Industry reports are showing that staggering numbers of employees are re-visiting their priorities to decide whether to stay in their jobs or to leave for other opportunities.
According to the labor department, in April alone, 4 Million people left their jobs.
With labor shortages in every industry from hospitality to technology and the fact that not everyone has left for another job…..we wondered why is there such a huge demand vs. supply of skilled professional talent?
Some candidates are leveraging this demand and focusing on freelance vs full time careers. Others have moved out of their city, changed their focus, and are spending more time outdoors or with family while contemplating what to do next. Others are taking inventory of their skillsets and taking online courses in a variety of disciplines to expand their current skills.
One thing that is clear, is that a large population does not want to go back to the office in a full time capacity. And, for some, they don’t want to go to the office in person at all. For employers and employees, it’s important to define what the future of work looks like and understand why it’s important to know how and where we want to work.
The pandemic has taught many the value of time, and how we can best spend this precious commodity. At Artisan Creative, we’ve long held the view of an integrated life with work vs. trying to find balance in work and life. Finding work/life balance implies being out of balance and putting work first, then life.
We prefer to put the emphasis on life first and then integrate work within it—life/work integration.
We have been a remote team for 11 years now and we respect the moments when a team member takes a few hours off to accompany their child to swim class or tends to a personal matter. We embrace the time someone needs to go for a walk in the middle of the day to reset. We do all this because we trust one another and know the work will get done because we’ve committed to doing so. We also believe we will return to work happier. We do all this because we know our team embraces our core values of Accountability, Agility, Trust, Communication, Enthusiasm.
One thing we’ve learned over the years is that remote work is not for everyone. The idea of it may be attractive to many, however, the execution of it takes diligence, self-discipline, and intentionality.
As you contemplate a return to work—whether hybrid, fully remote, or in person, be sure to evaluate which specific work situation is best for you and know whether you can self-motivate, and stay accountable to yourself and to your team.
We hope you’ve enjoyed the 588th issue of our weekly a.blog.