The Big Quit, or the “Big Resignation”, refers to the phenomenon that appeared in the United States following the Covid-19 crisis and which saw millions of Americans resigning, overnight, from their jobs. In November 2021, this represents more than 4 million Americans, a record in a country where the labor market is much more flexible than other countries and is familiar with this type of event, but never on such a large scale. But what is really going on in the global labor market? Once the observation is made, what actions should be implemented to strengthen the employer brand and ensure the recruitment and retention of the best talents? How can the digitalization of the employee experience contribute to this strategy? This is what we propose to share with you in a new white paper.
As an introduction, let’s revisit the concept of Big Quit.
The term originated from the pen of Anthony Klotz, a management professor and organizational psychology specialist. Klotz notes four major trends that explain the Big Quit as it is visible in the United States.
1 – A shift in resignations
First of all, there are those who, when the pandemic appeared, preferred to play it safe by keeping their job, where they would normally have resigned, and then, when the economy recovered, jumped ship. This phenomenon is all the more notable because, at a time when supply is greater than demand, they find themselves in a more favorable position to negotiate with their new employer.
2 – Burn-outs
In addition, some have been more affected than others by the pandemic, which has caused a significant number of burn-outs and has left many people unable to continue working as before. This wave of burn-outs is linked to the high turnover of a good number of companies which, in the absence of being able to stabilize their workforce, rely on a workforce which, although often less qualified and less inclined to stay, allows them to maintain the production apparatus.
3 – Awareness
For others, the health crisis has been the occasion for profound transformations and reflections that result in a desire to change jobs because they want a job that is more in line with their values, their pace of life, but also because they feel they are underpaid for the essential work they do. This is particularly true for blue-collar workers, shopkeepers, restaurant workers and health workers, sectors that were often unable to benefit from telework during the health crisis and are now the most affected by the Big Quit, with jobs struggling to find takers.
4 – Teleworking
This is certainly the great social and societal innovation that this pandemic has allowed: to allow a maximum of people who can do so to carry out their activities from home. Of course, if this was initially done for health security reasons, many employees got used to this rhythm which allows them to avoid the travel time to get to the site. In the traditional metro-work-sleep, the metro seems to detach itself little by little and leave a void that everyone is free to fill as he wishes. If some people are eager to go back to the office after months spent without being able to see their colleagues and often without adequate equipment, others, on the contrary, wish to stay on a telework rhythm and, in case their company would force them to go back to the office, prefer to resign than to go back to a rhythm that could be qualified as “normal” before the crisis.
What is really happening in the global labor market, are we seeing the same trends two years after the pandemic began? Once the situation is established, what actions should be implemented to strengthen the employer brand and ensure that the best talents are recruited and retained? How can the digitalization of the employee experience and Enterprise Service Management contribute to this strategy? In the coming weeks, Devoteam N Platform will offer you the opportunity to go further in a white paper and a webinar. Stay tuned!