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The Future of Work: What It Means To Be Essential

Jill Pickett
/
U.S. Air Force photo
Store teller Wynetta Johnson scans a customer's purchases

Essential workers provide much needed services to the general public but at what cost to their physical and mental health?

This hour, we continue our series on The Future of Work by talking to people who never stopped going to their jobs.  

Essential workers aren’t just healthcare professionals. They’re frontline workers like grocery store staff, your local delivery person, and daycare providers. 

Although many essential workers have the benefit of receiving hazard pay, a temporary raise given to those exposed to a greater risk of illness or injury during the pandemic, many companies like Starbucks and Target are winding this down. But the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over.

Essential workers of all professions are burning out. Anxiety and post traumatic stress are predicted to be the next public health crisis amongst healthcare professionals. 

We want to hear from you. Are you considered an essential worker?What has life been like for you over the last 3 months? Do you feel like you are experiencing burnout? Call us to share what this time has been like for you.

How do you want your boss or manager to respond to your needs and the needs of your co-workers?

GUESTS:

  • Dr. Faiqa Cheema - Infectious Disease Specialist, Hartford Healthcare (@HartfordHealthC)
  • Ace Ricker - Front End Supervisor at Stop And Shop in West Hartford
  • Karen Alter-Reid - Clinical Psychologist, Fairfield County Trauma Response
  • Patrick Gourley - Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and Business Analytics at the University of New Haven (@UNewHaven)
Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.
Tess is a senior producer for Connecticut Public news-talk show Where We Live. She enjoys hiking Connecticut's many trails and little peaks, knitting, gardening and writing in her journal.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.