If your business took a PPP loan and you hire new positions, you can apply for the loan to be forgiven as a grant. If you don't hire anyone, you have to pay it back. So, if you say that you are trying to hire, but haven't found a qualified applicant, you can apply for the grant. So, there are thousands of jobs posted that aren't really open jobs.

[Deleted]

There’s a post I’ve seen on FB, where a man applied to 60 jobs that he was qualified for, with employers that were screaming they need employees. He said he only got 1 interview from all those applications and during that interview, they tried to walk back the $10/hr they were supposedly offering.  

Of course, I have no way of knowing whether his experience was true or not.

But I keep seeing posts saying that even though all these businesses are advertising that they are hiring, many of them aren’t actually trying to hire new employees. I’ve seen posts saying that some of them aren’t actually hiring because of something to do with not having to pay back PPP loans, and other posts saying they are really trying to wait things out so they can hire employees for less money since the current culture is about better compensation for prospective employees.

I don’t know how much any of that is true. I’m not in a position to know what’s really going on as an employer or potential employee.

But I do believe that the fallout from the pandemic means that a lot of people have and are rethinking their expectations from employers. And for some people, they have found ways to generate income working for themselves vs working for an employer. How many people have actually chosen that path, I don’t know that either. Nor do I know if it’s a sufficient number to make an impact on the number of people looking to be employed by someone else.

ETA: Thyme had already posted some of what I was talking about IRT the PPP loans.

[andi9899]

Oct 9, 2021 18:17:18 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Oct 9, 2021 9:49:11 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

If I could find a WFH job that paid even a QUARTER of that I'd be all over it!  I seriously can't even imagine making $80/hour.  I mean I could, but it's like lottery fantasies. 

Actually, I have found one, but it is temporary and PT.  I'm still kind of tempted because maybe it would be my foot in the door for something more permanent or something I could continue after retiring from current job, but it would mean working 70 hours a week for a few months.

Well, it’s not like making $80/hour is my norm lol. I wish! Usually the math works out where I get paid between $40-$60/hour working my side gig. And yesterday was the first time it was from the comfort of my own home.

One of the things about my real job that I really value is the stability. I can’t be laid off (yet) and I’d have to be really stupid to get fired. And the closer I get to retirement, the more I value those benefits when I consider what some other employers offer. The pay is less than half of $80/hour, but it’s decent for where I live. I just don’t really wanna do it anymore. 

If you make that much per hour why don't you make it a full time job?

[wvugurl26]

I saw the same thing on Facebook that pink did. I didn't think about the PPP loans. My personal thought is these businesses can't find employees to work for the wages and terms they want. I'm not seeing many help wanted signs for jobs I'd consider to be good ones. They want to pay as little as possible and schedule for as few hours as they can get away with.

We've talked many times on the boards that they only want to schedule part time hours and they schedule it so poorly that it's nearly impossible for a person to get another job and string together full time hours. They've done this for years to hold their labor costs down and now people are pushing back.

I drove by one of the local places the other day that's screaming loudly online that no one wants to work. There was a shiny Maserati in the owner's parking spot.

Another thing I'm seeing at least once a month locally is posts from frantic parents seeking childcare because their daycare is closing. The remaining ones have waiting lists especially for under 2.

I was talking to a coworker yesterday. He ran into someone who's kids used to go to the same school as his. The acquaintance moved her kids to private school in April 2020 when they announced at least six more weeks of online schooling. She said that she and her husband couldn't work from home. What happens in families that can't afford that tuition?

[Deleted]

Nov 2, 2021 17:19:30 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Oct 9, 2021 18:17:18 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Well, it’s not like making $80/hour is my norm lol. I wish! Usually the math works out where I get paid between $40-$60/hour working my side gig. And yesterday was the first time it was from the comfort of my own home.

One of the things about my real job that I really value is the stability. I can’t be laid off (yet) and I’d have to be really stupid to get fired. And the closer I get to retirement, the more I value those benefits when I consider what some other employers offer. The pay is less than half of $80/hour, but it’s decent for where I live. I just don’t really wanna do it anymore. 

