The past few years have shown a major shift in the workplace environment. With so many jobs going fully remote during the pandemic, we’re now seeing pushback from employees who are being asked to return to the office full-time. People are referring to this as the “great resignation”, as so many employees are quitting their jobs that hashtags like #quittingmyjob #quitmyjob are trending on social media with hundreds of millions of views. Let’s consider this phenomenon called the great resignation, and how you can improve employee retention.
What Does The Great Resignation Mean?
More people than ever are voluntarily quitting their jobs as society seems to be rejecting the existing corporate model for the workplace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 2021 held 47.8 million voluntary job vacancies, and 2022 is not looking much better with 4.4 million people resigning from their jobs in February alone. These are the highest numbers that the Bureau has recorded since first tracking this data in 2001.
So, this trend is more than just a social media craze, and it’s happening all over the world, not just in the U.S.
But Why are People Quitting?
The influx in remote work over the past two years has given people time to reevaluate their priorities and see what’s possible when not tied to an office 40 hours a week. With companies now pushing for a return to the office, employees simply aren’t willing to give up the freedom that remote work provides.
Many are Generation Z age group, who joined the workforce during the pandemic, have tried to come back to the office, and have found a significant drop in workplace satisfaction, resulting in resignation.
Some are parents who, after getting so much time with their children during work from home, are simply not willing to give that up to return to the office.
Others are dropping the corporate model altogether in favor of freelance work, which provides total time and location freedom to freelancers, allowing them to travel and choose their hours.
Whatever the specific reason is, we’re seeing a huge shift from the “climb the corporate ladder” mentality of the last decade or so. Employees are now prioritizing a healthy work/life balance and putting their personal needs in front of those of a company.
How Can I Improve Employee Retention?
The companies that are not struggling with employee retention during this great resignation are the ones willing to meet their employee’s newfound needs. If you care about maintaining devoted, engaged, and productive staff, it’s proven crucial to offer them the flexibility and autonomy that they desire. This typically looks like offering fully remote or hybrid remote and in-office positions.
AE Technology Group is here to help you put remote or hybrid practices in place with reliable technology solutions to support them. Give us a call at (516) 536-5006 to learn more.
No comment yet, add your voice below!