WEBVTT - How the Pandemic Has Drastically Changed the Workplace

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<v Speaker 1>It's Wednesday, March six. I'm Oscar Ramires from the Daily

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<v Speaker 1>Dive podcast in Los Angeles, and this is reopening America.

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<v Speaker 1>The workplace has gone through drastic changes as a result

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<v Speaker 1>of the pandemic, and even attitudes about work have changed.

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<v Speaker 1>With more job openings than people looking for work, Employees

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<v Speaker 1>feel like they have all the power. But how long

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<v Speaker 1>can that last? Test Viglin, host of the new Wall

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<v Speaker 1>Street Journal podcast As We Work, joins us to talk

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<v Speaker 1>about the changing dynamics of the workplace. Thanks for joining us.

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<v Speaker 1>Tests delighted to be here, Oscar. Well the new podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm really enjoying it right now. I've had the pleasure

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<v Speaker 1>of having a lot of your guests and fellow Wall

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<v Speaker 1>Street Journal journalists there on my podcast to talk about

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<v Speaker 1>all this stuff. The pandemic came and disrupted all our

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<v Speaker 1>lives in a number of different ways, especially with the

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<v Speaker 1>way we work, our attitudes towards work, and it's been

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<v Speaker 1>one of the most interesting things that I have just

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<v Speaker 1>been covering as part of my podcast. So the new

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<v Speaker 1>podcast As We Work tell us a little bit about

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<v Speaker 1>it overall, and then we'll get into uh some of

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<v Speaker 1>the episodes, because there's two episodes out so far, so

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<v Speaker 1>just give us an overview of what we can expect

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<v Speaker 1>on the podcast. So it's really kind of what you've

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<v Speaker 1>just been talking about, which is that there has been

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<v Speaker 1>this sea change in not just how we work, but

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<v Speaker 1>even how we feel about work itself. Right, I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>you have millions of people who basically up and left

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<v Speaker 1>their jobs over the last year year and a half,

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<v Speaker 1>the quits rate reached a record and that has to

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<v Speaker 1>tell you something about what the pandemic did too, really

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<v Speaker 1>prompt people to take another look at their lives and

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<v Speaker 1>the role that work was playing in it. And so

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<v Speaker 1>that's really our main focus question for the podcast is

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<v Speaker 1>how has the role of work changed in our lives

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<v Speaker 1>and how has that changed in the workplace, How has

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<v Speaker 1>it changed between us and our colleagues, between us and

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<v Speaker 1>our bosses. That there's almost nothing about our workplaces and

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<v Speaker 1>our work lives that did not change over the last

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<v Speaker 1>two years. So that's we're delving deep into all kinds

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<v Speaker 1>of issues surrounding that, and it's you know, it's so important.

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<v Speaker 1>Right when the pandemic first hit and we were going

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<v Speaker 1>into lockdowns and everybody was very scared, nobody really knew

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<v Speaker 1>what was happening. And on the work side of things,

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<v Speaker 1>it did two things. It really made us reevaluate that

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<v Speaker 1>work life balance. Life became so much more important than

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<v Speaker 1>work because we were scared of getting sick and dying

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<v Speaker 1>and things. And then the other part of it, for

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of people, not everyone, right, we always have

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<v Speaker 1>to put that caveat on there. We were able to

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<v Speaker 1>prove that we could do remote work, we could make

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<v Speaker 1>that sharp right turn and do it all of it

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<v Speaker 1>from work, and that's where a lot of people really said, well,

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<v Speaker 1>this is what I want to do going forward. So

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<v Speaker 1>getting into the first two episodes that have been out

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<v Speaker 1>so far, the first episode really deals with kind of

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<v Speaker 1>this overall changes at work, and one of the things

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<v Speaker 1>you talked about was this power dynam You know, there's

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<v Speaker 1>countless articles that say the workers have all the power

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<v Speaker 1>right now, that's why they're quitting, that's why they're demanding

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<v Speaker 1>remote work, all that stuff. The question is how long

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<v Speaker 1>will that last though, because maybe this is a sea

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<v Speaker 1>change in attitudes, but will that last forever? I think

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<v Speaker 1>that is the key question that everyone is looking at

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<v Speaker 1>right now, both employees and employers and you know, governments.

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<v Speaker 1>That's policies where we are in completely uncharted territory here

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<v Speaker 1>and so right now, yes, workers are completely feeling their oats.

