Getting back to blogging has been equally as slow and sluggish as returning to the internet to search for that side gig I always had. My thoughts have been what can we glean from this phenomenon called The Great Resignation?
So much has been written about this movement, coined by Professor Anthony Klotz, a professor at Texas A&M University who predicted and noticed this mass exodus in May 2021.
This mass exodus a/k/a The Big Quit, Great Reshuffle, among various other nomenclatures, has been characterized by the large number of people quitting their jobs.
It's quite a challenge to keep up with the Great Resignation numbers.
EDsmart.org gave these statistics:
"A total of 48 million people quit their jobs in 2021. In the last half of 2021 25.6 million people 'quit' their jobs - quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by an employee. As of March 2022, 8.6 million people quit their jobs this year."
This site is an excellent source of data - its what they describe as a "statistical roundup"!
It is obvious this subject has truly become an ongoing front and center story. My observation is that there is a lot of head shaking, head scratching, research, statistics, and reasoned theories as to why and how this is happening - coupled with countless solutions.
In addition, there are some assumptions and contradictions - to whom this is happening and where? The numbers are reported to be heavily centered in the hospitality industry, and at the same time it has been reported that at least 10 industries have been heavily impacted. Although these industries have been labeled low wage earners, this does not negate the fact that the common denominator is that there has been a reduction in their profits and their staffing - having an overall effect on the economy.
One theory is that this movement has not been exclusively confined to components of the pandemic - although the pandemic did provide workers time to rethink and reassess their overall work situation and environment.
Evidently, the challenges of the workplace have been unfolding slowly over a long period of time, riddled with low wages, less benefits, dissatisfaction with the workplace....
It appears this dissatisfaction has surfaced and a detective-like interest has emerged to get to the bottom of it! Glassdoor - one of the world's largest job and recruiting sites - found the toxic work culture to be the biggest factor that led people to quit, and ten times more important than pay, in predicting turnover.
PEW did a survey and showed the percentage of people and why they quit:
low pay 63% - disrespect 51% - no opportunity for advancement 57%...
But despite what appears to be the reality, there appears to be some solutions that sound promising and doable! Sign on bonus, higher salaries, remote work, flexibility, growth, positive cultures, connections, loyalty development... Wow! It does sound good, provided they are grounded in a solution for the work culture, which will have to fan out the flames of burnout caused by the workplace and its conditions...
Perhaps some of these ideas were already in place, but perhaps not fully implemented. To that point, it has to be said that before this mass exodus, a great number of loyal workers continued to stay on the job - and didn't quit!
It is now May 2022, and according to Daniel Zhoa, Senior Economist on Glassdoor's Economic Team, "The Great Resignation is in full swing, even if quits are moderating". Indeed a lot to take in, but I conclude that as a result of this phenomenon, there very well may emerge people who seek a higher plane of work as well as a tsunami of entrepreneurs ready to bring innovation and excitement to the world - which will be their new workplace!
In closing, I am reminded of a question often asked at interviews and on applications -
"What kind of work environment are you looking for?
Employers going forward may want to listen to employees - or even better, talk to some of the Great Resigners - that would be a Great Idea!