The Great Resignation: Meaning, Causes, and Impact

Today’s uncertain situations frequently have tremendous repercussions on society. They may even cause employees to quit their employment. The epidemic caused global transformation. Shutdowns, quarantines, and limited access to commodities, services, and employment all occurred. And with this came Great Resignation. Every employee of a corporation must have read about the “Great Resignation,” also known as the “Big Quit,” a phenomenon that shocked the business world and left many of the top corporations without any employees. Years before the COVID-19 pandemic^[1], it all began, but the spring of 2020 marked a significant turning point as more people decided to voluntarily leave their jobs or posts. Let’s read on to learn more about the Great Resignation. 

What is Great Resignation?

The Great Resignation, widely known as the Big Quit or the Great Reshuffle, is a persistent occurrence in which workers willingly quit their positions in previously unheard-of numbers. The majority of experts believe that this phenomenon started in earnest around the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021, following a sharp decline in the quit rate (the number of monthly resignations divided by the overall employment) during the early COVID-19 pandemic because of a lack of work as a result of widespread shutdowns. The Great Resignation also encouraged businesses to push the idea of remote employment to make things simpler for their staff. 

The employees began to feel worn out due to their reduced pay, overtime shifts, and the requirement to work during a pandemic. Because their efforts were so ineffective, they decided to leave their jobs. The old strategy of companies, which offered nothing in the way of job stability, work-life balance, or educational chances, made about 40% of the workers decide to leave their jobs. Employees found it easier to quit their jobs and start over in a place where they could achieve work-life stability and balance their work style as a result of the expanding chances for skill development, remote employment, and freelancing.

What Caused The Great Resignation?

Some people think that people’s traumatic reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic’s difficulties are the real cause of the wave of resignations. In the larger context of their lives, people are reconsidering their association with their place of employment. The important thing to note is why individuals are quitting their jobs in the first place—rampant anxiety, the switch to remote work, a hurried reassessment of what counts in light of the pandemic—and what quitting is prompting them to do next. 

Those who worked in hospitals, restaurants, grocery stores, and retail establishments during the COVID-19 pandemic discovered that they were overworking and were underpaid by their managers, many of whom didn’t seem eager to recognise the major risks they were taking beyond credential praise for maintaining key services to the general public. Essential employees were frequently praised as heroes, but few of them got the extra compensation that would typically go along with such labour. As more and more job positions became available in 2020 end and early 2021 for workers in the grocery, restaurant, hospitality, retail, and more such companies, the chances of getting greater pay and a better working environment led to great resignation. 

Speaking of the business sector, a lot of organisations whose core competencies weren’t manufacturing or customer service switched towards allowing office-type workers to work remotely, and many in the office-based workforce realised that this would eventually become the norm. When the same task could be done at home, why waste money or time going to an office? Due to the high cost of living and the altered lifestyles brought on by the pandemic, workers had more options as vaccines became readily available and shutdowns decreased in late 2020 and early 2021. However, some were unsatisfied with job positions that couldn’t offer good wages and flexible work environments.

Some workers had enough money from unemployment benefits and federal stimulus funds to look more carefully for jobs that fit their qualifications rather than taking less-than-ideal work to get by after resignation. 

Some Significant Factors that brought the Great Resignation into action are-

Impact of Great Resignation on the Employers

Whatever the underlying causes, the Great Resignation significantly impacts how we work and live. And many individuals are beginning to doubt their loyalty to employers that aren’t providing them with the additional help they require.

With COVID-19, millions of workers worldwide have been aware of the benefits of remote work, like work-life balance, more family time, and decreased commuting. Nevertheless, having the flexibility to work from anywhere you want has a much greater influence on employees, which further led to the Great Resignation. With this, the employer was forced to change their working style. Employers are forced to consider several dynamic changes in employee productivity behaviours if they want to develop a pleasant and highly engaged business culture.

Businesses have adopted a remote-first and hybrid-working environment and will continue to do so in the forthcoming period due to its simplicity and multiple advantages. While some businesses have increased productivity as a result of incorporating digital communication and collaboration technologies, many businesses are still learning how to increase or sustain high levels of collaboration effectiveness. As working from home has many financial and emotional advantages, it was a simple decision for employees to adopt. An employer feels more secure and at ease when employees work from their homes.

One thing is certain: paying attention to and addressing the demands of your employees is a way to stop the flow of employees leaving your organisation for better opportunities, whether the Great Resignation is something the organisations have to ride out or a massive change in our relationship with employment, the impact is something that will create a new working environment.

Conclusion

There isn’t anything to be scared of with The Great Resignation. Simply put, it heralds a new period in which workers approach their professions from new perspectives. An organisation must be able to react to this shift successfully. Organizations may increase retention by providing actual value to employees in their working environments, utilising the appropriate digital tools, and catering to their evolving needs. To learn more about recruitment terms, workplace trends, and HRO hiring services, keep reading our blogs.

Also Read: What is Career Cushioning and how can it protect you from Layoffs?