There has always been “quiet firing”, and in the long run the employer always has the upper hand. The pandemic upended whatever equilibrium existed between business and labor, and the new equilibrium, yet to be established, will look different. As that new equilibrium is being established, we will see more efforts by labor to seize the upper hand, including active (strikes) and passive (quiet quitting, not going to the office) efforts. In the end, though, business will prevail, not because it’s fair or ethical, but because they control the money. That gives business the resources to develop alternatives to an emboldened labor market. This is on a macro level. In the meantime, workers should find their best opportunity and make their best effort to be indispensable, such as it is.