The Phenomenon of Mass Resignations

The start of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in unemployment worldwide. As jobs could not be virtualized and enterprises started to struggle with salary payment, people were forced to leave their jobs. But now that the economy is recovering, reports show that people are quitting more than ever. According to the US Labor Department, only in April, a record of 4 million people quit. Why is it happening?

The answer is not unified, as different factors are influencing this decision. Anthony Klotz, a business professor at Texas A&M University, assured that after these difficult times there was going to be a “great resignation.” Some people were skeptical, as the pandemic resulted in an economic crisis that did not seem to allow people to quit their jobs. Even, people were losing their jobs as the quarantines closed important sectors and led to unemployment. But now that the reactivation is occurring, the reality is showing that he was right all along. People do not want to stay in the same jobs.

In an interesting way, the pandemic is the reason why some of the workers are deciding to leave. Being able to work from home allowed them to find hobbies, spend time with family and reorganize their priorities. Some even moved to other cities where they felt calm or had more space to survive the quarantine. As industries started to make people go back to the office, some decided that their old life was not what they wanted, so they quitted in order to find a job that allowed them to live their dream lives. Humanity is living the new normality and some employers forgot it, which led to massive quitting.

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On the other hand, some workers are deciding to look for better opportunities in other sectors. Some decided to stay in their jobs because they needed financial security to resist in unprecedented times. Even if they wanted to, the uncertainty of finding a job in the middle of a crisis forced workers to remain in their works. Now with a booming economy and new sectors consolidating, people are willing to take the risk of finding better opportunities. Low-waged jobs are the ones seeing it the most, as some people decided to work in this sector to be able to survive during the pandemic. But now, with acquired abilities and bigger chances, workers are looking for better-paid opportunities.

Furthermore, some people found out that their passion was not what they were working on. With online shopping and the consolidation of social media, there are people who acquired financial independence. People became entrepreneurs and they no longer needed a stable job to sustain, now they could be their own bosses and work in something they enjoyed more than office time.

The reasons why people are massively quitting their jobs are varied, and enterprises need to pay attention to avoid losing their best people. Incentives to stay such as the liberty to choose a home office, better wages, and the opportunity to have family time might stop people from leaving their jobs. It is time for CEOs to listen to their workers, or they will keep having a crisis for not having enough people interested in working with them.