Reopening America

The number of Americans that quit their jobs during the pandemic spiked, and it could be a permanent fixture on the job market.  This has led to more opportunities for employees, but for employers it has been a nightmare.  They are dealing with high turnover and how to keep workers happy… simply offering a WFH model doesn’t work anymore.  Aki Ito, senior correspondent at Business Insider, joins us for the ‘Forever Resignation.’

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Pent-up inflation could be the next thing to drive up costs even higher.  Consumers have largely been shielded from the full brunt of expenses that producers, distributors, and small businesses have faced.  Especially in the restaurant industry, they have been hesitant to raise prices too much, but as their costs increase something has got to give.  Case in point, a Mississippi restaurant had had to start listing their order of 15 chicken wings as “market price.”  At its highest, an order cost $28, but the true cost was closer to $34.  Amy Yee, reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for why even higher prices could still be on their way.

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We are seeing a mad dash for the ultrarich to hire on private butlers, maids and estate managers.  Pre-pandemic, a salaried housekeeper in the Hamptons could earn up to $65,000, now many say the minimum is $85,000 or more.  High-end nannies can earn $110,000 in some cases.  Tracking along with some other pandemic working trends, these  workers have a lot more power than they used to.  Noah Kirsch, wealth and power reporter at The Daily Beast, joins us for more.

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We all know that coworker who might not be the brightest or hardest worker, but still gets promoted anyway.  Whether it’s schmoozing, brown-nosing, or riding coattails, some have mastered the art of ‘failing up.’  As more are going back to the office and after too many pandemic Zoom meetings, it is becoming more evident again.  Callum Borchers, On the Clock columnist at the WSJ, joins us for how some are turning failure into success.

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A new report confirms that most working parents are burned out.  Research from Ohio State University says that 66% of working parents meet the criteria for parental burnout, meaning they feel they have nothing left to give.  This study was conducted at the height of the pandemic, but researchers think high rates of burnout are here to stay.  Catherine Pearson, reporter at the NY Times, joins us for more.

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Researchers are constantly working on new vaccine delivery methods for Covid and are hoping that nasal vaccines could be better at preventing transmission and infection.  Several candidates are in the works and in early clinical trials but the hope is that it could work better by taking hold in mucus membranes where the virus enters the body.  Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for how you next booster could be taken up the nose.

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A check in on the gig economy as we are in this next phase of the pandemic.  A rebound in travel has led Uber to post revenue at a 136% increase from pandemic lows making $6.9 billion in the first quarter.  Still, drivers are having a tough time with high gas prices.  On the other side of things, companies like Instacart are having a tough time finding their footing as people are ordering less groceries to be delivered.  Kellen Browning, tech reporter at the NY Times, joins us for more.

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It was one of the main tools that helped us transition to a work from home model during the pandemic, Zoom and other video conferencing apps.  They helped us connect and collaborate when we could not do so in person.  But a new study shows that compared to meeting in-person, creativity did take a bit of a hit.  Because we are so focused on the video screen during these meetings, we lose sight of our environments and move less, both of which stimulate creativity.  Erica Pandey, business reporter at Axios, joins us for the toll that video conferencing took on workplace creativity.

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Gen Z doesn’t seem like they want to work and they are broadcasting it over social media.  Many have said that they don’t have a dream job because they “don’t dream of labor.”  The past few years of the pandemic have changed many attitudes when it comes to the work/life balance and young people entering the workforce at this time don’t want to get bogged down in toiling away with nothing to show for it.  They have gained reputations as job hoppers and aren’t afraid to air grievances on social media with hashtags like #QuitTok.  Terry Nguyen, reporter at Vox, joins us for more.

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