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<v Speaker 1>They saved some money perhaps over the span of the

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<v Speaker 1>pandemic by not commuting, not having lunches, you know that

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<v Speaker 1>to go out. They perhaps were able to save some

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<v Speaker 1>of the stimulus money. And so you have that aspect

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<v Speaker 1>of it. And then you know, as you said, people

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<v Speaker 1>really taking a look at their life and their work

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<v Speaker 1>and where those two intersect. And so with the workers

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<v Speaker 1>feeling their oats, they're feeling like they have more options

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<v Speaker 1>now the type job market, there are more jobs than

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<v Speaker 1>people to fill them. But if the economy turns around

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<v Speaker 1>and starts doing not quite as well and employers start

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<v Speaker 1>having you know, the market to themselves, then we possibly

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<v Speaker 1>could see a change. So that really, as you said,

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<v Speaker 1>the really big question is how long this is going

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<v Speaker 1>to last. How long will workers be feeling more powerful,

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<v Speaker 1>how long will the economy allow them to do so?

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<v Speaker 1>And at some point, how long will we have the

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<v Speaker 1>memories of the pandemic with us. Ultimately, after trauma, things

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<v Speaker 1>do start to subside. So will we start thinking back

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<v Speaker 1>to the olden days of two years ago when we

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<v Speaker 1>just did everything that our employers told us to. So, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it's a it's an open question. I think it's going

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<v Speaker 1>to be a fascinating thing to follow. I agree definitely.

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<v Speaker 1>The second episode focused on salary transparency and how the

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<v Speaker 1>paper performance model is a little more of a myth

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<v Speaker 1>going on right now. Everything has changed. And the question

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<v Speaker 1>I had based off of that was paid transparency does

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<v Speaker 1>seem like a really good notion. Let's know what our

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<v Speaker 1>colleagues are being paid, so we all are feel appreciated.

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<v Speaker 1>I guess that's part of the episode two. You know

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<v Speaker 1>how closely we associated with ourselves with our salary and

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<v Speaker 1>feel good about that, But it could also have the

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<v Speaker 1>potential to, you know, make others feel bad that they

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<v Speaker 1>don't because much. And and my question is is that

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<v Speaker 1>something that's going to cause an employer to all of

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<v Speaker 1>a sudden bump everybody's pay up. I don't think that

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<v Speaker 1>would happen, you know. So it's it's a difficult another

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<v Speaker 1>another difficult thing to tackle there in the workplace. It

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<v Speaker 1>is absolutely and this is something that I think a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of employers are struggling with right now, in part

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<v Speaker 1>because there are several cities and states that are mandating

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<v Speaker 1>some form of paid transparency in New York and may

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<v Speaker 1>employers there are going to have to give a full

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<v Speaker 1>range of salaries and job listenings. And so, yes, for

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<v Speaker 1>one thing, this is not a subject that in general

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<v Speaker 1>Americans talk about, right, we don't talk about money at all,

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<v Speaker 1>and we certainly don't share what we're paid. The only

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<v Speaker 1>time I remember talking about money was back, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>in the late two thousand's before the housing crash, and

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<v Speaker 1>everybody talked about what their house is worth. But beyond that,

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<v Speaker 1>with just this is like a remoting topic. But there

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<v Speaker 1>is a generation coming up, gen Z millennials who have

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<v Speaker 1>a bit of a different notion about this. Some of

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<v Speaker 1>them are literally going on social media and saying this

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<v Speaker 1>is what I make. I want you to know this

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<v Speaker 1>for either if you want my job after I leave it,

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<v Speaker 1>or be like if you work with me, I want

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<v Speaker 1>you to know what this is so that there is

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<v Speaker 1>some equity involved, so that people of color can have

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<v Speaker 1>some measure of equality, so that women can have some

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<v Speaker 1>measure of equality. So yes, it's something that a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of people don't want to happen because I don't know,

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<v Speaker 1>do you want to tell me what you make Oscar,

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<v Speaker 1>I do not hear that question around throughout the podcast,

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<v Speaker 1>and either yeah, I mean so you know, we'll see

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<v Speaker 1>if that becomes a permanent change or not. Um, it's

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<v Speaker 1>it's hard to imagine. There's so much going on right now.

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<v Speaker 1>As We Work is the new podcast from the Wall

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<v Speaker 1>Street Journal about the changing dynamics of the workplace. Test Viglin,

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<v Speaker 1>host and senior producer for the podcast As We Work.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you very much for joining us, and it drops

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<v Speaker 1>every Tuesday so everybody can check it out. Terrific. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>so much, Oscar. I'm Oscar roomers, and this has been

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<v Speaker 1>reopening America. Don't forget that. For today's big news stories,

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<v Speaker 1>you can check me out in the Daily Dive podcast

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<v Speaker 1>Everybody Good Friday. They'll follow us and I Heart Radio

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you get your podcast.