What do you think is the greatest cause of The Great Resignation?

27 Comments

1. Huong Nguyen-ValleNovember 2,2021 at 6:18PM UTC

   Omg yes!

2. Emily KeiperNovember 2,2021 at 6:21PM UTC

   Opinion of course but I think about it in 2 ways, 1 - it's generational and 2- directly pandemic related
   1- I think from Gen X to Boomers they truly valued loyalty. Also, with a good % of Boomers not attending college, they were dedicated to their careers more, as that was what fed their families, they also were not seeing posts for new positions left and right or getting direct emails at that time from recruiters promising the world, which again led to more loyalty and longevity. Now, I think as we progress further on - millennials started to understand their worth a bit more. They started at higher salaries then their parents, and they had higher educations then some of their parents (not all of course). Consider the fact that the entrepreneurship is happening at younger ages today (high school sometimes) and social media is paying people hand over foot to just post selfies with brands due to the number of followers they have, and bonus minimum wage is up to $15+ and that pulls in this major level of confidence. Confidence that says if Company A mistreats me, or under pays, or devalues me, then I'll look for a Company B or it will come find me through an email or social media message. Also, employers today are offering more and more benefits and hiring more recruiting companies to vet for cultural fits, todays game has just completely changed.

   Now part 2 of all of this- We had a pandemic. Everyone was stuck inside, we all worried about our families, friends, health. It made us all truly think about what we are doing with our lives today. Are their needs we are not meeting for our families, are their needs we are not meeting for ourselves. The job market suffered due to illness and lack of demand at this time. Then BOOM the job market picks back up and recruiters are running over time to find people to fit the bill. Incentivizing, investigating, improving upon others current situations. All the while people are soul searching because they now have time to slow down and do it.
   Mrs. Smith used to work in finance, now she's teaching dance class because she thought about it, and wanted to do something she was actually passionate about while she has time to do it.

   I did find myself in similar situation where I considered going back for my masters degree, possible doctorate for psychology.

   That's my theory. Am so interested to hear others! :)

3. Emily KeiperNovember 2,2021 at 6:23PM UTC

   and I realize the typos, sorry got overly excited about the discussion topic haha.

4. ChristineNovember 2,2021 at 8:46PM UTC

   I appreciate and share your excitement and passion. Often my supervisor will ask my team why don’t clients want to work. We are stumped and the better informed we can be the better we can help our clients succeed.

5. AnonymousNovember 6,2021 at 12:35PM UTC

   They actually do want to work, but they want a living wage and a better work-life balance.

6. AnonymousNovember 2,2021 at 6:25PM UTC

   I agree with the generational point and in addition to everything you say, I also think that Gen Z also just doesn't as much / often identify with the notion of a job or career defining them, which makes it much more likely that they'll hop around.

7. AnonymousNovember 2,2021 at 7:24PM UTC

   Definitely agree!! People are reimaging what work means to them and how the work gets done. With more and more companies embracing flexibility (work from anywhere / remote culture), promoting a culture of entrepreneurship, people have had a massive wake up call (during the pandemic) in pursing their dreams. Building your own wealth legacy / story seems more achievable than ever versus lining the pockets of a biased, dry and archaic Corp America culture. Also, I firmly believe we were on the brink of this disruption happening, anyway -- it's time! Technology has completely disrupted our world, some times for good and some times for bad, but we're all going through the process of a massive UNlearning phase. Societal standards of work (9-5 life) is no longer sustainable; we've evolved as human beings and in order to develop a more fluid, inclusive, accessible world, it requires massive disruption. The Great Resignation and pandemic are just the beginning!

8. ChristineNovember 2,2021 at 8:43PM UTC

   I absolutely agree with everything said here. As a career coach for a nonprofit organization I usually stare into the eyes of my 18-24 clients and ask them questions like, “what brings you to life” or “what is your lifelong passion?” I realize that 50% of them care to be in the program because they care and the other half care to be there because they get paid to attend the program. As a career coach I have altered my method of coaching and engagement from helping them find a job to helping align them with their passion.

9. AnonymousNovember 6,2021 at 12:34PM UTC

   Please stop asking that question.

10. Idria Barone KnechtNovember 2,2021 at 6:23PM UTC

    Office workers are realizing how much they had given up in service of "going to the office," and are refusing to sacrifice more of their lives and time. Non-office workers finally have the opportunity to demand decent treatment and a living wage because there are other jobs available for them to go to.

    In both cases, workers are reclaiming their power from bosses. The boiling water spilled, and the frogs are not getting back in the pot.

11. AnonymousNovember 4,2021 at 3:10PM UTC

    "The boiling water spilled, and the frogs are not getting back in the pot."

    Genius!

12. Christina NavarroNovember 2,2021 at 7:33PM UTC

    I think it's people realizing they are worth more and looking for better jobs. However, I'm not sure why there are so many leaving high-paying jobs unless they don't need the money or they're just moving on to other companies.

    My household can survive without me or my husband working but we've gotten very comfortable with two salaries. We can take vacations pretty much whenever we want to and we don't worry about money. Now we also both get to work from home so we are home when our kids arrive from school. I know others out there are not that lucky so maybe they are looking for positions that give them a better work-life balance.

13. AnonymousNovember 2,2021 at 7:34PM UTC

    I think people are starting to realize how truly undervalued and overworked they may be especially when they are being asked to come back into the office when they have been successfully doing their job from home. While I do understand that these offices are paying for the space maybe its time to consider not renewing the lease or downsizing for those that do prefer an office work space.

    People have come to realize that being loyal to a company doesn't mean the company will be loyal to you. Knowing we are worth more than we are being given and its worse when you know its possible elsewhere.

