A new movement powered by self-care, and led by workers who were feeling burned out and underappreciated is gaining steam.
Over 95 percent of workers are considering changing jobs
Over 90 percent of workers are willing to leave their current industry to find the perfect position
2020 transformed workforce standards. By April 2020, 70 percent of Americans were working away from the office either full-time or part-time. A year and a few months later, COVID-19 vaccinations are leading to more conversations about employees leaving their home offices and returning to their workplaces. However, many workers have taken a stance and are refusing to leave the flexibility of a remote work lifestyle behind.
In what has been labeled as ”The Great Resignation”, millions of people have quit their jobs, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason why their mindsets have changed. As the pandemic life subsides, more people are leaving their jobs in search of more money, peace, happiness, flexibility, and more. For many, there is a different mindset as it relates to work, they not only want to change how they value their time, but they also want to feel they are valued by employers.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers across the United States received a record-breaking number of resignations in April, and the trend continued in May. Over 4 million people in the United States quit their jobs. According to a report from Microsoft, 41 percent of the global workforce is likely to walk away from their current employer within this year.
This movement can be stressful if you are an employer, business owner, or company. Many businesses are concerned, and they are reacting to the changes. We wanted to gain insight from business leaders about the ”The Great Resignation” and what they have been seeing from this latest trend. We also wanted to find out if there are any concerns regarding their employees and if they have a strategy to guard themselves against this movement.
Balance of Power
There is a culture war where the balance of power has shifted and the employees want to take charge. We asked Ian Brady of Steadfast Solutions Pty. Ltd. if there are any concerns on his part about the ”The Great Resignation” movement. ”Not really concerned. Nature takes its course and clears out the deadwood. Most people that try and dictate things like that have self-entitlement due to being the company for too long. Hakuna Matata”, says Brady.
People Want Work To Accommodate Their New Lifestyle
Plenty of employees may not want to quit their jobs. If their employers would allow them to continue working from home or work fewer hours, many would probably continue working.
”I can speak as an owner and I can speak from a position where I’ve heard many clients say they could not work with a remote workforce and that they were not ready to move to the cloud. What this pandemic brought to light is that many businesses are able to work in the cloud with a remote workforce. Although I don’t agree with the tactics being used, business owners should be much more accepting of a remote or hybrid work environment”, says Ilan Sredni of Palindrome Consulting, Inc.
Are Employers Willing To Adjust?
More employers have to re-examine their culture and to find ways to keep their best employees. Employees want to have better working conditions, regardless of the size of the company or the industry. For many employees, it is about more than money. It is about providing more opportunities for them to grow. Providing more flexibility. Preventing stress and burnout. Employees will remain faithful and loyal to a business when they feel they are being valued.
Many workers have had over a year to think about their current and future career paths and work-life balance. Since 2020, millions of workers have appreciated the flexibility and the increase in productivity that the remote workforce allowed. We asked Michael Nelson of TLC Tech if TLC Tech has experienced this movement from a personal standpoint.
”We have not yet seen the phenomenon from our clients. We haven’t seen an increased request for terminated/separated employees. For our company, we are still looking at a Hybrid approach. One thing we discovered during the WFH year is that staff was very productive and enjoyed the opportunity to work from home”, says Nelson.
”Moving forward, we intend to have a hybrid approach. For those that want to work from home, we will provide the option (although they will still have to make on-site visits as needed to partner sites). For those that want to work in the office, we are providing them the opportunity to do so. I believe the most important thing is to create an environment where the culture and values of the company are the same whether the employee is on-site or at home. This can be facilitated with the use of online collaboration tools like Teams (having Teams Rooms where you can be available just like having an open-door policy at the office)”, adds Nelson.
Are Changes Ahead?
There may not be much that some businesses can do to retain employees who want to switch fields. However, human resources may be able to retain some of their best workers by offering more flexibility. Many people are leaving their jobs without having a new job. Some people saved money during quarantine and found other ways to earn extra money.
There are nearly 10 million open obs in the United States, and since many people are enjoying the freedom and flexibility they did not have while they were employed, many people are not eager to snatch up the first job offer that is made available. ”The Great Resignation” movement is signaling to employers that workers are looking for more than a paycheck. People are re-evaluating their lives and what they want. Businesses across the world are having to respond to this.
