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Where Are the Workers? 

 

In May, the Wall Street Journal published an article about a growing trend many companies are seeing in the wake of “The Great Resignation” that began in early 2021––workers are getting hired and then “ghosting” their new jobs by simply not showing up for work. 

This is just one sign that we are still in an employee’s job market. According to the article, some of these new hires are receiving multiple job offers and simply aren’t letting employers know when they decide to go somewhere else. 

The positive spin on where we are is that the pandemic has triggered a really amazing opportunity for thousands of people to stop and reevaluate their jobs. It’s reminded us that we all have options when it comes to building a career and life we actually want. 

This is why some have said that we are in a “Great Reshuffle” rather than a Great Resignation. Employees and employers are basically renegotiating what we want and need our jobs and work culture to look like moving forward. 

I am all for adjusting work culture in ways that will maximize a “win-win” of workers thriving in their jobs and their lives and their companies succeeding as a result. I agree that in today’s work culture, many companies have lost their personal touch and failed to make their employees feel valued. I applaud employers who are starting to offer their employees more flexibility to work from home, providing more training and opportunities for growth, and generally doing a better job of showing their employees that they truly care for them and value their contribution. 

But a relationship goes both ways, and this ghosting trend suggests that in this job market, many workers maybe aren’t thinking about how they can encourage employers to take better care of them by showing care themselves. 

If we want to create a healthier relationship between employers and employees moving forward, and especially if we want to be part of a work culture where everyone feels more valued and cared for, then we need to find the balance between wanting more autonomy and fulfillment in our jobs while also trying to help our employers and companies be successful. 

I suggest that if you are currently participating in this Great Reshuffle, the question to be asking yourself is not how you can filter through job offers until you score a “dream job” and make more money, but to get clarity on two things that will reorient you for the next stage of your career. 

First, and most importantly, what is your purpose and calling?  None of us was created to merely work at a job and pay our bills until we die. We were actually created to be creative. All good work––whether it’s making a latte, teaching a third-grade class, performing a song, painting a building, designing software, treating a sick patient, preaching a sermon, or anything else––is creative, and even restorative, in nature. Our work changes the world, and hopefully for the better. 

So how were you uniquely designed to be creative in the world? What problems are you good at solving? What experiences or things do you want to make and give away to others? How can you adjust your current job or work flow so that you can do this creative work more effectively? 

Second, who has God put in your life to serve and care for with your work? In our globalized, info and tech-driven world, in many sectors we have adopted a transactional, transient, virtual work culture that has so often numbed our awareness to the impact our work has on other people’s lives. If we want to “re-humanize” work culture, we need to reconnect more deeply with who we’re serving. That includes not only our bosses, coworkers, and customers, but also our families, churches, and communities. 

Remember, from a biblical perspective, we don’t work for ourselves, and we don’t work for a boss. God is our creator and employer. 

So as you lean into the opportunities of the Great Reshuffle, ask Him how He wants you to line up more fully with the calling He designed you for, and how you can carry His heart for those you serve and benefit through your work. 

You’ve got this!

Bob

4 responses to “Where Are the Workers? 

  1. I love that you reorient the reader to consider factors other than “where can I go to make more money?” I was speaking with my teenage son a few days ago about not choosing a major based on money, but on what he enjoys. God put talents, gifts, and desires in you so that you can enjoy working!

      1. Thank you so much for sharing this, Icare a great deal for my boss and my job but I’m not valued there. I work all through the night baking I get paid less than the day people and I will be 62 yrs old this. It is very hard to nights and I can’t get another job because I have no car. I’m tired and worn. Working nights messes with your whole life. Al though I thank God that I have a job and that I worked through this whole pandemic. I would love to retire but not enough money to retire. What do I do? There has got to be a solution I believe that. Well there is more to say but not enough time. Thank you again Mr. Hasson.

        1. Joyce,

          Thank you so much for reaching out.
          I am so sorry you are not valued by your boss and having to work nights.
          I believe God has a plan for you in your situation to bring you into a better job.
          I would advise that you gather a core group of close friends and bring this prayer request to them for help. I find that the local church has tremendous capacity to help in these kinds of situations.
          I will pray earnestly for you to hear the voice of God for a new job and that by sharing your need with friends, family and your church you will have a quick answer.

          Praying and believing the best for you,

          Bob

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