I went down the rabbit hole on a social media post about a local eatery’s “closed- staff shortage” sign.
From jump, the comments were blasting the closure due to people not working because of the great unemployment they’re receiving. “No one wants to work anymore.” I read it as “we don’t have enough people to operate at full capacity at this time for reasons we are not sharing on our window sign.”
I drive by that sign every day and never have I assumed anything other than the owners had a choice to make and made it. I didn’t assume that people were sitting at home, eating bon bons with freshly manicured nails and watching soap operas on their new iPhones while receiving large unemployment checks. In fact, my first thought was COVID-19 quarantine, to be honest. You know, we are still dealing with this pandemic.
I think about those comments every time I pass that sign. There’s a lot to unpack, and there are a lot of ways to unpack it. First, let’s stop the whole blame game of people receiving unemployment during the pandemic. Jobs were lost, making unemployment necessary. The fact that the government threw in a bonus so people could survive tells me that the government is well aware that most of us don’t make enough money at our jobs. Taking it a step further, I’d say it speaks to the way unemployment is paid. People receive a portion of their salary. If you weren’t making enough to live comfortably through your paycheck then you’re definitely not making enough on unemployment.
The next thing that comes to mind is that food service workers aren’t typically paid very well as far as wage an hour. I know there are tips, but I also know that every server I know wishes people would tip better. They also wish for health benefits. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the same people who assume the shop is closed because people are lazy complaining in the next breath that low-wage workers should get a “better” job.
There’s always someone treating service workers as if they don’t deserve respect and dignity to choose their profession based on factors other than money. I spoke to a woman who has been a low-wage cashier for 16 years because she loves the job. She is a people person who loves getting to know the people in her community and being in contact with people, so why shouldn’t she be able to enjoy her job and make a living wage? She’s old enough to retire but can’t afford retirement.
I know others who have been regulars for years at local eateries. They eat there on the same day every week. They know their server’s name and how many kids they have. They’ve celebrated birthdays and other special occasions there. But yet they don’t feel as if their favorite server is worthy of a living wage because they’re “just” a server.
Two million women have been forced to leave the workforce since COVID-19 hit. Women make up the majority of our care industries, such as childcare and elderly care. We are the ones providing childcare for poverty wages and sitting with your loved ones in their homes while worrying how they’re going to pay their bills. We are the ones you’ll most often see running registers and waiting tables. And if they’re parents on top of that, you can bet they’re tired. They’re probably tired in ways they didn’t realize until they were forced out of the workforce and made to stay home. Trust me, I’m speaking from my own realization of how unaware I was about my own exhaustion until I had some time off.
I was talking to someone yesterday and was told that we’re all doing what we can to get through it, which is where I am in my mindset as well. What works for me probably looks different than what works for you. What you need probably differs a bit from what I need, so why are some of us so quick to start blaming and accusing people from doing what works for them? I don’t get it.
A friend quit her essential employee job and started the business of her dreams during the pandemic. Another friend’s job didn’t change at all because she is an essential employee for two employers. She was struggling to feed her family before COVID-19, and she’s struggling to feed them now. Others moved to remote work and actually saved money while others took the unemployment and took care of themselves.
We should all be allowed the freedom to be stable and happy, regardless of how we choose to make a living. None of us get paid to judge one another.
Onward,
Amy Jo
