The Great Resignation: What Does that Mean for You?

It’s the headline of the moment … The Great Resignation. After months and months of uncertainty and burnout, employees are simply quitting, and some without a plan for the future.

In a recent Inc.com article, some alarming statistics were shared:

• 5 million workers quit their jobs (U.S. Department of Labor)
• 41 percent are considering quitting (Microsoft survey of 30,000 employees)
• 46 percent actively seeking new opportunities (Gallop)

Reasons range from concerns about safety and the risk of exposure to caring for children and the need to homeschool. The transition to working from home provided much needed perspective and flexibility. And some simply realized they really don’t like their jobs. Instead of continuing to make tradeoffs, they are choosing to quit.

The big question? What does the Great Resignation mean? And how do you begin again?

First, it’s important to make this clear – you can begin again without starting over. Regardless of age or years of experience. This is a time of self-discovery.

Instead of climbing the ladder towards bigger titles, bigger paychecks and bigger offices (so to speak), you can identify a new ladder or even create one of your own. It’s about considering who you are, what’s important, where you were and what you want to bring forward from those experiences to inform where you want to go next.

Going through the exercises to figure out what’s next will be energizing as possibilities reveal themselves.  You must allow time for discovery. This is when you may try new things, learn something new and lean in with a heightened curiosity.

You will then have a better idea of who you are and how that shapes what comes next. By defining the importance of work and purpose in your life, you can determine what work supports that balance and keeps you in alignment.

The Great Resignation has shown how workers at all levels are reassessing trade-offs, reprioritizing values and redefining the meaning of work by taking time to hit the restart button and ultimately begin again.

Stay tuned for our next blog post where we talk more about what this means for employers and even, our society.