The labor shortage is reshaping the economy, and how people talk about work. Here's a glossary of all the new phrases that sum up workers' frustration with their deal, from 'lying flat' to 'antiwork.'
Samantha Lee/Insider
- The labor shortage has its own language, as American workers exercise newfound power and a vocabulary to explain it.
- The slang of the Great Resignation captures Americans' emerging new attitude toward work - and it has a Gen Z vibe.
- Here's your guide to the key terms and tactics that workers are adopting to describe "take this job and shove it."
The labor shortage is giving rise to a whole new way of thinking - and talking - about work.
The historic number of job openings and quitting employees is coinciding with Gen Z's emergence into the workplace. As is wont to happen, the newest generation of workers is bringing new norms with them. Corporate lingo is out; lols on Slack are in (just not the laughing crying emoji). But beyond surface-level communication, Gen Z is also bringing a new work ethos tied to ongoing labor movements. They want work they care about, that mirrors their values. They question the need for traditional 9-5 days, rather than days that mirror how much time their work takes up.
Their older millennial bosses are also scared of them, according to the New York Times.
Oh, and strikes are back in full force. But short of this old-school union tactic, workers are finding other ways to express their displeasure with the demands of corporate overlords. Here's our ever-evolving glossary on the key labor terms and tactics you need to know right now.
Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM/Getty Images
You've probably heard about — or experienced the effect of — labor shortages. This is the phenomenon of businesses, especially low wage ones, struggling to hire up. The result: You might see some of your favorite restaurants closing earlier, or service slowing.
There's no one reason for labor shortages.
Mismatches between the jobs that are open and the skills that workers have are likely partially responsible; workers are also moving, and leaving jobs behind. And, of course, workers have higher expectations and want more out of work after living through a pandemic.
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told Insider that he thinks three things are driving shortages: The mere fact of living through unprecedented times, health concerns, and people rethinking what they want out of work.
Importantly, there's a mismatch between between businesses saying they're eager to hire and who's still out of work. For instance, in August, the Black unemployment rate went up, even as businesses said they were scrambling to hire. It's what Dr. William Spriggs — an economics professor at Howard University and the chief economist for the AFL-CIO — said was "the self-evident discrimination in the labor market revealing itself." The Black unemployment rate ticked a bit in September, but still remains elevated.
"Antiwork"permeates online culture as people rethink 9-to-5sPavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The "antiwork" community on Reddit has exploded in recent months, with the number of followers skyrocketing by hundreds of thousands. It's become the Internet's new home for people who are quitting their jobs and revolting over low-pay and poor work conditions.
As Insider's Kat Tenbarge reports, the subreddit has coalesced around ways that work could fundamentally be restructured. Posts ruminate on topics like the length of the work day, the impact of overwork, and ways that workers can build power.
The subreddit currently has over 950,000 subscribers. Publicly available Reddit data shows the subscriber count nearly doubling from around 500,000 in early October to over 900,000 by the month's end.
A permanent "slowdown" or "slow-up" could make work life more sustainable
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
A work slowdown is a fairly straightforward term: It's when, according to Collins English Dictionary, workers "deliberately work slowly" — often in an effort to change something about their working condition, from wages to hours. It's one pressure unionized workers can exert.
However, Erika Rodriguez argues in The Guardian that the current labor movement calls for a "slow-up": A widespread rethinking of the pace of work.
The slow-up, Rodriguez writes, "signals that slowing down can improve workers' quality of life. The objective is not to drive down profits (though that may happen), but to uphold the ideal that everyone deserves a life of dignity, which includes rest and distance from work."
Examples of slowing up, per Rodriguez, could include checking your email on just certain days. Or you could practice strategic "time theft" — when you're not working during work hours, but instead doing things like socializing, taking unrecorded breaks, or even just watching some TikToks.
In China, young people are "lying flat" after seeing their peers suffer from overwork
"Lying flat" is more than just resting. A translation of "tang ping," it's a rebuke of work and hustle culture by Gen Z and millennial Chinese workers, according to the BBC. The outlet said that lying flat has been likened to a spiritual movement.
As Insider's Stephen Jones reports, the movement is centered around people finding happiness in their lives as is, and taking the proper time to unwind. The country's younger tech workers have contended with a "996" work schedule — where they work 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week.
Insider's Cheryl Teh reports that the concept is seen as a response to what's called "neijuan" — a word that describes "the hyper-competitive lifestyle in China."
The movement posits that it's okay — and, in fact, good — to not strive for constant success, jobs, and movement upwards. According to the Brookings Institute, government media has already decried the movement, and discussions across different social media platforms were shut down.
The "take this job and shove it" indicator shows that people are quitting in drovesrichiesd/Getty Images
Some economists have latched onto a new phrase to describe the millions of people quitting their jobs en masse: "Take this job and shove it."
