Publish at February 21 2023 Updated February 21 2023
The covid-19 pandemic has challenged many certainties in the professional world. Telecommuting, which had seemed "impossible" even in sectors that were not very manual, has proven that it can work well and offer a better quality of life. Some have realized that their essential "job" was suddenly less crucial in troubled times, finding themselves temporarily waiting at home. Finally, workers sometimes noticed that limited, one-time financial assistance from a government in a time of crisis was in some cases more advantageous than the salary they received.
In such a context, it was not so surprising - except to the professional community itself - to see many employees leave their jobs. This wave called the "great resignation" was well contextualized by Denis Cristol in this text that appeared on Thot Cursus previously. This is a global movement that began in the United States but has had effects in Canada and several Western countries, including France. Between April and September 2021 alone, 24 million U.S. workers were quitting their jobs.
Nevertheless, the phenomenon has not yet run out of steam. By the end of 2022, half of employees surveyed planned to explore other avenues in 2023. What's driving these mass resignation plans? Experts say the major reason rests on a shift in people's values about employment. They no longer want to contort themselves for the workplace; now, it must bend to their demands. In an environment where everyone is looking for skilled labor, it's easier to get the big end of the stick. Thus, precarious, underpaid positions with mind-numbing tasks that require non-stop overtime no longer pass muster. Even in academia, many professionals in the midst of their careers and feeling weariness or frustration have ended up leaving.
Of course, employment researchers have been interested in those millions of workers who have left their jobs. Did they find what they were looking for? We can't say that all of them without exception did, because sometimes the reality was rather brutal in the job change. Some companies may have also hinted at better terms that were not kept. A survey conducted by USA Today showed that 1 in 5 people regretted their choice. In another study, 42% expressed that the new role didn't live up to expectations.
Some also found themselves in a stressful situation where they wondered what was next. Should they continue in the same line of work, go back to school, or embark on a self-employment position? Important questions that sometimes require time. Yet not everyone has that luxury when a family relies on their income.
Nonetheless, "the big resignation" is not a damp squib. For several admissions of regret, many people traded up for the better. According to data collected by the Pew Research Center, 60% of workers who quit between April 2021 and March 2022 got a better salary. Those who remained loyal can't say the same. Less than half saw an increase in their earnings. The Washington Post, in November 2022, showed multiple portraits of people who benefited from the career change. Some have become self-employed, others have left precarious jobs for their passion, and some older ones have literally taken the path to early retirement.
Even more so because, as reminds us in this Slate article, this social movement has totally changed the game and the balance of power. Now, incoming employees have a lot more clout and their needs are taken into account much more since their loyalty is anything but a given. It's hard to blackmail employees when all you have to do is go to a few competitors to find another one. A reality that is even truer in the United States, where in 49 of the 50 states, an employee does not even have to give notice before resigning.
As a result, the various professional circles have had no choice but to question themselves. Now offering bullshit jobs (bullshit jobs as anthropologist David Graeber called them) is no longer allowed. Work must offer meaning to employees. The managerial methods of decades past are increasingly irrelevant. This means, among other things, providing more flexible frameworks to employees' needs and making sure they are well. Not just by providing entertainment during breaks, but truly by making sure the worker experiences some fulfillment in what they do. For some, this means instituting maintenance interviews. This allows human resources to understand what motivates and demotivates each person in their position. It will be easier to implement responses if needed by knowing what works and what doesn't.
One of the suggested retention solutions is also training. Indeed, by providing employees with additional knowledge and skills, professional environments could then transform more monotonous jobs by offering additional tasks. An even more interesting approach would be to offer people some autonomy in what they want to learn, in choosing training goals.
Certainly, then, this requires an investment budget, but these expenses are far below the costs of hiring employees who have walked out the door. Especially since for the higher education community, this mass of meaning-seeking workers would be a windfall that is hard to ignore. This would be an opportunity to develop business partnerships, offer flexible educational pathways, stackable certifications, or even complete a course of study they had abandoned at the time.
"The Great Resignation" has already had visible effects on professional circles. Now, people expect a job and an employer to offer good conditions, challenge and stimulation, to be enjoyable, and to embrace new values (such as a sensitivity to mental health and the environment).
