I subscribe to several daily newsletters from various news outlets, including The Atlantic, New York Times, The New Yorker, etc. For the past several weeks, and, in particular, the early days of 2022, there was a commonality in each news roundup: the effects of the Omicron coronavirus variant on hospital staffing and the continued healthcare crunch.
The United States is bracing for a seven-day rolling average of over 700,000 cases, nearly three times that of the worst of the 2020-2021 winter surge. Even though there has been scientific evidence of Omicron orienting itself as a “milder” strain of the coronavirus (mainly by sparing the worst of lower respiratory effects as in other previous variants), the sheer transmissibility of the new mutations heavily outweighs any mildness the virus may bring. Tripling the number of daily cases seen during previous waves means more strain on the healthcare system.
What’s happening with the healthcare workforce is a direct reflection of what happens when the world around us causes severe disruptions in the labor market. Now, I completely understand that hospitals and healthcare facilities are directly on the frontlines, and, as such, will always bear the unfortunate burden of having to face the worst of the pandemic nearly two years into this crisis. The fallout, however, is something that will become commonplace across the globe within many other industries.
Healthcare workers are operating under several challenges, including major burnout, long hours, and, worst of all, mental health issues that could eventually force them to leave the industry altogether. More and more nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals (all of whom have spent many years of their life not just in their roles, but also in the preparatory times preceding their careers in school and training) are expected to leave the industry as the physical and mental toll of the pandemic continues on in 2022.
Imagine spending years of your life dedicated to helping other people, and, after all of the time doing so, on top of the years of schooling required to get there, decide to leave the industry altogether? It’s disheartening on many levels. And it’s something that isn’t just specific to the healthcare industry.
The Future of Work Exchange has written about worker burnout and mental wellbeing in the workplace before; however, with an Omicron surge forcing isolation and quarantine for millions of professionals across the country, those are lucky enough to dodge infection are actively feeling the brunt. In warehouses, where workers are often operating side-by-side, just a small percentage of quarantined individuals means that others have to pick up the slack. In veterinary medicine (which hits close to him, since my wife has been in the field for two decades), a range of veterinarians and veterinary technician staff have to pick up extra hours and scramble for coverage in overnight shifts, weekend hours, etc. Worse yet, many veterinary hospitals have had to defer care when staffing shortages at their worst, meaning that only a sliver of specific emergencies (read: life-or-death instances) are seen during particular blocks of time.
Light industrial will feel the brunt over the next several weeks, as will retail, hospitality, and other industries that cannot work remotely. Omicron’s transmissibility means that millions of Americans will become infected throughout the mid-winter weeks, forcing them into isolation and causing ripply disruptions in productivity. Workers that were already unhappy in their positions will contribute the ongoing “Great Resignation” as they are forced to work more hours in unsafe conditions without the flexibility and benefits they desire.
Longer-term, what is happening within the healthcare workforce will be an omniscient preview of how other industries may come out of an Omicron winter. Why is this such a “wake-up call?” Simply put: the last thing any business leader should desire right now is a loss of talent, be it voluntarily or because of COVID. Extreme burnout isn’t occurring in every industry and certainly not at the scale of the healthcare space, however, the deeper Omicron digs its heels into viable hosts over the next several weeks, the more that non-infected workers have to boost their own productivity under existing mental and physical strain.
We’re already dealing with massive levels of resignation across all sectors. The best-aligned talent is harder to find, and, with literal millions of job openings available, it’s going to become more difficult for businesses to engage well-aligned skillsets and expertise. Even though the healthcare workforce is currently experiencing an extreme form of burnout, it doesn’t mean that the same ramifications won’t be present in other industries. Seeing medical professionals with decades of experience up and leave the profession should cause chills across the greater business spectrum, with a clear message for everyone that actively witnesses the burnout and fatigue on display in the nation’s medical facilities:
This could happen to you and your workforce unless you prioritize the wellbeing of your talent.