The 'Big Quit' or Early Mid-Life Crisis?

My Starbucks, previously open 24 hours a day, now closes on Tuesdays and Thursdays because they don't have enough employees to staff the store.

The local library used to be open evenings, but now closes at 4:00 on the days it is open.

Driving through a fast-food restaurant a recorded voice thanks you for stopping by but notes they aren't open for lunch anymore, please stop by again at 5:00 PM and enjoy their food then.

Auto repair shops have a sign on the door explaining that there will be (not may be!) longer wait times as they are short staffed.

What in the world is going on here?

Your answer to that question may be influenced by your choice of news media, what your coworkers say, whether you own a business, what your political affiliation is, the country in which you live, or if you are a Boomer or Generation X/Y/or Z.

• "People are too lazy."
• "No one wants to work anymore."
• "It's because of the government money/handouts/credits/stimulus checks..."
• "They're too proud to take an honest job."
• "People would rather not work and have taxpayers support them."

There are lots of theories, including these three by the United States' Labor Secretary.

1. "Unprecedented times". Well, no kidding. The idea is that people are afraid to get sick, not suited for the hospitality and labor jobs that are open, and young parents are still at the mercy of uneven schooling situations. Schools are open as usual one day and then virtual for two weeks due to a quarantine or lack of teachers.
2. "Fears for their health/or that of someone in their family/caring for someone ill/they are ill." In September 2021 4.6 million unemployed American said they were not working because either they were ill with or due to Covid-a9 or a variant, or they were caring for someone that was ill for those reasons.
3. "People are rethinking life and work." Many people had no choice; when the pandemic started they were sent home, laid off, or businesses closed. They may have contracted COVID-19 and that brush with their mortality has them wondering if they are on the right path for the remainder of their lives. Perhaps if isn't surprising that the Secretary of Labor believes work is the answer, albeit with increased flexibility.

All of these reasons, singly or combined, may be the reasons that some people choose to remain unemployed. However, what about the job seekers that are pouring all they have into the search and aren't getting hired?

According to online job information site Glassdoor: On average, each corporate job offer attracts 250 resumes. Of those candidates, 4 to 6 will get called for an interview, and only one will get the job. Only 2-3% of applicants will advance to the interview stage.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the average amount of time devoted to getting a job in November 2020 was 24 weeks. In November 2020 the US unemployment rate was 6.7% as compared to the current 4.8% in October 2021. However, extended unemployment benefits were still in place in November 2020, those that remain unemployed since March 2021 have lost the supplemental unemployment payments.

Besides the reduction from the enhanced unemployment benefits, many people not employed also face housing instability as landlords decide to sell their buildings or not renew leases, so they can take advantage of the hike in real estate values and increase rent.

The temporary suspension of student loan payments will expire in January 2022, which will increase the monthly outlay for many people. If the loan holder is working a job that pays significantly less than their previous job those payments may be catastrophic. For them it will be best to start now into looking at an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan. That must be done with a trusted advisor, which for government student loans is a FREE service. Scammers will be active looking to prey on fear so care must be taken to use only an accredited source for information.

College students that had interrupted classes, remote classes, lost money on forfeited housing, lost work-study opportunities to mitigate expenses since the schools were closed, struggled to do fully-remote classes with a curriculum written for in-person learning: all of this is leading to massive stress.

And that stress is hitting the group with the highest unemployment rate in the U.S.: 16-24 years old. This is the age when young people typically start putting aside money for their first car, first apartment, schooling, and travel. Some even begin a 401k when they get their first job to start their savings and get the end-of-career benefit of compounding interest rates.

The effects of the stress of job-seeking during a pandemic may also be combining with another psychological whammy for these young people: early mid-life crisis.

Early Mid-Life Crisis

In 1965 Canadian psychoanalyst Elliott Jacques coined the term 'mid-life crisis'. In 2021 American professor of management and organizational psychologist Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M created the Great Resignation, also known as the Big Quit. I believe these two are intertwined.

The accepted usual age for a mid-life crisis is 45-65 years old, lasting 3-10 years in men and 2-5 years in women. This is the age when a person is most likely to grapple with the idea of their own mortality, often spurred by the loss of their own elderly parents. The pandemic has upended that awareness and leave people grappling with personal mortality. For almost two years the number of people dead, the heightened awareness of contagion, the mortality rates of the original virus and now the implications of the various variants: all have combined to smack the individual squarely with the knowledge that they, too, will someday die.

In 1965, when mid-life crisis was first named, such awareness and its responses surfaced in a new car, affair, or sudden new job. Erratic behavior bent on reaching a bucket list, taking a trip, or embracing drinking and drugs. Movies have been made on the theme of mid-life crisis: all of them with (mostly) men in their 40's or older. Some of them resolve themselves like Mary's little lamb, coming home and wagging their tails behind them.

But those older adults have a home and a career to which they can come home. The young people and young adults of the pandemic are struggling both to get their first jobs and deal with their own mortality roughly 25 years sooner than their parents or grandparents did.

Instead of maligning them for laziness those of us that are older need to help them through it. I suggest these steps:

Three Steps to Help Young Adults Through Early Mid-Life Crisis

1. Acknowledge the stress, don't belittle the symptoms. Depression rates tripled in early 2020 to a staggering 27.8%- and they are even higher now. As of October 2021 American adults experiencing depression is 32.8% of the population. Depression doesn't hit just a few people, it's 1 in every 3 American adults. It is a common thing in the US right now, no one should be ashamed to talk about it.
2. Help them get help. parents and friends can lend an ear but depression may do better when shared with someone not in their everyday life. There are a multiple number of ways to connect with help, some are even free. A way* to dip the toe into sharing their thoughts could be one of the ways they use to share thoughts with their friends: texting.

Now available internationally, too:

3. Good and fair HR practices. If you are a manager or business owner hiring staff take the time to do it correctly. Respond to applications. Give feedback on interviews. Volunteer your time to do practice interviews at the local high school, college, or unemployment resource center. Pay a living wage. Devote the time to onboarding and training. Give feedback on performance. Set challenging but fair goals. Be a mentor to the young people in your life.

You May be the Difference Someone Else Needs

Helping someone struggling with their pressures and stresses may be a simple as asking a person how they are feeling. Ask them about their decisions regarding school and career in a non-judgmental way. Share with them your own struggles or stresses and how you cope. Look for sources of simple and effective advice.

Move below a surface conversation and show that you care. We will all get through this together.

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*The advice in this article is my own and should not take the place of a certified medical professional.