Work is an undeniably fundamental aspect of the way that society functions. But what happens when people decide to stop working? Worse, what are the consequences of a rejection of working standards so large that it affects tens of millions of people and their livelihoods? This is not just a hypothetical question but our current reality, as the recent years of enduring the COVID-19 pandemic have had massive ramifications in all sectors of the workforce. These changes have caused worker dissatisfaction, reassessment of priorities, and most of all, mass rates of employee attrition, ultimately resulting in an event that has been dubbed ‘The Great Resignation’. In this essay, I will analyze the causes and consequences behind the phenomenon of the Great Resignation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and look towards future solutions to restore worker retention.
There is a story to unpack when it comes to the Great Resignation, as dissatisfaction towards work did not just pop out of nowhere when the pandemic took over front-page news in March 2020. To examine this, I first explain the meaning and origins of the phrase ‘the Great Resignation’. Then, I present evidence as to why this phenomenon has occurred and explore the different reasons behind why workers are leaving their jobs. Finally, I determine potential short- and long-term solutions that employers should consider in order to decrease the overwhelming rates of exodus.
The term ‘The Great Resignation’ was first coined by business professor Anthony Klotz in May 2021, and refers simply to “the decisions of millions of workers to quit their jobs during the pandemic” (Kellett, 2022). By millions of workers, he is referring to the almost 50 million Americans that left their jobs in the year 2021 (Fuller & Kerr, 2022). These numbers, like the pandemic itself, are entirely unprecedented and staggering. An incident this large, however, can hardly be simplified to a singular inciting incident. Therefore, I believe the true and deeper meaning of the Great Resignation is best elaborated upon by Harvard Business School professor Joseph Fuller, stating that “what we are living through is not just short-term turbulence provoked by the pandemic but rather the continuation of a long-term trend” (Fuller & Kerr, 2022). This point of view takes the focus away from the pandemic as the sole leading factor of job dissatisfaction and instead reframes The Great Resignation as a natural consequence of years of deteriorating worker conditions. Understanding this distinction is necessary to seeing the bigger picture at play here. Once that has been recognized, it is then time to dive into the details of worker displeasure and how it can be reworked into a positive moment of change.
In a CBC podcast about the possible benefits of the Great Resignation, Ian Cook makes an important point about a notable mind reframing that occurred during the onset of the pandemic. Being forced to quarantine inside homes and watching vulnerable loved ones fear for their health caused the concept of sickness and death to suddenly sit at the forefront of many worker’s minds (Cook, 2022). Aside from just heightening stress levels, this mind shift also caused many to reconsider their careers. If life is so fleeting and frail, why would anyone spend it doing something that is painful, boring, or a waste of their time? As a result of this course of thought, many left work to spend more time with family, pursue their passions, or, most frequently, get out of a bad work environment (Linzer et al., 2022). In fact, a 2022 study found that a few of the top predictors of employee turnover during the Great Resignation were toxic corporate culture, job insecurity, and failure to recognize performance (Sull et al., 2022). In some of these cases, it is highly doubtful that the toxicity of management only began at the start of the pandemic. A much more likely explanation is that the life reevaluations that occurred as a result of COVID-19 caused workers to realize that they no longer wanted to tolerate the ongoing mistreatment they had been facing in their careers.
Another large priority shift as a result of the pandemic was an intensified yearning, especially by workers in insecure employment, for a passion. In a study on college-educated workers who were laid off during the pandemic, it was found that these workers “were more likely than job-stable respondents to emphasize passion for work in their career priorities [and] more likely to report that passion had increased in importance to them over the course of the pandemic” (Cech & Hiltner, 2022). This was likely caused by the instability of the pandemic job climate combined with COVID’s ever-constant reminder of life’s fragility.
So if we are aware of the causes that result in large-scale resignations, why haven’t these problems been solved by now? The answer is, as the Great Resignation itself, much more complex and extensive than just one simple thing. Hence, solutions must be broken down into short-term and long-term categories. To decrease rates of employee attrition on a short-term basis, scholar Donald Sull implores that employers should “provide opportunities for lateral job moves, offer remote work options, sponsor corporate social events, and make schedules more predictable for front-line employees'' (Sull et. al, 2022). Actions like these can serve to make workers feel secure in their employment and more satisfied in their day-to-day tasks. However, these strategies are only a temporary bandage to a much deeper wound. For example, a corporate social event may be transiently beneficial to boost morale, but if the overarching structures of work do not change, neither will labourers. Ian Cook proposes a more lasting solution, and it is one that requires significant considerations on behalf of employers. His belief is that resolving the problem of the Great Resignation will require a total reconstruction of the current traditional work model. More specifically, Cook states, “If employers think they're going back to, ‘I've got all the cards, and I'll just hide them from my employees and hope they show up and work hard,’ I think they need to give their head a shake, because the options for people to go and work for somebody else who doesn't behave that way are there and will only grow” (Cook, 2022). I use this quote because it directly illustrates the necessity of the changes that employers must make in order to stay in business, and likewise, the power that workers now hold to shift the direction of the future of work.
47 million American workers quitting their jobs over the course of one year is no small scene, and it cannot be taken lightly or brushed aside. In the case of the Great Resignation, these workers are not just resigning, they are quietly rebelling, sending a message that demands better treatment from employers, job security, and passionate, meaningful work. Sociologist Amy Wharton (2022) affirms that “workers throughout the labour market are not only seeking higher pay, but also asking for a more flexible schedule and better working conditions”. If employers can hear this message and take initiative to step up and make meaningful, lasting changes, then the entire labour force will benefit and look towards a brighter and more innovative future.
References
Cech, E. A., & Hiltner, S. (2022). Unsettled employment, reshuffled priorities? career prioritization among college-educated workers facing employment instability during COVID-19. Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 8, 237802312110686. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231211068660
Cook, I. (2022, March 11). 'Great Resignation' or Just Greater Expectations? CBCnews. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/in-wake-of-pandemic-new-online-platforms-promise-to-pay-artists-what-they-deserve-1.6376836/great-resignation-or-just-greater-expectations-1.6381378
Fuller, J., & Kerr, W. (2022, March 25). The Great Resignation Didn't Start with the Pandemic. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2022/03/the-great-resignation-didnt-start-with-the-pandemic
Kellett, A. (2022, May 23). The Texas A&M professor who predicted 'The great resignation'. Texas A&M Today. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://today.tamu.edu/2022/02/11/the-texas-am-professor-who-predicted-the-great-resignation/
Linzer, M., Griffiths, E. P., & Feldman, M. D. (2022). Responding to the great resignation: Detoxify and rebuild the culture. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 37(16), 4276–4277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-022-07703-1
Sull, D., Sull, C., & Zweig, B. (2022). Toxic culture is driving the great resignation. MIT Sloan Management Review, 63(2), 1-9. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/toxic-culture-is-driving-great-resignation/docview/2633007986/se-2
Wharton, A. S. (2022). Advanced introduction to the sociology of work. Edward Elgar Publishing.