US workers, especially millennials, have plans to quit | Some teachers self-harm, consider leaving profession | Ways for leaders to develop conflict capacity
One third of millennials intend to seek a new job when the pandemic ends, and about 26% of all employees will look to change jobs, with 80% of them anxious about career growth, according to a Pulse of the American Worker Survey from Prudential. The Labor Department found that about 3.4 million US employees left their jobs in February, and almost 50% of the employees surveyed who intend to leave their jobs said they'd give their employer a grade of "C" or lower for their workplace culture efforts during the pandemic.
Work pressure from the mandated lockdowns have pushed many educators in the UK to their emotional brink, causing some to self-harm, seek medical counsel or take antidepressants, according to a report from a teachers union. "The pressure from the principal is unbearable and I am considering leaving the profession if I do not find a job in another school. No one is checking on the workloads of staff," one teacher said to the union.
The pandemic has affected retirement plans for millions of people, according to the Census Bureau. The bureau says 1.4 million people age 55 or older will work longer as a result of the pandemic, while more than 3.1 million people in the same age cohort will claim Social Security benefits earlier than when they had expected.
United Airlines' flight school, United Aviate Academy, plans to train 5,000 new pilots by 2030, with goals for half of the students to be women and people of color. The flight school will provide training to pilots with little-to-no experience and will fund $1.2 million in scholarships to alleviate costs that served as a barrier to women and people of color. "What we're really doing is opening ourselves up to a huge pool of untapped talent and give them opportunities to create those kinds of wonderful careers," United CEO Scott Kirby said.
Employers see remote work in a different light after the past year and companies are likely to establish remote work policies, add satellite offices and be much more accommodating of virtual employees as they move forward, Josh Bersin writes. Bersin shares three other observations about a post-pandemic workplace, including a shift among managers toward human-centered leadership.
Teachers have hit their limit, as we see in today’s Recruiting & Retention story. I don’t often run stories that apply to a single profession, but I made the exception in this case. Why? Because we have learned, in the past year, that what happens in our schools has an impact on our economy, communities and workforce.
"But Kanoe, these are UK teachers, not US teachers."
Ask any teacher in the United States what the past 12 months have been like and even the kindest, most "I love my work!" teacher will (likely) tell you it’s taken him or her to the brink. Many I’ve spoken to have admitted that they want to leave. Others say the emotional toll has affected their health. Nearly all say there needs to be more emphasis on teacher self-care.
The teacher workforce matters. I exhort you to reach out to the teachers you know and express thanks for the work they’re doing. A little encouragement can go a very long way.
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