It seems that everywhere you look lately, people are talking about the Great Resignation. Since April 2021, employees have been leaving their jobs in record numbers, with over 38 million workers calling it quits throughout the year. Initially prompted by COVID-19, employees’ search for better pay, growth opportunities, flexibility, and companies that are open to feedback has created a domino effect that has emboldened others to follow suit.
Though employees may feel encouraged by this shift in power, it doesn’t mean they should leap before they look. For some employees, the pandemic has caused a shift in priorities such as remote or hybrid work options, a flexible schedule, a safer work environment, or a higher salary. However, employers that have been severely affected by COVID-19 may not be able to provide the things employees now demand as they struggle to keep their business afloat. Though a career change may be the right decision for some, for others, it may lead to the same dissatisfaction that prompted them to leave their last position.
With 10.6 million current U.S. job openings, those who feel a career change is in order have plenty of opportunities to choose from. But before jumping on the Great Resignation bandwagon, there are some questions employees should ask themselves in order to determine if a job change will truly yield the satisfaction they seek. Let’s look at a few.
Why Did You Join Your Current Company?
Remember why you accepted your current job? Hopefully it was for more than just a paycheck. Did the work excite you? Was it challenging? Impactful? Did the company offer learning and growth opportunities, future promotions, or outstanding benefits? Was the company well respected, with a strong employer brand? Did it offer a supportive and inclusive work culture? Was it charitable and active in the community? Try to think back to what attracted you to your current job and company, then compare it with your current situation.
Do These Reasons Still Exist?
If the company falsely represented itself in order to attract talent or has failed to follow through on promises, this is justification for seeking new employment. However, millions of employers have been hamstrung by the coronavirus and are struggling to regain footing, just as employees are. Ask yourself if your employer’s shortcomings are COVID-related or if they would exist regardless of the pandemic. If it’s the former, will this improve with a job change, or are you simply burned out from balancing work with the stresses of COVID, which will likely affect you at a new job, as well?
Will This Change in the Future?
No one was prepared for the changes brought about by the coronavirus, especially employers. Just as employees required a bit of grace in learning to adjust to a remote or hybrid work schedule, so, too, might employers require some leeway. Perhaps they didn’t adjust to the pandemic as quickly as they should have but are doing their best to get back up to speed and deliver on their initial promises. Though things may not be progressing as you had hoped, try to consider the company’s efforts in regaining a sense of normalcy and its concern for employees while doing so.
Will it be Better Elsewhere?
If a company’s difficulty in honoring its commitments to employees is due to COVID, other companies will likely also be affected. Though a new job in a new industry may help avoid the same pitfalls, understand that companies doing similar business have experienced similar struggles throughout the pandemic, and in leaving one for the other, you may well encounter the same frustrations you were hoping to escape at your last job.
The Great Resignation is more than just a bunch of people quitting their jobs. It is a radical power shift from employer to employee that has enabled millions of workers to take advantage of changes in the workforce in order to further their career. However, the Great Resignation is still ongoing, as is the pandemic, and no one knows how it will end. While COVID-19 may have prompted millions of resignations, for most, the root of the issue is more complicated than mere job dissatisfaction. Before making their next career move, employees should ask themselves if a change will yield realistic improvement or if it’s motivated by frustration, boredom, burnout, or a desire to follow the trend.
John Feldmann is a communications specialist with Insperity, a national provider of HR and business performance solutions. For more information about Insperity, visit www.insperity.com.