'As Long As You Had A Pulse You'd Be Hired,' Says A Worker, Longing For Another Great Resignation With 'Ridiculous Salaries' And Remote Jobs

A Reddit post on r/WFH has resonated with hundreds of remote workers and job seekers who recall the early days of 2021 as a rare window of opportunity in the U.S. job market. The original post, titled “We need another Great Resignation,” has racked up over 1,000 upvotes in just two days.

“As long as you had a pulse, you'd be hired,” the poster wrote. They reminisced about a time when companies, after laying off workers during the early COVID lockdowns, found themselves desperate to fill positions again. Wages spiked, work-from-home jobs exploded in availability, and employees had the upper hand.

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A Moment of Worker Power

“It truly was the golden age,” one user commented. “I was very optimistic about the future, it felt like employees were finally getting a lot of the power back.”

The Great Resignation, which peaked between 2021 and 2022, saw millions quit their jobs in search of better pay, benefits, flexibility, or simply to escape toxic workplaces. Employers responded with higher salaries and more remote-friendly policies to stay competitive.

“We have no incentive to give it our all,” another commenter shared, claiming their company pays less than $20 an hour despite bringing in $52 million in revenue. Seasonal workers are brought in instead of offering better pay to existing staff. “Cut the fat, pay us what we’re worth.”

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But Times Have Changed

The mood now is far less optimistic. Many users pushed back on the idea that another wave of mass quitting is even possible.

“It's not that easy to get hired anymore,” one user said. “People still have to live.”

Others pointed out that the 2021 surge in resignations was made possible by a unique mix of government stimulus, eviction freezes, and a booming job market. Those conditions no longer exist.

“COVID had massive spending to compensate for that,” one person wrote. “You’re talking 2008. That was not good. People suffered.”

Several users expressed anxiety over job security. One admitted to quietly job hunting after five years of remote work, worried they’d be fired for a minor audit issue. “New doors, new chapters, right,” they wrote.

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What Workers Want

Some commenters called for deeper structural change: stronger unions, more local businesses, and better protections for workers. “The only time in American history  this was achievable was when unions were strong,” one user said.

Others took a more cynical view. “Hard to have a great resignation at the same time as mass layoffs,” one comment read.

Still, there is clear nostalgia for that short-lived period when employees felt like they had the power to demand more. As one person summed it up, “Now there's frighteningly few fully remote jobs left. At least for my role.”

Despite economic uncertainty, AI-driven downsizing, and rising costs of living, many in the thread still hope for a shift back to a worker-friendly market. But as it stands, that moment feels further away than ever.

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