It’s a Trap #3 Work
- Ed Green
- Jun 9, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 29
Trap #3
In her blog, published prior to the pandemic, Kathy Gottberg cites statistics from a Forbes Magazine survey asking people in 189 countries how they felt about their jobs. According to Forbes, nearly 25% of people hate their jobs, while 63% are “not engaged.” Forbes interpreted this to mean that “work is more often a source of frustration than one of fulfillment for nearly 90% of the world’s workers.” This reflected an attitude that had been quietly normalized since the Industrial Revolution: “live to work” rather than “work to live.” Longer hours, reduced leisure time, rising productivity—but not always increased pay. For many, this became the trap: a life structured around work that steadily drained meaning, balance, and wellbeing.
Then the pandemic disrupted everything.
During and after COVID-19, a profound shift began taking place in how people viewed their jobs and the role of work in their lives. It came to be known as The Great Resignation—and for some, it looked less like resignation and more like The Great Escape.
According to Willis Towers Watson’s 2022 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey, 44% of employees identified as “job seekers.” Of those, 33% were actively job hunting in late 2021, and 11% planned to search in early 2022. In the U.S. alone, nearly 4.3 million people quit their jobs in January, and almost 48 million left in 2021, setting an annual record. Economists noted that most were not withdrawing from the workforce, but moving toward better pay, flexibility, and opportunity—some even reinventing their careers altogether.
More than half of workers (56%) said pay was a top reason they would consider changing employers. One of the greatest disconnects between employees and employers emerged around remote work. While 26% of respondents were working mostly from home and 15% had hybrid arrangements, far more—36% and 22% respectively—preferred remote or hybrid work. And this wasn’t just an American phenomenon. Global economic reporting showed similar patterns worldwide, with the pandemic reshaping how people define success, security, and quality of life.
At the same time, economists pointed out the consequences: worker shortages, supply-chain disruptions, slowed production, and rising prices. As one report noted, this global labor shift has strained industries, disrupted local and international markets, and contributed to economic instability. For many, that has meant higher costs of living, financial uncertainty, and a new kind of trap emerging within a changing workforce landscape.
So the question becomes: How do we navigate this new work reality while protecting our financial and emotional wellbeing?
In working with people since the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve noticed something important. What appears to be an escape from one trap for some—the Great Resignation—can quietly create new traps for others: inflation, shortages, financial pressure, and different kinds of stress. More people are now working from home, including couples, families, and singles alike. While this shift has removed long commutes and some workplace politics, it has also introduced another set of traps that often go unrecognized.
The Traps to Watch For
Are you working longer hours?
Without the physical boundary of leaving an office, work can bleed into personal life. Set clear limits for emails, calls, and tasks. Ask yourself: Do I recognize when workplace stress is being carried into my home?
Has “less stress” simply changed form?
Office politics may be reduced, but performance expectations are often the same—or higher. If so, stress management must become part of your work-from-home routine. How has this shift affected the quality of your relationships? If you’re single, how has it impacted your social life?
Are work pressures interfering with relationships?
The risk of professional stress spilling into family and social dynamics has increased. To reduce this, be mindful of your emotional state. When work-related frustration is misplaced onto loved ones, the home—meant to be a refuge—quietly becomes another place of tension.
Do you communicate when you’re under stress?
Unexpressed pressure often turns into withdrawal, irritability, or emotional shutdown. Open communication can reduce its influence on your behavior and protect the emotional health of your relationships.
How all of this will ultimately resolve is still unclear. But one thing is certain: the economic climate affects us all, and it can easily become a formidable financial trap—one that impacts both stability and mental health.
And layered into this is the broader climate we are all living in right now. Ongoing political tension, economic uncertainty, and shifting policies around work, taxes, healthcare, and cost of living create a steady background of stress. Even when we try not to engage with it directly, it shows up in familiar places—tightened finances, strained relationships, heightened anxiety, and the feeling that life requires more effort just to stay balanced.
What we are seeing in families, partnerships, and workplaces mirrors what many are experiencing economically: pressure without pause, responsibility without relief, and expectations without clear stability. Left unexamined, this becomes another version of the same trap—where stress is normalized, disconnection grows, and survival quietly replaces fulfillment.
Practical Ways to Avoid the Financial Trap
To reduce vulnerability in this shifting landscape, there are a few simple but powerful steps you can take:
Adjust your spending habits
Create a clear budget to understand income versus outflow
Develop a multi-year financial plan
For any of these to work, one additional ingredient is required: self-discipline—the willingness to stay aligned with your values even when it’s uncomfortable.
Reflective question:
Where in my work life have I traded balance for security—or freedom for pressure—and what one boundary could restore what truly matters?
Please feel free to share your thoughts or leave a comment. I’d like to hear from you.
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