A lot of people have really liked working from home during COVID-19.
And if they started to feel comfortable — working in your pajamas can do that — it makes sense that they would not want to return to the office. And if the office then required them to come back, they would likely be inclined to choose something else.
But this doesn’t explain why so many people have been leaving their jobs lately.
Again, you might think that money — or not earning enough of it — would be the chief reason anyone would leave their job. But the No. 1 reason people give for quitting is that they don’t get along with their bosses. No. 2 is that they don’t feel they are being treated very well by management. And that tells us a lot.
No one, no matter what they are paying you, gets to treat you badly.
Let’s look a little deeper at the No. 1 or No. 2 explanation: not getting along with the higher-ups.
On the one hand, most of us don’t like being told what to do or being corrected, but being told what to do (or not do) on the job is a necessary evil, right? Someone has to train you and point out your mistakes, before you make a big one, and it can be a pleasant-enough process if handled well.
On the other hand, if you are put down or belittled by a manager or boss, that isn’t OK on any level, and you should report it to human resources — if your company is big enough to have HR.
Unfortunately, many people fear they will lose their jobs if they speak up when they are being mistreated, and we need to empower them to do just that. Speak up!
No matter what, if you see something, or you are the victim of someone’s ire, walk away and tell a friend or another manager immediately. Abuse in the workplace is on the rise, and surviving the new COVID world order isn’t helping. The last thing anyone needs is a boss who thinks that being a bully on the schoolyard is the way to manage employees. I assure you it is not.
Leaders of the business community need to better understand the importance of mental health in the workplace and how to insure their team members’ emotional well-being. It’s good for the bottom line, because money is only one of the many reasons people go to work. Many people do it for the camaraderie; their “work family” is a big part of their social life.
There is still a worker shortage, and the government isn’t handing out money. In fact, life has never been more expensive, yet more and more people are opting out of the 9-to-5 workday and becoming digital creators and side-hustlers (or hustlers of side-hustles), and building their own business, because it is more emotionally satisfying and fun than their old job was.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs teaches us that right after food, water and shelter, our very next need is a sense of belonging, and working with others gives that to many people. Walking away from that is no small decision.
We have to make emotional well-being a greater priority in the workplace, and managers need to focus more on quality-of-life issues. If we can experience happiness and balance in our chosen field, we will excel rather than quit.
Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., is an award-winning psychotherapist and humanitarian. He is also a columnist, the author of eight books and a blogger for PsychologyToday.com with more than 28 million readers. He is available for video consults worldwide. Reach him at barton@bartongoldsmith.com. His column appears Saturdays and Mondays in the News-Press.
