3 Essential Worker Jobs the Pandemic Taught Us to Appreciate

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of destruction and irreparable damage in the last two and a half years. Even if you have never caught the virus, the economic and social effects of it have surely played a part in your life. 

People have had to work more hours than ever before to maintain their jobs in a competitive space. They have had to switch their career to something completely different than expected after getting laid off or fired. 

We want to shine a light on those who have been vital to keeping society running during the last two years. These are jobs that were not appreciated before the pandemic, and in many ways, they are still not shown gratitude right now. We need to change that. 

We'll talk about some of the ways these essential workers have had to go above and beyond for their jobs, like medical workers who have had to obtain commercial auto insurance for home health care jobs. 

We'll also talk about what you can do to thank these people when you come into contact with them. 

#1 - Teachers

Being a public school teacher has never been a traditional 9-5 job. Educators have to set up their lesson plans the night before they go to work. They need to grade papers for the tests taken by their students the previous afternoon. They think about their job a lot in the hours they aren't physically in the classroom. 

And people have always come to understand these things to an extent, but they have never really appreciated the other risks and lack of appreciation that comes with them until the pandemic. There are hardly any other jobs that require so much patience and a multitude of people skills than this one. 

The virus forced most schools to go to a remote setting. This means the teachers had to completely reassess the ways their curriculums would run from behind a computer screen. Good luck trying to get a second grader to pay attention when they are learning from their kitchen table. 

When the schools started to go back to in-person attendance, dangers like illness and gun violence were reintroduced. Due to a lack of gun laws that plague the United States, teachers are now expected to protect students from shooters. 

#2 - Non-Doctor Medical Workers

Doctors have always been appreciated. They aren't worshipped like pop stars such as Lady Gaga and athletes like Paul George, but people have always respected doctors tremendously.  

Patients have respect for their knowledge and sympathy towards them during tough emergencies. The pandemic taught people that the medical field is a team effort, though. 

Other workers like nurses, receptionists, hospice and at-home caretakers and so many more have finally gotten a little more shine after two years of miserable circumstances. These jobs require a lot of work and often just as much education as some doctors. Yet it took for people to see these folks in action during a crisis to understand their importance to society. 

It's also the fact that these medical workers have to go the extra mile for their patients that makes their jobs so hard. Hospice workers who come to the homes of the critically ill often have to serve their patients in non-traditional ways. If a senior can't go to the grocery store and a family member isn't around to do it for them, the workers often will run errands.

This is going to require commercial auto insurance so the workers are protected when they get into an accident while doing their jobs. You don't often think about taking out an extra insurance policy for a traditional desk job. Fortunately, there are many healthcare professional discounts that can defray the costs of insurance.

This is a great example, much like with teachers, of how these service jobs are extensive in their requirements, but you aren't often trained for the situations these careers put you into. Please make it as easy as possible on non-doctors and miscellaneous medical people.

#3 - Grocery Store Clerks

This is probably the most disrespected job on this list. People who work in grocery stores have been mocked for as long as most of us can remember. You hear a lot of unfair claims about these workers. They don't need a college education. They can be done by high school students. They don't have the intelligence to do anything else with their lives. 

Suddenly, their presence became one of the most vital of the entire pandemic. As customers ran to the store to buy every last roll of toilet paper, grocery clerks were there to calm shoppers down. They had to enforce mandates for masks and vaccines. 

They had to be screamed at by rude and selfish individuals who didn't think workers deserved any sort of respect. 

Without grocery store workers, there would be no products on the shelves. There would be nobody there to work the inconsiderate and ignorant people through the panic-buying lines. It's a thankless job that doesn't receive good pay or benefits. The entire working environment is stressful and a test of patience unlike any other. 

Hopefully, the pandemic taught shoppers that the workers in the stores are people too. They're just trying to make some money to support their family and keep people safe while they shop for their groceries. 

The next time you go to the grocery store, say kind things to your checker. Thank the person putting the peanut butter on the shelf for their time. If they ask you to put on your mask, just do what they say. They're only following orders that were given by the state government and the business they're working for. 

These signs of human decency should be given to all types of essential workers, but hopefully, you've seen just how much they have been lacking in these industries. 

Shawn Laib writes and researches for the auto insurance comparison site, AutoInsurance.org. He wants to help people understand the respect that should be given to essential workers, especially during the pandemic.