It’s not the ‘great resignation’. It’s the ‘great realization’.

When people know better, they do better. Organizations should too.

There has been a lot of interest in, and discussion about, the ‘great resignation’. The story goes that people are resigning en masse from their jobs to find more balance, better conditions, and workplaces that value people not just profit. But this narrative is like saying the 3 little pigs were running from house to house due to upward mobility and not recognizing they were being chased by a hungry wolf…

People are not leaving companies because they are in search of something. They have found it. The pandemic showed them their places of work could be different. They now understand remote and flexible working are possible. They get that there are other ways to connect with people beyond constant in person meetings. They know that the 2 hour commute each way is not being compensated. And we all know that productivity is not impacted by flexible working. It is enhanced. So many companies have benefited from higher profits during the pandemic. It is not a coincidence. And, whether you see the through line between a more productive workforce and flexible working or not, the bottom line was certainly not harmed for big business right?

So what’s this shift in the employee base all about? During the pandemic, companies made significant adjustments and created systems for remote or flexible working. They knew they needed to show gratitude and value the efforts of their people during a difficult time. The power balance shifted to one that was more equal as companies realized they relied on their staff just as much as the employees relied on them. Actively caring about employees’ physical and mental health became crucial for business survival. Things changed.

Companies and employees unlearned ‘work’ on a global scale.

But now, many of these companies want to go back to ‘normal’. But ‘normal’ does not work anymore for a lot of their employees. The world and their workforce have moved on. It’s a little like trying to get a progressive to wear a red hat and declare that going backwards is going forwards. It is not going to happen.

So people are voting with their feet. But they are not doing it because they want to. They are leaving because they feel they have no choice. The pandemic is still happening. People are still scared of getting sick. We are all still stressed out. We are not doing all of the things we enjoy in a carefree way yet. Our kids are still struggling. We have to preserve our energy. If companies demand full attendance at the office, it may not be a matter of choice for an employee to leave. They realize now that their life outside of work is as important as their job.

And in reality, this may be the crux of the issue. Employers have benefited from employees sacrificing their physical and mental health as well as their personal lives for a few decades now. The prevailing view of work and the currency of advancement was how many hours you put in and how dedicated you looked in comparison to others. Over the past 18 months, employers have had to find different measurables. They have needed to pay attention to results rather than attendance, in order to see how staff were doing. But this is not yet comfortable for some managers and companies. They still believe that they need bums on seats to function.

And so they push out those that know their value. They push out those that want to be able to do the things they enjoy and that keep them healthy as well as work. They push out those that want to be there for their kids as well as their staff. They push out those that now see life is finite. A pandemic can come along and kill millions of people and we have no control over it. They push out those that have gone above and beyond in helping their business continue to function while experiencing the most challenging physical and mental health crisis of our time.

These organizations now know how to do better for their people. They just don’t want to.

And that’s what the mass realization is all about. People are realizing these companies do not actually care about them. And they are leaving to find companies that do.

Until next time,

Lianne