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One last reminder – don’t forget to use your Goodwill donation receipts!

Ahh, Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air. Romance is alive. But, is it appropriate in the workplace?

Instead of heading over to a big box store to pick up a generic "Thank You" mug or bag of festive candies that someone at your workplace might have also received, we're imploring you to head to your nearest Goodwill to thrift resources for gifts that will make your coworkers feel like you really care about and pay attention to them - which you do!

So your employer has asked you to return to the office following the end of the pandemic. The good news for those of you who like the flexibility that working from home provides is that your office has decided to implement a hybrid approach. You get to work from home two days a week. Nice!! But which two days??

As an organization that has a large stake in the retail industry, Goodwill of Greater Washington is keenly interested and aware of the evolution taking place. In this week’s blog, we look at two questions. First, what are some of the permanent changes we can expect for retail? Second, is retail still a good career choice?

We were curious to see how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the toxic work environment. On the surface, it would appear that being free to work from home would reduce the stress of toxicity. After all, we wouldn’t have to face the causes of our stress in person and could, in effect, hide from the problem. Unfortunately, there is some evidence that the exact opposite occurred.

In the time prior to March of 2020, commuting to work was an expected – and accepted – part of everyday life. At that time the average one-way commute in Washington, DC was around 30 minutes. Now, many who read this would wish their one-way daily commute was only 30 minutes.

Is there anything more “normal” than celebrating the Fourth of July? It is the unofficial mid-point of summer and screams barbeques and backyard parties. And, yes, it is also when we celebrate America’s independence. That word holds a slightly different connotation in 2021.

While Goodwill stores operate in a very similar manner to most retail operations, we do have some unique jobs and processes. But at the end of the day, what makes Goodwill different from virtually any other retailer is that 91 cents out of every dollar we earn is funneled back into our mission services: providing free job training, education, and employment programs for people with disadvantages and disabilities. That is what makes us the most proud every time we open a new store.

Face it, not wearing a mask will feel a bit unnatural for a time. Seeing people not wearing masks will still set off that virus alarm in some people. However, as of this writing, 60% of the US population had received at least one dose of a vaccine, and 37% were fully vaccinated. As this program proceeds, we will all feel more comfortable not wearing a mask.

If you’ve been in hold mode and are preparing to switch career paths, how has the pandemic altered that paradigm?