14. AnonymousNovember 4,2021 at 3:08PM UTC

    I actually did better work from home. The main problem was isolation from coworkers.... due to micromanaging boss requiring us to go through her or everything instead of contacting each other on our own. Not being able to talk to anyone but my boss was really demoralizing.

15. AnonymousNovember 4,2021 at 4:01PM UTC

    Flexibility is key and having a micromanaging boss can be very draining and another reason people leave positions.

16. AnonymousNovember 2,2021 at 8:18PM UTC

    I think people are exhausted of being "jerked around" and taken advantage of. People have the power to decide, where, how and who they are going to work with. They are realizing their worth. They are looking to align their values to their work and aren't willing to comprise.

    I know I am one of those people who will no longer willing to settle for "good enough." Companies want greatness from people. Well guess what, people are demanding greatness from companies. And if they don't get it, they will move on!

17. AnonymousNovember 2,2021 at 8:30PM UTC

    I am a part of it. (1) I was underpaid and underpromoted relative to my male peers and spent (too) many years trying to correct the issue. (2) Although I share parenting duties with my husband, the bulk of the responsibility for our young children is mine. The math (1) toxic workplace + (2) pandemic quarantined young children = (3) too much: I quit my job. I have been working part-time, volunteering, caring for elderly parents. This week I looked forward to start re-training (to switch industries), so of course yesterday my second-grader was sent home from school to quarantine. I'm a highly focused individual which is very powerful - but it means I don't readily parent and work at the same time. All in good time.

18. Geeta LudwiczakNovember 2,2021 at 8:57PM UTC

    Putting up with irrational bs from egotistical managers

19. Aubrey ArmesNovember 3,2021 at 6:05PM UTC

    @Greeta Do you have some specific examples you'd be willing to share?

20. Geeta LudwiczakNovember 2,2021 at 8:59PM UTC

    I resigned because I was being constantly passed over for promotions and not given any more challenging work when I repeatedly asked. I got a new job leading/ being the only person working in the transactions in some very challenging products! Lol be careful what you wish for ?

21. TroyNovember 2,2021 at 9:31PM UTC

    I think "it's about time". I love how people are taking back their freedom and realizing they matter and are taking action and doing something they truly enjoy. I have been thinking about resigning too, but when I thought about the pros and cons, I decided to stay, but take enrolled in certifications to equip me to negotiate for more when the time comes. My job is not stressful, but I work for a lot of salespeople that are trying to run a call center and never had any prior knowledge and that can be a headache

22. AnonymousNovember 3,2021 at 2:31AM UTC

    I think the pandemic and all that went with it gave everyone pause.

    It shined a bright light on choices and how we were spending our time and a chance to consider whether it truly worked for each of us. I was one of the lucky ones that was offered a great job at the beginning of it all. I began my new job remote for 9 months. So I eased into my responsibilities and had plenty of time to decide how I wanted my life to evolve. I defined new boundaries and I took careful stock on how I lived my life.

    If I had not had this chance for profound change I could see myself raking early retirement for sure. I get it. The idea of returning to life pre 2020 is just not remotely appealing.

23. AnonymousNovember 4,2021 at 3:16AM UTC

    I changed jobs, but I’m not sure I would consider myself part of The Great Resignation. I liked my previous job. They treated us very well during Covid. I liked my previous boss. I wasn’t happy with everything, but no job is perfect. I did take my new job in part because I think it may lend itself to a better emotional state of mind (less stress), more mentorship, and better long-term work-life balance. But it was also just an interesting opportunity that I may not get again. If the chance had not arisen, I wouldn’t have left my previous job and I would’ve remained mostly happy but a bit stressed out there.

    I see The Great Resignation more as people getting away from jobs that treat them poorly and into ones that will treat them better.

24. AnonymousNovember 4,2021 at 12:14PM UTC

    Yes, toxic boss who didn’t know the marketplace (proper comp levels for his team), greedy & narcissistic. I put a professional boundary in place & luckily, karma came in. I got recruited by one of the big 4 and doubled my salary, after my former boss said “I just don’t think you’ll make more money if you leave”! Ummmm, best FU ever!!! :)

25. Erin Thomas, Career + Leadership CoachNovember 4,2021 at 2:45PM UTC

    I'll be hosting a discussion on The Great Resignation and what it means for career changers and job seekers next week, Nov 11 at 9a PT.

    Hope you'll join the conversation - register here: https://www.careerandleadershipcoaching.com/event-details/changing-careers-during-the-great-resignation-1

26. AnonymousNovember 4,2021 at 3:03PM UTC

    My boss was a true a-hole toward me before the pandemic, but I had been reporting to her for only 3 months & thought I could turn things around. Nope. We "met" without video on Zoom, she put up a fight against my request for reasonable accommodation for Covid protection (I'm high risk) and she interpreted every little thing in the worst possible moralizing/patronizing/mind-reading/pop-psych terms, including in my performance evaluation. I think if we'd been meeting F2F in person, the relationship could have improved, but Covid prevented that.

    I basically had stopped caring or even trying, because she had obviously decided she hated me and would be impossible to please. So... sorry-not sorry? I quit trying, so I kind of "quit." She managed to escape a lawsuit by firing me based on the s*** she said in my evaluation, not due to any of my job duties not being done due to my "presenteeism."

    ... and now she has to do my job on top of hers because my job is low priority compared to all the other jobs that are currently unfilled in my (toxic) company. I feel so sorry for her.... not!

27. AnonymousNovember 6,2021 at 12:30PM UTC

    It's because of shit pay and benefits and toxic management.