The Great Resignation: A Burnout Crisis
What Is Retail?
The Retail Trade sector is the largest private-sector employer in the United States economy. Representing $3.9 trillion of the U.S. annual GDP, retail supports 1 in 4 American jobs. Retail is an industry that directly employs 32 million Americans (National Retail Federation, 2022). A retail job is often one’s first introduction to the workforce, with over 60 percent of all workers having held one early in their careers (Loprest & Mikelson, 2019). In fact, 32 percent of all first jobs were in retail (National Retail Federation, 2022). Employers value early job experience, which is critical for long-term career success. Retail job experience is especially valued because it provides a solid background for future careers (National Retail Federation, 2022). Despite the numerous benefits a retail job can offer, 45 percent of retail workers plan to leave their current jobs because of burnout (Arlington Research, 2021).
What Issues Face Retail?
The general instability of retail work causes problems both within and outside the workplace. Several issues traditionally face retail workers; lack of control, insufficient reward, work overload, unsafe work environment, and unsupportive relationships (Valtorta et al., 2021). These issues can result in burnout. When burnout occurs, it is not uncommon for employees to show absenteeism, arrive late and leave early, produce less work, make mistakes and have accidents, have memory loss, and exhibit excessive irritability (Monster Worldwide, 2022). However, the prevalence of these issues has increased in the years following the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease that first appeared in late 2019 (Valtorta et al., 2021). This has resulted in a retail burnout crisis.
What Is Burnout?
Burnout is a psychological condition brought on by prolonged or chronic job stress; it is characterized by exhaustion, indifference, and feeling unsuccessful (Arlington Research, 2021; Kalinienė et al., 2021; Tuuli & Karisalmi, 1998; Valtorta et al., 2021). Cases of employee burnout have increased post-COVID-19. As a result, 4 million people quit their jobs in April of 2021, followed by 632,000 retail workers in June. Roughly 4 percent of the retail workforce quit each month in 2021 (Arlington Research, 2021; Selyukh, 2021). Experiencing burnout is a common issue when working in retail. Before COVID-19, in 2018, a Gallup study found that 23 percent of employees reported very often or always feeling burned out at work (Gallup Inc., 2018). Today, the mental and emotional toll imposed by burnout symptoms has exacerbated the negative conditions of the retail work environment. This crisis contributes to a post-pandemic, nationwide trend known as the Great Resignation.
Why Youth?
The retail burnout crisis is a social issue that negatively impacts the youth population, the population I wish to work with professionally. Additionally, I am a youth retail worker. The issues described above are ones I know intimately, having worked in retail for the past six years. I have also fallen victim to burnout and the subsequent desire to quit my retail job. In 2019, youth retail workers ages 19 to 24 made up 22 percent of the retail workforce (Loprest & Mikelson, 2019). While there is no internationally accepted definition of youth, statistics from the United Nations identify youth as those aged 15 to 24 (United Nations, 2022). However, I have worked with youth as young as 14. As a result, I created a Youth Guide To Retail Work (YGTRW) that targets youth ages 14 to 24 who work in the retail industry.
The YGTRW is accessible via Instagram @youthguidetoretailwork; it features a series of posts identifying issues a youth working in retail might experience. Some example topics include burnout, quitting, and nutrition. I identified these issues from my research, my personal experiences as a retail worker, and casual conversations with other retail workers. In addition to this, I grew up with two parents who have worked their entire lives in the retail industry. From the ages of 14 and 15 to the present, my parents have held numerous retail positions at various levels of authority. Today at 44, they own and operate an independent business. Having seen the retail-related struggles they faced and the new ones they are facing in the aftermath of COVID-19, I was inspired to give back to an industry that has helped to raise and financially support me.
References:
Arlington Research. (2021). The State of the Frontline Work Experience in 2021. https://explore.axonify.com/21-brd-1234-arlington-report-2021/21-BRD-1218-axonify-arlington-research-2021-report
Gallup Inc. (2018, July 12). Employee Burnout, Part 1: The 5 Main Causes. Gallup.Com. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/237059/employee-burnout-part-main-causes.aspx
Kalinienė, G., Lukšienė, D., Ustinavičienė, R., Škėmienė, L., & Januškevičius, V. (2021). The Burnout Syndrome among Women Working in the Retail Network in Associations with Psychosocial Work Environment Factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(11), 5603. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115603
Loprest, P., & Mikelson, K. S. (2019). Frontline Workers in the Retail Sector. 55.
Monster Worldwide. (2022). How to Manage Employee Stress in Retail Work. Monster.Com. https://hiring.monster.com/resources/workforce-management/company-culture/how-to-manage-employee-stress-in-retail-work/
Selyukh, A. (2021, August 26). More Retail Workers Are Quitting Than Ever, But More Stores Are Opening Than Expected. Houston Public Media. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2021/08/26/1029768029/more-retail-workers-are-quitting-than-ever-but-more-stores-are-opening-than-expected/
Tuuli, P., & Karisalmi, S. (1998). Impact of Working Life Quality on Burnout. Experimental Aging Research, 25(4), 441–449. https://doi.org/10.1080/036107399243922
United Nations. (2022). Youth. United Nations; United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/youth
Valtorta, R. R., Baldissarri, C., & Volpato, C. (2021). Burnout and workplace dehumanization at the supermarket: A field study during the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2588
