Employees, at all levels, are leaving their positions in record numbers. Beginning in March of 2020, the first wave in the exodus consisted primarily of younger, lower wage employees. The service industry, or those jobs that were considered “gray collar”, were the hardest hit. The reasons for the turnover were as varied of the employees themselves. Some employees made a risk/reward analysis of their occupation and surmised that the benefit of their job was not worth the risk of contracting COVID. Other employees were laid off and simply chose not to return.
As the years of the pandemic continued, the wave that started in March 2020 evolved into a tsunami. The employee exodus gained momentum and continued across numerous fields, encompassing various industries, collar colors and employees in all age groups. Similarly, the reasons for leaving were diverse; however, employees involved in the later waves began to echo each other in their reasoning, theirs was not a decision based primarily on a risk/reward analysis. The majority were white collar professionals who were later in their careers. Typically, when asked in numerous exit interviews, the respondents would cite reasons that held a similar theme: they were no longer allowed to work remote or the stress of working in an office consistently ranked high. For some, the pandemic and subsequent lockdown induced a period of self-reflection and a type of midlife crisis spurred by a newfound awareness of our own mortality. What do I really want? What matters? Would I rather be there all day or here?
We are all living in a world of our personal subjective truth. We are all entrenched in our own reinforced thought process. We, as human beings, are often just inhabitants of our own islands and we can lose sight of the perspectives of others. The pandemic, quarantine and periods of personal isolation that resulted amped up our natural tendencies. This may never be more apparent than when we step back and try to understand the underlying forces driving more and more employees to venture out of their present roles and take part in the Great Resignation. We have our personal politics that can influence our reactions to different events, but what about our co-workers’ personal politics? Or our manager’s personal politics? All the separate islands that we have become have differing rules and interpretations of what is reasonable, what is cause and effect, and what is the truth. We sometimes now feel safer isolated in our own worlds with our own truths.
People, in general, today are experiencing unprecedented amounts of stress caused largely by the pandemic and the subsequent ripple effects. Maybe being back in an environment where personal choices made independently are now being challenged creates more stress than employees are willing or able to cope with: one employee choses to wear a mask and their manager does not. An employee is concerned about being in a crowd or on a plane, and their manager does not see a risk or a threat. An employee who lives with a family member who is immunocompromised and no one else in their department shares this concern.
If employers wish to keep their employees’ long term, they must invest in them both financially and emotionally. Companies are now just beginning to see the importance of acknowledging the holistic approach to attracting top candidates. Quality of life benefits, such as the ability to work remote flex time, consistently rank high among job seeker preferences. But let’s take it a step farther and think about a candidate once they are hired and become an employee. Managers today need a sense of empathy and open-mindedness that is often overlooked. Managers must venture from their island of personal truth, bridge the gap and stand in the shoes of each of their reports. They are challenged to meet the employees where they are and acknowledge their reality, and guide rather than order.
It is simple to say that politics and personal beliefs have no place in a workplace. That is easy enough to agree with, but we must remember that politics and narratives have permeated our belief systems and are now part of our identities. In a work environment, they must be simultaneously put aside and acknowledged. An employee who is one side of the belief spectrum may see their company as being on the opposite, and if that is the case, the employee will most likely be inclined to leave and seek out a position at a place that reinforces what they know to be true. And the cycle that started with the great resignation with continue until an eventual stabilization occurs and workplaces are comprised of teams that lack preferential diversity. That monotone environment does not foster creativity or personal development.
For a company to grow and create profits, it must be willing to change and adapt. It is not just employees who are living in unprecedented times, it is businesses as well. It is possible for the professional world to emerge on the other side of this period of transition stronger and poised for the future, but they may have to make changes that addresses the modern workforce. And it all rests on the shoulders of their middle management.