Is The Sun Setting On The Great Resignation?

Fibers of the pre-pandemic workplace we once knew are being tested. There is distrust from people who have grown disenchanted and have decided they no longer want a part of it. Yet, they’re many people who want to hold on to yesterday and blame “The Great Resignation” for the disruption.

It’s like there was someone to blame for pulling the emergency alarm.

The mass layoffs of hospitality industry service workers created a backlash when employers wanted them back to work, and many held out. Not only did this affect service, but it also crushed businesses and caused closures and significant business losses. Employers responded to the cry for more wages and benefits, but workers refused to go back to inflexible scheduling and inadequate pay.

Manufacturing workers decided to go on strike. Workers in unions proved to be resilient and persistent, demanding more wages and flexibility. The pay, safety, and scheduling issue played a significant role in supply chain shortages for some industries, arguably the food industry. Workers were willing to strike for several months without wavering, while the scarcity of everything from food to cars affected the regular consumer.

Teachers and nurses are previewing a day of reckoning. COVID safety measures and denial of remote learning became front and center for teachers. Nurses experienced similar problems, especially with COVID and patient ratio safety. Teachers and nurses leave traditional roles for new careers or alternative roles in their industry.

So, what’s next? 

The mass exodus (resignations) will not continue at the September or November rate where people quit in droves. No longer, job seekers succumb to a  market slowly closing window.

We’ll see employers condense roles, restructure pay and schedule models, and replace many workers with automation (or Artificial Intelligence). We’re starting to see some of that in the retail industries and possibly create many part-time positions and not full-time.

If jobs do become plentiful with more pay, benefits will be affected. Problems may repeat from the post “The Great Recession” era–many jobs available because of the advancing technology boom, and many “unqualified” workers. If workers are not pivoting to where the job demands are, we’ll experience economic turbulence.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the “The Voice of Job Seekers!” I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be “the prescription to an employer’s job description.” You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development.

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You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.