The Great Resignation

Welcome to the #GreatResignation. The pandemic may have inspired a sweeping change in the way people work. Prior to the pandemic there was a lot of talk and philosophizing about how the nature of work should change. Not much changed in the way people worked even while technology advanced and dysfunctional aspects of the economic system didn’t. Work, productivity, and life balance became disassociated with profits and who received them. It may not be solely due to the pandemic, but approximately 40% (41% in one study, 38% in another) are considering changing or quitting. The pandemic highlighted the disparities between who was receiving compensation and special treatment as compared to those who were found to be essential and frequently under-appreciated and under-paid. Ideally, such disparities could be resolved with changes in economic and fiscal policies; but realistically, about 40% of the workforce are no longer waiting for systemic changes and are acting independently. This suggests that the change was inevitable and will occur with less control. That lack of control, however, may be the best way to find, try, and implement new solutions. Regardless, yet another aspect of the old normal is being redefined, and the new normal is probably continuing to evolve.