Has a Return to the Office Led to Some Employees Leaving Permanently?

The past few years have seen major shifts in the workforce, and not the kind that employers ever want to see. More people than any other time have willingly left their places of work, with social media hashtags like “#quittingmyjob” and “#quitmyjob” getting hundreds of millions of views. Let’s consider why this is, and what you can do to keep your employees engaged  

Let’s dive into the specifics of what people are referring to as “The Great Resignation.”

What is Driving The Great Resignation?

There are a few different factors at play that are contributing to the waves of people leaving their jobs, leading to 47.8 million voluntary job vacancies in 2021. This was the highest number that the Bureau of Labor Statistics had ever tracked since first recording this kind of data in 2001, and 2022 has not shown to be much better—February alone saw 4.4 million more people in the United States resign from their jobs.

Furthermore, the trend isn’t exclusive to the United States, particularly as it has contributed to social media posts with high engagement levels.

But Why Are People Quitting?

Like we said, there are a few contributing factors. Many of those leaving their positions are amongst the Gen Z age group, for instance, who largely joined the workforce while remote work policies were in place and simply aren’t interested in adding a commute and time in an office into their morning routines. Likewise, many parents have come to appreciate the increased time they spend at home while working remotely, allowing them to better balance the needs of their children against their work responsibilities.

Many people are simply abandoning their jobs because there is a push to return to the office, despite what the workforce is requesting, and are thereby showing that the needs of the worker are taking the backseat to the company’s need for control over the workforce.

This has led to many people making sacrifices to continue working remotely—placing this flexibility over their pay in some cases.

Other reasons to leave have been cited on social media, involving issues like poor workplace interactions and a lack of work/life boundaries. In short, the Great Resignation has seen its rise through the chance that many people have had to reexamine their priorities and see what is possible through remote capabilities.

How Can I Avoid Losing People?

The long and the short of it all is that you should embrace the opportunities that remote work gives you and your team members. Giving your employees the experience they are looking for as much as you are able is critical to your employee retention—particularly amongst your younger and older employees. If this means offering remote or even hybrid options, the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks.

SCW is here to help you put these kinds of practices into place with reliable technology solutions to support them. Give us a call at (509) 534-1530 to learn more.