The "Great Resignation" has shaken up the way our economy is working. Given this, it is useful to think of the ways we in the United States have described work. Specifically, how we have described work and its relationship to the rest of our lives.
In most G20 countries, there are constraints on the ability for work to dominate our lives. They have required vacation days, family time off, universal health and other benefits. Their cultures do not encourage work to be the central focus for their citizens. We have none of these constraints.
One of the best terms which shows the difference is the idea of Work/Life Balance. This term indicates that work and our lives are separate and in competition. The implication is that work should come first. It isn’t Life/Work Balance. Work comes first in the equation.
This gives employers an advantage in power. Employers frequently gaslight employees when they advocate for their needs over the employers.
In reality, work is part of our life. Our lives are a larger whole and work is only part of it. Work can provide for several psychological needs, such as a sense of accomplishment, or of pride. Work can create a feeling of belonging to a group or something greater than ourselves.
At its’ base value, work provides money. Money provides fuel for the rest of our lives. We get money through working for others, self-employment, investments, inheritance and other means.
When we allow our employment to be framed in competition with our Life, it is easy to become confused. If we accept that frame, we can stay in organizations that don’t produce enough money to fuel the rest of our lives. We will often be afraid of changing. People can feel threatened over putting life and family first.
I see the Great Resignation as an overdue reaction. In the last century, we created some very unhealthy cultural patterns about work. Being a “corporate person” was a valued goal. It was a path to success. Corporations started moving jobs overseas, destroying unions, and creating record profits. All this while holding wages static. The imbalance became more toxic. Many corporate jobs, do not fuel the rest of our needs.
In my work with clients, I encourage them to commit to their lives. I encourage them to consider whether they are able to fuel the lives they want with the work they do. I also encourage them to consider long-term negative side effects on their health. We work to put work in its proper context for their goals. We work to create means of financially fueling their lives that make it possible for them to thrive.