The Great Resignation or Great Reset

A lot has been said about ‘The Great Resignation’ recently. In the UK, half of their workers are considering to change jobs with most of them are younger employees leading the change. This revolution has caused quite a stir among the HR community, with experts trying to understand why it is happening and what do the employees actually want.?

The situation is getting increasingly desperate in some organizations. According to Wired, there were reports of multiple number of tech firms resorting to extreme measures such as offering monetary incentives just to show up at interviews.

Although we are faced with a haemorrhaging workforce, there is a glimpse of hope even in this uncertain time. You see, the Great Resignation is not necessarily a bad thing for the employer and society as whole. Rather, it’s an opportunity for businesses to slow down and consider where their employees are and, importantly what they want.

In this article, let me explain on how we can re-frame The Great Resignation as The Great Reset.

Why Now?

With the number of worker resignations increasing, many businesses were struggling to fill in job vacancies. But this leads us to the question;

Why? Why the heck is so many employees deciding that now is the time to make the change? And, perhaps what changes are they actually making? What is actually tempting them away from their current job?

By having these questions in mind, it helps us to identify some of the opportunities which arises from The Great Resignation.

Increased Demand for Flexible Working

The pandemic has forced a change in the way we work. It is proven that workers have embraced flexible working arrangements and remote opportunities, and for the most part, love it. This had led to a huge backlash for companies who still force their workers to come to the office or workplace, particularly when employees take the views that they can do their job perfectly well at home.

The Inevitable, delayed.

A minority of workers have also reported that they have delayed resigning in the past 12 months due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. Although we are all tempted to put the blame on the pandemic for the massive wave of resignations, the reality is that it may have already been on the cards but was delayed due to COVID-19.

Increased Pressure

Although a lot of employees have already embraced the flexibility brought by working from home, it doesn’t mean it’s been smooth sailing. In fact, a lot of organizations weren’t prepared with the sudden shift to remote work which puts a significant strain on the workforce as employees struggle to adjust in isolation.

Lack of Support

Working remotely, or even in a hybrid way, requires a lot of thought, planning and foresight. What’s more, employees need support and guidance to ensure it works for both the organization, their teams, and on an individual level.

However, many businesses are still not in a position where they fully understand how remote working is going to, well…. work out. Although work technologies such as instant messaging apps and video conferencing software are adopted from the beginning, not a lot of thought was put into how business would preserve their culture, encourage collaboration, take advantage of flexible working arrangements and engagement outside the office. This has led to employees asking themselves what it is they actually need from work.

The Great Reset

It’s not the end of the world though. By taking a moment to examine the ‘why’ behind The Greatest Resignation, there are many opportunities which can be taken advantage of by seeing it as a blueprint for change.

Embracing the Hybrid Work Model

Hybrid Work Model are gaining more popularity as employees want a new, flexible way of working. Businesses which realizes this opportunity and adopt effective hybrid workplace will undoubtedly be the ones who claw back lost ground from The Great Resignation.

But putting lip service to this idea isn’t enough to make it work. Organizations need to put in place very clear guidance and support around the model, which gives employees the freedom to choose and where they work, be that on premise or remote. Furthermore, setting transparent policies and procedures will define where the employees stand and the boundaries within them.

Better Human Support

Technology which enables remote and asynchronous working is very powerful. But nothing quite beats the human touch. As we emerge from the pandemic and adjust to the future, we need a strong, empathetic and human leadership is key to high retention and engagement.

If managers aren’t prepared to support everyone, regardless of where and how they work, then The Great Resignation will bound to happen again.

Prioritizing Mental Health & Well-being

We can all agree that having poor mental health and well-being will affect one’s productivity, quality of work and much more. Rather than burying their hand in the sands, businesses need to face the fact that a proportion of their human workforce will experience some form of mental health problem during their working life. Once upon a time, organizations may not have considered this to be their problem - but it very much is. And failing to address the issue will only result in higher turnover and absences.

A strong mental health in the workplace strategy is a great way to provide that support, but it goes further than that too. Providing free counselling and mental health support is but a sticker plaster in which demands blood, sweat and tears from employee’s day in, and day out.

In a nutshell

The truth of the matter is that employees who were part of The Great Resignation aren’t necessarily opting out of the workplace entirely, but taking a step back to find careers and jobs that makes them happier and provides a better work-life balance. Therefore, it is mainly up to employers to work with that rather than against it, and meet employees where they are.