The American work environment looks substantially different now than it did pre-pandemic. A record number of people left their jobs after the covid pandemic, a movement that has been termed “The Great Resignation” by Professor Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M University.
As the country emerged from the pandemic, Professor Klotz predicted that employers would see a wave of employee resignations due to the pandemic’s effect on how individuals viewed their jobs. Seeing their ability to work from home while child-rearing, cutting down drive times, and having more time to manage household tasks caused many to reevaluate their careers. In almost every way, working from home kickstarted the great resignation because it gave workers the ultimate flexibility that was rarely offered before the pandemic.
In 2019, the annual resignation rate drastically dropped due to the uncertainty of the job market. Then in 2020, when the pandemic hit and forced millions to work from home, employees did whatever they had to do to keep their jobs. This caused widespread burnout, leading to a record number of resignations and people, mostly women, leaving the workforce. The past 2.5 years has changed the goals of many employees. While employees used to seek career growth opportunities and higher salaries, many employees have shifted their priorities and prefer positions that offer remote work opportunities, better benefits, and more work-life balance.
Before hiring, employers should take an inventory of what their employees want, and what concerns might have forced previous employees out the door. Employers would also be wise to revisit their employee handbooks and policies to clearly state employer expectations to ensure that all employees know their expectations from day one. The autonomy that employees experienced during the “COVID work-from-home” era will be hard to reel in, but if employers make a conscience effort to try to meet their employees halfway, they may be better suited in the long run, if retaining top talent is a desire.
“In the past 50 years, wages have stagnated, while American productivity has skyrocketed.’ -Tony Kiene “Over the Past Fifty Years, Wages Have Drastically Failed to Keep Pace With Productivity”
