COVID and its employment fallout

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/01/2024 (939 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I am not convinced the effects of COVID are fully understood, particularly on how people now interact with one another. The research is only now being realized in terms of how isolation and remote learning has resulted in increased anxiety and mental health issues for young people. But the bigger question for me is what has it meant for all of society and how are we changed as we end the first month of 2024?

This was sparked in part by an episode of Cost of Living with Paul Haavardsrud on CBC. It discussed the “soft skills” gap many young people (the Gen Z demographic) may have as a result of experiencing their high school education during the pandemic. Gen Z covers those who were born between 1997 and 2012 (or thereabouts) and according to the CBC program, Gen Z is the first generation of individuals who had full access to smartphone technology.

The thrust of the program and a multitude of stories in other mainstream media is that this generation isn’t going to do well on the job because they don’t understand how to work well in teams, can’t make decisions and are uncomfortable leading others. But those shortcomings have been witnessed in all generations.

It seems that many of us are just out of practice playing well with others after months of staying home and hiding behind our screens.

These so-called soft skills including strong communication skills, are what employers in all industries believe are necessary to function effectively in the workplace. The Cost of Living program suggested that some organizations are going so far as to hold classes in soft skills to buff up their younger workers’ abilities.

A Forbes magazine article also discussed the so-called “soft skills” gap of Gen Z, suggesting that a 2022 survey of participants from the U.K. and the U.S. of 18- to 24-year-olds found that a large majority understood that soft skills are needed in order to advance, career-wise.

Yet, fewer than half felt they had sufficient training to regularly use these skills. About a third of those surveyed also felt uncomfortable making decisions. They also expressed difficulty dealing with ambiguity. This may be because these folks are used to relying on the internet for instant information.

Many of us — not just Gen Z — are now suffering similar reactions after three years of enforced shutdowns, social isolation and distancing. While younger people may have had screen times as an alternative for personal interaction in education, many of us also became used to the weekly and sometimes hourly zoom meeting in the workplace — and in some cases, these are continuing.

It’s not just Gen Z who have spent hours in front of their cellphones, indulging in the latest TikTok trends. Online streaming for all Canadians increased during COVID, whether it was to watch movies or news, explore exercise or music videos or to shop online. Most of us spent a lot more time in front of a screen instead of socializing.

There’s been some evidence workplace bullying and harassment increased during the pandemic, largely because isolation and an unsure economy allowed for these behaviours to occur unchecked.

With a return to the workplace, even if it’s only part time, workers will have to navigate new relationships face-to-face once again. It will be a new dynamic, that can be exhausting and stressful.

At the same time, many households are trying to cope with the additional expenses caused by having to return to work at a time of increased inflation. It’s not hard to imagine soft skills being compromised. It’s hard to be a leader when you haven’t been able to sleep the night before, worried about paying your mortgage. It’s hard to want to collaborate when you’re juggling work and life pressures that are out of balance.

It’s pretty easy to point the finger at the younger generation and suggest that they lack certain abilities when they were deprived of opportunities because of a life-changing pandemic. At the same time, those of us who are far and away out of that demographic could certainly stand to brush up on our own soft skills of better communication, including empathy. We’re all struggling.

Shannon Sampert is a lecturer at RRC Polytech and an instructor at the University of Manitoba. She was the politics and perspectives editor at the Free Press from 2014-17.

shannon@mediadiva.ca