2020 was a year that impacted not only our day-to-day lifestyle but also changed the life perceptions of many people. The unexpected events caused by the pandemic, such as self-isolation, and losing a job or someone beloved, changed people’s mindset and how they see the world.
Once the lockdown restrictions were lifted and all the businesses reopened, the economist noticed an abnormally high number of job resignations. People didn’t want to return to their previous lifestyle, at least not workwise.
According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, in April 2021, four million Americans quit their job. It was the highest number of concessions ever recorded. A survey done by Microsoft showed that 41% of the global workforce are considering leaving their job.
The economists called this trend The Great Resignation.
It is not a coincidence that people started quitting their jobs right after the lockdown. For many, it was a time to reflect and change their life.
Here are the reasons why People Quit their Jobs.
Remote work freedom
Office workers have been forced to switch to remote work during the national lockdown. They tasted the freedom of working from home. Nothing weird they didn’t want to give up on it and return to their cubicles.
There are many benefits of remote working. The time saved on travelling to work can be up to 2 hours per day. Additionally, the routine of getting ready to work, like make-up, or ironing a shirt, can save us at least 30 minutes of our life.
The comfort of working from a cosy and safe home environment has a massive impact on people’s general well-being and happiness. According to an Owl Labs study, full-time remote workers are 22% happier in their lives than people who have never worked remotely before.
Another survey (Flexjobs) found that 97% of people say having a more flexible job would positively or significantly impact their quality of life.
For all parents having flexible working hours and the opportunity to pick up kids from school, cook for them and spend some additional time together is a great value.
So great that people are ready to quit their current jobs that require returning to the office and working for less money but have this comfort of being present for their family.
The other benefit of a remote job w is working when the worker is productive and not in the 9-5 time frame. Who says that everyone must be effective at this specific time? 65% of remote workers reported feeling more productive at home than at the office. Being more productive means working more efficiently, and faster, and accomplishing the daily tasks earlier, hence more free time for the workers.
Freedom, flexibility, comfort, and family time are something that people start prioritising more. Therefore, they are ready to quit their job and find other companies offering remote working options.
People improved their skills.
During the lockdown, people were completely isolated from any social activities. Going out or meeting with friends was forbidden. Everything was closed; there was absolutely nothing to do. In addition, some of us got laid off from work and stayed home without responsibilities.
This massive amount of free time was an excellent opportunity for people to expand and learn new skills. Therefore, many workers increased their values as employees, and staying in the same job with the same salary was no longer a satisfying option.
Some people took the opportunity to open their online or freelancing businesses and started generating enough income to be able to quit their full-time jobs. According to a study from Growth Intelligence, the pandemic resulted in more than 85,000 online businesses being established during the height of the national lockdown last year.
Life revaluation
The global pandemic was a challenging and stressful time for everyone. Nobody knew what would bring tomorrow; people were worried about their beloved’s health and safety. At that time, all the material goods such as expensive cars and designer clothing stopped matter.
This pandemic opened people’s eyes to the actual meaning of our life. People started to appreciate the value of freedom, health, and family and put the career and material world aside.
This life revaluation encouraged workers to make extensive decisions in their work lives. They no longer wanted to put extra hours into work and stress out over a job that meant nothing to them. Instead, they slowed down and chose a healthy work-life balance. If their current job took too much of their life, they quit. Workers finally understand that they “work to live, not live to work”.
The Great Resignation is a trend that, in my opinion, should happen a long time ago. People finally got the guts to stand up for themselves and understood their value as employees and human beings.
Taking care of the mental health and beloveds should always be a priority. Do not sacrifice it even for the best job opportunity. The culture of rat rise is making rich only the business owners, never the employees.
I believe the Great Resignation will change the working environment and conditions for employees’ benefit. The business owners eventually will have to adjust their offer to workers’ expectations and treat all their employees respectfully.
