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We Are What We Do
People have defined themselves through their labour for centuries—think of surnames such as Baker, Brewer, Potter, and Weaver that spell out a person’s profession. But Americans’ work and identities intertwine particularly tightly, thanks to the country’s industrious Puritan roots and capitalist ethos.
There is a sudden mental adjustment that so many people taking part in the “Great Resignation” have had to make:
More and more Americans are realizing that voluntarily leaving your job today isn’t always just about securing a better lifestyle; it’s also about the redefinition of self.
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119 reads
The Job Is The Center Of Our Universe
The idea that our society is a meritocracy is also hammered into us from childhood. It’s common to believe that making our job a central component of our identity is noble because it’s sure to lead to some great payoff. So even though the coronavirus pandemic upended people’s lives and changed their priorities, the idea that an individual’s worth is tied to their productivity remains deeply ingrained in many of us.
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93 reads
Your Employer Does Not Love You Like You Do
Though the maxim goes that finding a job you love means you’ll never work a day in your life, the past two years have unearthed a counterpoint: Devotion to an employer is often a one-sided romance.
In many industries, the pandemic revealed just how transactional the workplace is, and how hollow and fickle the relationship is.
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45 reads
Not Just A Careerist
Many people who participated in the Great Resignation have the capacity to be a friend who says yes to weeknight plans, a present partner to their fiancé, and a son or daughter who checks in with their mom regularly. These people can have thoughts on their own that have nothing to do with work and are no longer just careerists.
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41 reads
The New American Identity
That a job doesn’t have to be a defining feature of your personality—or even a passion—is a new mindset for many Americans.
The Great Resignation is not a complete rejection of work. For many, it’s about redefining themselves as people first instead of workers.
As Americans discern that their job title isn’t the most central part of their identity, smart employers will realize they need to give more space to employees to develop other parts of themselves and develop other parts of their lives that they’ve been sacrificing for so long.
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36 reads
From Individual To Universal
The “Great Resignation” isn’t really about rejecting work—it’s about redefining one’s sense of self.
The people who have found new fulfillment outside their career remind us that tectonic change in American society begins with individuals realigning their life to reflect their deepest values.
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39 reads
IDEAS CURATED BY
CURATOR'S NOTE
The shock that we are more than our job.
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Lucy 's ideas are part of this journey:
Learn more about career with this collection
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