If you make that much per hour why don't you make it a full time job?

It’s not a full time job. It’s work I do for my union. My union offers health, vision and dental insurance for federal employees (all of them, not just our union members) and I go to different federal agencies as a rep to talk to anyone that’s interested in the insurance and answer questions about it. But that’s only during open season, mid November to mid December. The rest of the year, I go to new employee Orientations to do the same, but that’s sporadic.

I actually enjoy my side gig, because I feel like I’m being helpful to people. If it was a full time job, I’d definitely try to get the job.

One of our competitors that I see regularly when I do my side gig, she works for a major insurance company and had to have a degree to get her job. I don’t have a degree. I’m pretty sure I would also need a degree to work for the (major) company we are partnered with IRT the health insurance we offer. 

If it was just about the money for me, I could make almost $50/hour working OT at my regular job. But just doing 8 hours/day 5days/week is a struggle for me. 

Just color me confused.

[andi9899]

Nov 2, 2021 17:59:06 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Nov 2, 2021 17:19:30 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

If you make that much per hour why don't you make it a full time job?

It’s not a full time job. It’s work I do for my union. My union offers health, vision and dental insurance for federal employees (all of them, not just our union members) and I go to different federal agencies as a rep to talk to anyone that’s interested in the insurance and answer questions about it. But that’s only during open season, mid November to mid December. The rest of the year, I go to new employee Orientations to do the same, but that’s sporadic.

I actually enjoy my side gig, because I feel like I’m being helpful to people. If it was a full time job, I’d definitely try to get the job.

One of our competitors that I see regularly when I do my side gig, she works for a major insurance company and had to have a degree to get her job. I don’t have a degree. I’m pretty sure I would also need a degree to work for the (major) company we are partnered with IRT the health insurance we offer. 

If it was just about the money for me, I could make almost $50/hour working OT at my regular job. But just doing 8 hours/day 5days/week is a struggle for me. 

Just color me confused.

You know what I find interesting. Eons ago when I got into insurance, you didn't need a degree. Now you have to have one. It doesn't matter what it's in, just as long as you can say that you have a degree. Mine is in business administration which I think makes sense. However you could literally have a degree in a completely unrelated subject, just as long as you have one you can be considered for the job. I still do what I did then, just a different line of business.

[TheOtherMe]

DN3 manages a Dairy Queen.  He has trouble finding help, but it isn't full time and I would not want to work there.

When I was at my doctor's office last week, I was told they are short of help and they are advertising sign on bonuses.  However, certain skills are needed for those positions.

My niece, who is a surgical nurse, did get a raise and the sign on bonus even though she has been with the hospital for at least 15 years.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Nov 2, 2021 17:44:33 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

I saw the same thing on Facebook that pink did. I didn't think about the PPP loans. My personal thought is these businesses can't find employees to work for the wages and terms they want. I'm not seeing many help wanted signs for jobs I'd consider to be good ones. They want to pay as little as possible and schedule for as few hours as they can get away with.

We've talked many times on the boards that they only want to schedule part time hours and they schedule it so poorly that it's nearly impossible for a person to get another job and string together full time hours. They've done this for years to hold their labor costs down and now people are pushing back.

I drove by one of the local places the other day that's screaming loudly online that no one wants to work. There was a shiny Maserati in the owner's parking spot.

Another thing I'm seeing at least once a month locally is posts from frantic parents seeking childcare because their daycare is closing. The remaining ones have waiting lists especially for under 2.

I was talking to a coworker yesterday. He ran into someone who's kids used to go to the same school as his. The acquaintance moved her kids to private school in April 2020 when they announced at least six more weeks of online schooling. She said that she and her husband couldn't work from home. What happens in families that can't afford that tuition?

My personal theory is that they are going to scream lack of employees and have acceptable decreased service for as long as possible.  If hotels can get around not doing up rooms for a 4 day stay, they have gotten the public to accept a lower grade of service than norm.  They hire less staff, but still are getting customers and making money.  Airlines are doing this too, and so are restaurants.