Reluctance to resign when warranted is an important glitch in our national character. We usually define ourselves in relation to our work. When we first encounter another person, often the first or second question is what that person does for a living? In other countries, this question comes further along in the conversation or hardly at all and more often the questions revolve around family/clan or other community related issues. People in other cultures tend to consider their own personal worth and the respect they have for their family and community to be an important factor in deciding whether an ethical situation at work would jeopardize that respect. We, in contrast, tend to think of the job as defining our personal worth, while in other countries it is more how one another relate to family and position in society. Shaming one’s name, one’s family, etc. is more important in other cultures.
Another factor in the difference is the social safety net. Most developed economies have greater socialized support systems. In the US., there is less of a concept of a safety net. Individuals here are conditioned to fear losing their jobs. When one loses a job, one feels that one loses respect, but also one loses the few benefits (such as health insurance) that come with employment. This is a weapon employers use to discourage workers from changing jobs.
One suggestion to improve this issue is universal health care. If we had an adequate health safety net, it would help individuals when they consider moving on from challenging job situations. Of course, it would be even better if the safety net would be even better, but at least with universal health care individuals could be secure in knowing that at least during any period of job transition, the bottom would never completely fall out.
An observation about the “Great Resignation”: Pundits have puzzled over why millions are not returning to work after the COVID economic downturn, especially to full-time work. Many Americans are voting with their feet. They are reevaluating their relation to work and searching to re-balance their life. If employers want to preserve as many workers as they can, they should consider four-day work weeks, more flexible hours, work at home, etc.
This video speaks volumes on the serious political consequences of people not sticking to their principles and remaining in office (!coarse language):
Anti-Trump Republicans, this is your fault, too
