The beauty of publishing a magazine like #evolve is that it covers a gamut of prominent work-related issues that affect all of us. From the far-reaching and reverberating impact of a seemingly never-ending pandemic on business operations worldwide to a fractured supply chain that spills over into everyday affairs, many of the topics #evolve tackles are top of mind.
For example, when we talk about The Great Resignation, it’s clear that job seekers and employers are not seeing eye to eye. There’s a serious disconnect happening and we’re all experiencing the fallout.
The healthcare industry in particular has taken a major hit. Overworked, under- appreciated workers appear to be fed up with the whole system. While some jobs are shifting to home healthcare services and nursing care facilities, many hospitals are finding it extraordinarily difficult to staff regular positions, such as nurses. If they don’t soon find a way to satisfy the demands of essential workers, we’re all going to pay the price.
Job-hopping may not be anything new, but the number of people leaving their day jobs with nothing solid lined up is startling. What is forcing their hand? Are they not recognized enough? Are they looking for more purpose in their professional lives? Is burnout the culprit?
One way to address burnout may be to do away with the traditional 9 to 5, Monday through Friday mindset. Remote employees shouldn’t have to work around the clock to get their jobs done, and offering flexibility would afford them the opportunity to work when they’re most effective and engaged. Blocking out the distractions of life is hard enough without having to contend with, say, a toddler’s afternoon meltdown during a Zoom meeting.
While things may seem to be falling apart, there is a movement toward salvation. For example, corporate boards seem to be doubling down on their commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. A new Harvard Law School Forum report found that diversity, equity and inclusion was mentioned as a top-five issue for a majority of CEOs for the first time, and is now the most prevalent ESG metric included in exec comp plans.
Maybe this issue of #evolve can’t fix everything that’s broken, but we hope that it does its small part in offering solutions to age-old problems and advocating for incremental change.
