And while work issues are top of mind, some reporting from Protocol. Before the coronavirus pandemic, nearly one-quarter of all Americans said they find meaning and purpose in their lives because of their work and jobs. Now, that number has declined by more than 9% in a new Pew research study, affirming anecdotal stories about the American population’s increasing disinterest in participating in the labor market. Higher-income and college-educated people were the most likely to find meaning in work before the pandemic. The falloff in valuing careers can be seen within those specific groups as well.
While Americans with higher incomes and those with a college degree remain the most likely to bring up their jobs, both groups have become less likely to do so, with a decline from 37% to 27% among those in the upper-income tier and a decline from 39% to 26% among the college-educated,” the researchers wrote in the report.
Also taking a blow due to the pandemic – business travel. 39% of business travelers — those who used to travel for work at least three times a year pre-pandemic — say they’ll never do it again, according to a new survey from Morning Consult.
Finally, Robin’s Return to Office report for October shows office capacity at 25%, the highest since the pandemic started, and foot traffic in American workplaces jumped 19% in October. Conference rooms were busier as well with a 6% increase in bookings. The return rate has slowed slightly since September, which was 26% in the US, and Robin predicts a drop in foot traffic in November and December in the U.S. due to the upcoming holidays.
Why do we care?
The changes to business travel and stats around returning to the office feel tactical—Data points on the journey.
Let’s focus instead on the attitude shift. Americans not as focused on work is a pretty important headline. Too often, business conversations are around what the business wants or strictly within the business context. If you’re a business leader and not factoring in your employee’s desires, you’re missing a significant portion of this. Few people “live to work” than ever before. If you’re having hiring or retention problems – or want to avoid them – make sure that’s part of your thinking.