Remember life before the pandemic? Sure you do. It was carefree compared to what we’ve all been through. A face mask was something you wore to clean or moisturize your skin. Vaccines were not required to go, well, anywhere. We didn’t think twice about shaking someone’s hand or hugging a friend.

Covid has changed things. A lot changed back in 2020 when businesses closed their doors and many employees either lost their jobs or were sent home to figure out how to work remotely indefinitely.

At first, we enjoyed the change of having everyone in the family home together. It was family bonding time, but eventually, that got old. The kids missed their friends at school. As parents, we missed social interactions too with friends and coworkers. Zoom just wasn’t the same.

Now, life has gotten back to normal in many ways. While you’ll still see people wearing face masks in some places and we’re not as eager to shake anyone’s hand, our kids are in school in person, and most businesses have reopened. The problem is that many employees don’t want to go back to work.

Why is it that so many businesses are having trouble finding enough employees to keep their doors open? Is it that people have gotten lazy and don’t want to work anymore? Is it that companies aren’t paying there employees enough? Is it something else?

One TikTok user definitely believes it’s something else. He believes that when employees lost their jobs during the pandemic they had to figure out how to pay the bills, and that forced them to think outside the box. He explained that instead of sitting in an office all day, the former employees finally had time to focus on their hobbies and think about what else they could do to make ends meet. In many cases, they were successful enough that they don’t want to give up their new way of life. They would rather work long hours at home building their former hobby into a successful business than be a number at a corporation.

Watch this video below and see if you agree with this perspective on why so many companies are having trouble hiring employees.

@j.dkon #stitch with @pizam2000 ♬ Thirst (Eat the Rich) – Lil Guillotine

Did you change jobs or career paths as a result of the pandemic? Do you agree with the perspective the many people found a better work life balance during the pandemic and that’s why they don’t want a typical day job? What do you think businesses could do to make working for them more appealing?