The Covid pandemic prompted individuals and organizations alike to hit the refresh button and ponder whether they should adopt a different approach.  For individuals, research from the University of Michigan suggests that this refresh has seen a renewed emphasis on passion at work rather than financial security.

The researchers wanted to understand how the career priorities of degree-educated workers changed if they either lost their jobs or were furloughed during the pandemic.

Shifting priorities

Contrary to the somewhat logical assumption that a period of economic turmoil will prompt us to focus on financial security, the study shows instead that the Covid pandemic has prompted us to prioritize instead on finding things we’re passionate about, even if that line of work is unstable.

The researchers quizzed 1,628 university-educated workers from across the United States who had been either furloughed or laid off eight months into the pandemic.  They compared the priorities of those people with a similar sample of workers who had not suffered any professional instability.  This was a period in which vaccinations were not yet available and the full economic fallout of the pandemic was unclear.

The study focused on university-educated people because the researchers assumed that they would have a greater degree of financial freedom to consider alternative options.  This contrasts with those who suffer from greater financial instability, who may be happy with whatever work they can get.

Searching for passion

The results suggest that college-educated people were placing renewed emphasis on doing things they were passionate about, with 46% of respondents saying this was the key factor in any job-related decisions they were making.  This compares to just 20% who said the same about salary and 13% who rated job security as their key focus.

“These results indicate that the economic fallout accompanying the pandemic did not quell the popularity of meaning and fulfillment as guiding principles for career decision making, at least for the college-educated,” the researchers say. “The experiences of pandemic-related employment instability may have even amplified it.

“The results provide important context for understanding why we see so many “Help Wanted” signs in the nation right now. They suggest that the Great Resignation may be perpetuated in part by workers seeking a different relationship to paid work—one that provides greater meaning and fulfilment to their lives.”