This transformation is dubbed by some as that of "the great reimagining." Individual and societal desires have transformed; therefore, it seemed necessary for professional environments to follow.
Photo credit: en.depositphotos.com
References:
Bach, David. "Invest in Learning to Reverse the 'Great Resignation'." I by IMD. Last updated June 29, 2022. https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/human-resources/invest-in-learning-to-reverse-the-great-resignation/.
Bellstedt, Sarah. "After the Great Resignation, Many Are Asking Themselves 'What's Next?'." Work in Progress | Dropbox Blog. Last updated: December 9, 2022. https://blog.dropbox.com/topics/work-culture/after-the-great-resignation-many-are-asking-themselves-whats-next.
"Combating the Great Resignation: How Learning Can Engage and Retain Staff." The Access Group. Last updated August 18, 2022. https://www.theaccessgroup.com/en-au/blog/hcm-combating-the-great-resignation-how-learning-can-engage-and-retain-staff/.
Constantz, Jo. "The Great Resignation Worked: Most Job-swappers Got a Raise, Shows Data." Bloomberg. Last updated: July 31, 2022. https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/the-great-resignation-worked-most-job-swappers-got-a-raise-shows-data-122073101001_1.html.
Corriveau, Michel. "Big Quit: Employers Adapt." Radio-Canada.ca. Last updated: February 14, 2022. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1861526/grande-demission-covid-pandemie-travail-retention-recrutement.
Douglas, Emily. "Why 'stay Interviews' Could Be the Answer to the Great Resignation." Canadian HR Reporter. Last updated: February 28, 2022. https://www.hrreporter.com/focus-areas/employment-law/why-stay-interviews-could-be-the-answer-to-the-great-resignation/364403.
Dubois, Laurence. "'Great Resignation': Let's Give Back Meaning To Work." Le Point. Last updated September 6, 2022. https://www.lepoint.fr/debats/grande-demission-redonnons-du-sens-au-travail-06-09-2022-2488697_2.php#11.
Gaffuri, Ariane. "'Great Resignation': Employees Want 'Work To Fit Into Their Lives And Not The Other Way Around'." RFI. Last updated August 24, 2022. https://www.rfi.fr/fr/am%C3%A9riques/20220824-grande-d%C3%A9mission-les-employ%C3%A9s-veulent-que-le-travail-s-int%C3%A8gre-dans-leur-vie-et-non-l-inverse.
Gagnon, Dominic. "After The "Great Resignation", The "Great Regret"?" LesAffaires.com. Last updated August 28, 2022. https://www.lesaffaires.com/blogues/dominic-gagnon/apres-la-grande-demission-le-grand-regret/634838.
Gomez, Pierre-Yves. "Phenomenon Of "Great Resignation": The Boomerang Effect Of Individualized Performance Management." Le Monde.fr. Last updated September 30, 2022. https://www.lemonde.fr/emploi/article/2022/09/26/l-effet-boomerang-d-une-gestion-individualisee-des-performances_6143280_1698637.html.
"La Grande Démission: C'est Quoi Et Pourquoi Tout Le Monde En Parle?" Jobillico.com. Last updated February 21, 2022. https://www.jobillico.com/blog/la-grande-demission-cest-quoi-et-pourquoi-tout-le-monde-en-parle/.
Laurent, Sarah. "'Great Resignation' In The U.S.: But What Are All These Americans Doing Leaving Their Jobs?" Slate.co.uk. Last updated July 15, 2022. https://www.slate.fr/story/230708/grande-demission-etats-unis-que-font-americains-quittent-jobs-marche-travail-emploi-salaire-retraite-reconversion.
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Mearlan, Lucas. "Far from over, the big resignation is in full swing." TheComputerWorld. Last updated December 15, 2022. https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-un-challenge-pour-attirer-des-jeunes-filles-vers-les-metiers-de-l-industrie-40-89448.html.
Pavlou, Christina. "The Great Regret: The Sequel To The Great Resignation?" TalentLMS Blog. Last updated October 17, 2022. https://www.talentlms.com/blog/the-great-regret-becoming-great-retention/.
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