Has your employer announced plans to return to the office, and you find that on-site work no longer appeals to you? Are you a company that has been hit hard by mass resignations? No matter who you are, you’ve likely heard of the Great Resignation – a new phenomenon associated with the high numbers of employees leaving their jobs following the end of the pandemic.
A third of the UK’s workforce is considering a career change – numbers that have not been seen since the recession in 2009. Meanwhile, companies struggle to retain the existing staff or recruit new talent, putting themselves in a rather tricky position.
So, what exactly is happening, and why are people quitting jobs en masse?
Continue reading to learn why people are considering ditching their jobs and what employers can do to combat the issue.
Why Are Employees Leaving?
There are myriad reasons why workers are hesitant to transition back to their workplaces. Living through the pandemic afforded us the time and space to reflect on the balance we want in our personal and professional lives. Now people have a strong opinion about their relationship with work, and they are feeling empowered to switch jobs at an unprecedented rate.
People Were Considering Career Change Before the Pandemic
It is in our nature to be open-minded and curious about new experiences. We’ve all been in a scenario when we thought about leaving our current job, but eventually, we didn’t as we found some convenient excuse or simply didn’t want it enough.
Then the pandemic hit, and the uncertainty spread. We clung to our current jobs out of fear of losing them if the company went under. However, as the pandemic is winding down and employers are urging us to go back to the premises, our desire to leap into a new career is becoming more pronounced.
In many people’s heads, the dilemma is quite apparent – stay in the current job and take all the repercussions coming your way, or try something new. With job openings booming, workers feel confident that they can land their next opportunity in no time.
Employees Don’t Believe in Office as a Space That Enables Greater Productivity
Is it accurate to say that working on-site always equals productivity? Having worked from home for a few years, many are convinced that working in the office is overrated. Yes, leaders still widely praise better team collaboration, communication, and synergy for using the office, but is it necessary to force an on-premise model if the tasks still get done?
Aside from that, we have already discussed the issue surrounding the commuting culture (link to the blog about commuting). During the pandemic, numerous employees actually relocated because virtual working allowed them to be closer to family and friends or simply take advantage of more affordable living in a budget-friendly location. People just do not want to travel anymore.
The Newfound Freedom Enabled by Flexible Working
People have a strong desire to maintain their work-life balance. Whether that involves living in a different city further away from the job’s headquarters, travelling abroad, balancing work and hobbies, or taking care of the children, employees simply do not have an incentive to return to work after Covid is fully over.
According to the study conducted by Microsoft, one out of every five employees believes their company does not care about their work-life balance. Thus, people are prepared to leave their current positions for more accommodating employers.
What Can Organisations Do to Retain and Attract the Talent?
Companies need to look for ways to expand the benefits of virtual work enjoyed by many employees during the pandemic. However, it all must start with the change in how we perceive the workplace.
Remote Work is Here to Stay
The truth is that virtual work, or at least hybrid, will be a natural course moving forward. Organisations saw that they could still get things done without having people physically on-site in the meeting rooms. And that is precisely what employees want, too.
The monolithic approach to return-to-office plans continues to reinforce the negative employees’ perceptions. As a result, companies risk losing talents to competitors while failing to recruit new ones. Businesses should be looking for ways to meet workers at the point where they’re, rather than force a hard return to the office.
Digital Office Solution – A Way to Keep Workers In?
Leaders must address the evolving needs of their teams as the post-pandemic world unfolds. Rather than thinking about getting everybody back, companies should explore how to extend virtual work and leverage the technology to support employees in the new era of online office.
At My G-Nation, our digital office solution is built with time spent understanding people’s working habits and activities in the office while not forgetting the critical KPIs that organisations want to accomplish.
We’re a leading digital office for hybrid and remote working, with customisable rooms, file storage, automated status updates, and task management and collaboration tools. Our business is passionate about giving your remote team the best balance of asynchronous and synchronous communication to succeed in their roles and exceed their performance expectations. When your teams perform, your business thrives.
I want to see a positive change in my remote team’s performance.
Final Thoughts
Supporting the newly emerging needs of the workforce requires a more lenient approach and innovative solutions. It has never been easier for people to change jobs; however, most importantly, they feel empowered to do so. The labour market and the rising number of job openings are favourable conditions, so it is clear that if the opportunity comes, employees will resign without looking back.
Get ahead of these risks and consider My Digital Office as your new way of work.
