How The Great Resignation Will Change The Way We Work Forever

• Author: William Asher
• Posted: 2024-09-22

The COVID-19 pandemic has had absolutely disastrous effects for the economy, being one of the worst recessions in U.S. history. It forced a substantial number of people out of work and caused many to relocate their primary workplace from a dedicated office space to their homes, where they spent months on end completely cooped up.

Although the effects of the pandemic are starting to wane with the rolling out of vaccines and people gradually acclimating to the way things were before, not every aspect of life is poised to return to normal.

Despite the financial and emotional stresses COVID-19 caused, it's resulted in millions rethinking their direction in life and deciding to not go back to work or to quit their jobs; a phenomenon that has been dubbed "The Great Resignation."

What's the Primary Cause of the Great Resignation?

While there are unique circumstances behind why individuals are looking to quit their jobs, there are a few commonly cited reasons:

• Change in Priorities: Without much work and lots of free time on people's hands, it provided a period for priorities to be assessed. People began to wonder whether or not where they were working and what they did for a living was compatible with what they wanted in life. A lot of people realized their current jobs were really holding them back from reaching their goals.



• Desire for Flexibility: Remote work was a major facet of the pandemic, with tens of millions required to work online from their homes. While this was often done out of necessity, it also provided a great deal of flexibility in people's schedules. Workers no longer had to set large blocks of time every week where they had to be at a physical location. With online platforms, they could labor at their leisure.
  Once employers required employees to come back to the office, that ended up becoming a dealbreaker for many.



• Career Shifts: The pandemic was a difficult time and while people were previously chugging along with jobs they weren't satisfied with, a lot of the ensuing chaos woke people up to new possibilities. Career shifts that once seemed like unrealistic fantasies now felt like something worth striving for.

What Does The Great Resignation Mean for Workplaces?

Interest in remote work was a large part of why people began to quit their jobs in massive numbers. People are looking for flexibility in their lives and physical locations for work sites are starting to appear antiquated or inconvenient to a huge segment of the workforce.

While the complete elimination of physical workplaces is unrealistic, even for those in white-collar occupations, it's incredibly likely that people showing up to an office or similar building to work is going to be a less frequent occurrence.

Future workplaces are probably going to have some in-person requirements, such as mandatory office time several days a week, coupled with online work done wherever an employee sees fit.

The incredible willingness for employees to quit their jobs, especially at a time of economic crisis, means a lot more catering to current workers and potential applicants will have to be done on behalf of employers.

Employees are going to have a lot of expectations regarding work flexibility in the future.

What Does It Mean for Job-Seekers?

From a job-seeking perspective, The Great Resignation has mostly positive implications.

People are switching careers and quitting their jobs en masse, which means there are plenty of job openings in many different industries.

Employers are also incredibly desperate to fill roles. The economy is starting to recover and demand for products and services is starting to pick up substantially. However, getting enough people to do work is starting to become a challenge, which means lot of opportunity for applicants who know where to look.

Payment and benefit negotiations are likely to become much more favorable for job-seekers due to their strong position in the job market and lack of industry experience might get overlooked if those hiring are in immediate need of help.

Long-Term Implications

The Great Resignation is an incredibly unexpected phenomenon, with lots of society-altering implications.

Employer-employee relationships are likely to change quite a lot and expectations of what a work environment is and how it works is going to become a point of contention.

For those looking to switch careers, this might be the most opportune time.