The Covid pandemic has caused devastation across the globe.  What started out as a brief quarantine to “slow the spread” quickly turned into jobs lost and businesses closing up, thus crippling our economy.

Believe it or not, the year 2021 marked the beginning of what is known as The Great Resignation.  Who even knew that the economic trend of employees voluntarily resigning was even a “thing”?!   My husband pointed this out to me recently.  The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show four million Americans resigned midway through 2021.

Why?

It’s easy to speculate on this.  As Covid ran rampant in communities everywhere, the workload increased in the healthcare field due to the overwhelming number of cases requiring hospitalizations. Offices, warehouses, and retailers have suffered from shortages of workers also.  This is due to those forced to quarantine either due to being sick with Covid or having been exposed to it.  The workload shifted to those remaining employees leaving them feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and completely burnt out.

Strong opinions formed on both sides for the vaccinated and the non-vaccinated.  Friendships have been lost and employees have quit their jobs over this “debate” on whether our freedoms are being taken away or whether we are doing the right thing by implementing mask mandates and pushing the vaccine.

At one point, the question was, “What is your why (or reason) for getting the vaccine?”  My answer was the same at the beginning as to “why” I would consider getting the emergency vaccine and masking up – my family!  My answer remains the same as to my “why” for taking a leave of absence from work – my family!  I have a family member I will be caring for after major surgery.  Subjecting them to any type of illness is just out of the question, especially with what they are facing.  I would not be able to live with myself if I was a carrier and ended up being the reason for their decline.  Therefore, I voluntarily quarantined for two and a half weeks leading up to their surgery.  The risk was too great working with the non-vaccinated and non-masked public.  With the wellbeing of others far from people’s minds these days as they argue about their “rights” and “freedom” while putting the older generation with underlying health issues at risk.  It was the right thing for me to do so as not to endanger my family, and I did not even hesitate gathering my belongings and leaving my place of work.  It’s a sacrifice I made with my husband’s complete support.

Another issue leaving people unsatisfied and unsettled during all of this is the fact that people have been paid by the government to sit at home.  In addition to their unemployment benefits, they received an additional $600.00 a week as an incentive to stay at home during this pandemic.  Meanwhile, the employees who worked throughout this pandemic did so at their regular salary.  How is this fair?  They are the ones putting themselves out there in the public, risking getting Covid themselves and bringing it home to their families.  Yet, no bonus incentives were given for them showing up daily during all of this.  It just doesn’t seem fair at all to reward those not working, yet forget about the loyal employees working through the pandemic.  Why not pay them an additional $600 a week or more for working, instead of giving it to those bragging about sitting on their behinds on purpose to draw the additional benefits?!  Some even requested to be “laid off” in order to draw the extra money.

In my case, my employer once gave quarterly bonuses for hard work, but it was not for working during the pandemic.  When money was tight during the last quarter of 2021, the quarterly bonus was promised for mid January when more money was available after a large billing cycle.  I suppose the timing on my leave of absence is what prevented me from receiving the promised 4th quarter of 2021 bonus.  Even still, I made the right decision for the sake of my family.  Your job will replace you in a heartbeat.  They can get another employee to fill your role, although they may not be as efficient as you were or produce the amount of work you did.

Family will win out every time – every single time – without question!

Your job won’t hold you close, cherish or treasure you, but your family will.

We are thankful we have made it this long and this far without being inflicted with Covid.  We pray for continued health and for my loved one’s swift recovery so they can enjoy life once again.