The phrase was first popularized in a country song by Johnny Paycheck, where the singer croons, "Take this job and shove it/I ain't working here no more," interspersed with verses about his partner leaving, bosses with superiority complexes, and coworkers dying.
Economic research group DataTrek Research has created its own "take this job and shove it" indicator. Every month, they track how many job separations came from quits, rather than layoffs or other reasons for people leaving. In August, the "take this job and shove it" indicator rose to a record high of 71.1%.
The "YOLO economy" means some people are quitting to pursue a better lifeYou Only Live Once (YOLO), and, if you're like some people, you're not going to spend that time in your current job for one minute longer.
The New York Times first coined the term the "YOLO economy" to describe the relatively well-off millennial workers who survived a pandemic — and decided to completely overturn their lives. Their priorities shifted; some took their side hustles full time, others moved out of state for a change, and still others are just staying home to spend more time with loved ones.
Insider's Phil Rosen profiled Dane Drewis, who left his corporate finance job to become a musician full time. Drewis built up his own savings and financial strategy before taking the plunge from part-time music fanatic to full-time performer.
"Honestly I'm tired of doing spreadsheets all day," Drewis told Insider. "I'm ready to share as much happiness and love as possible through committing myself to music."
Of course, the YOLO economy isn't applicable for everyone. As The Washington Post chronicles, some older workers are still scrambling to find employment; The New York Times notes that many of the YOLO-ers were able to build up a financial cushion to back their new lives.
Organized "labor strikes" mean major work stoppages across the country as workers flex newfound powerScott Olson/Getty Images
You've probably been hearing a lot about strikes in recent months, as more workers take to the picket line.
Simply put, a strike is when workers collectively stop working in an effort to change conditions about their work. Collective action by workers has been an effective tool for workplace change for centuries; as Insider's Allana Akhtar and Joey Hadden report, the first recorded labor strike took place in 1156 BC. Egyptian workers participated in a work stoppage over late payment.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines a "major work stoppage" as a stoppage that involves over 1,000 workers, and lasts at least one shift. Over the past two decades, there have been an average of 16 work stoppages beginning each year.
In the US, the National Labor Relations Act gives workers the right to strike, although there are limitations on what's considered a lawful and unlawful strike.
"Striketober" was when several major companies saw work stoppages in the month of October 2021Rey Del Rio/Getty Images
October 2021 saw an increasingly powerful labor movement take to the streets. Thousands of workers went on strike — or geared up to hit the picket line — over working conditions and contract negotiations. It's what labor activists and politicians called #Striketober.
The month saw over 100,000 workers vote to authorize strikes, according to The Hill. Over 1,000 workers at Kellogg's went on strike in early October; contract negotiations are reportedly starting up again for the first time this week.
"There seems to be a movement sweeping across America with labor right now. People are finally standing up for what they believe and the workers are trying to get what they deserve," Dan Osborn, the president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Works and Grain Millers Union local 50G in Omaha, Nebraska, and one of the striking workers, previously told Insider.
Ten thousand John Deere workers also went on strike. They're currently gearing up to vote on tentative agreement that would double the initially proposed wage increase.
Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers are gearing up to strike, while healthcare workers in Buffalo have been striking for over a month. Alabama miners have been on strike since April.
Workers have been quitting in record numbers amidst a "Great Resignation"
Mays Business School
In May, organizational psychologist Anthony Klotz uttered the labor phrase heard around the world: The Great Resignation.
"I don't know why I used the word 'great' and called it 'the Great Resignation,'" Klotz previously admitted to Insider; he had been colloquially using it at home with his wife to describe what he thought might happen to the workforce.
It ended up being ultimately prophetic. For five months, Americans have been quitting at record highs. In August alone — the last month that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has released data for — about 4.3 million people quit their jobs. Some of those people may be part of the group who wanted to quit earlier, but waited during the pandemic. Others may be experiencing the YOLO economy, or leveraging worker movements to find higher wages elsewhere.
"From organizational research, we know that when human beings come into contact with death and illness in their lives, it causes them to take a step back and ask existential questions," Klotz said. "Like, what gives me purpose and happiness in life, and does that match up with how I'm spending my right now? So, in many cases, those reflections will lead to life pivots."
Some experts say workers aren't just quitting for good, but instead switching to better jobs in a "Great Reshuffle"Peter Dazely
The Great Resignation even has its own offshoot. Insider's Hillary Hoffower reported on the "Great Reshuffle," where workers are switching from one job to another — with the youngest members of the workforce driving the trend.
LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky told TIME that, year-over-year, job transitions have gone up by 54%. For Gen Z workers, transitions skyrocketed by 80%, with millennials trailing behind at 50%.
A reshuffle might help workers do more than just escape from a crappy job: In July, Insider's Aki Ito reported that job switchers are using the red-hot labor market to "supercharge their careers" or land in a different field completely. Employers were getting into bidding wars, upping offers, and even offering hefty bonuses to lure workers to reshuffle with them.
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