The Great

Resignation
Team #3
Emily Lyons, Aeriel Miller, Jasmine Ryant, and Brandon Swindell
Overview
– What?
– Statistics
– Why?
– Prevention.
 What is The Great Resignation?
– During the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses
experienced unprecedented levels of employee
quitting- a global phenomenon termed The
Great Resignation.
– The U.S. turnover rate reached a 20-year high
in November 2021, - more than 47 million
employees left their employment, according to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
– A massive and voluntary exodus of the
workforce who felt they needed to resign due
to working conditions, personal dignity, and
even health concerns.
What is the drive force behind The
Great Resignation?
– Reasons employees resigned:
– Evolving working norms
– lower income, looking for better pay
– industry types
– prolonged distress/or burnout
– Burnout refers to a state of being depleted of physical and
emotional energy and reflects stress
– Due to social distancing, some employees experienced loneliness and
less segmentation between the workplace and home, and increased
job demands
Stats
– According to survey from 2021, almost half of 2800 employees reported
they were more burned out than before the pandemic.
– 40% of 1000 full-time employees who quit their job indicated that the
main reason for their quitting was burnout, statistics stated from
2021.
– The pandemic directly threatened physical wellness and increases
mortality salience.
– Employees who experienced high burnout levels may have been
motivated to protect themselves by leaving their job.
– Critics also suggested a connection between rebel and dissatisfied
younger generations who are less resilient, less tolerant of working
conditions, and less loyal.
• Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021
according to survey from Pew Research Center
say it was due to:
• low pay (63%)
• no opportunities for advancement (63%)
• feeling disrespected at work (57%)

• Most of those who quit and are now employed

elsewhere say:
• their current job has better pay
• more opportunities for advancement
• more work-life balance and flexibility
– Those without a four-year
college degree were more likely than
those with at least a bachelor’s
degree to quit their job in 2021.
Reasons being:
– Not having enough flexibility to decide
when they put in their hours (49% of non-
college graduates vs. 34% of college
graduates)
– Having to work too few hours (35% vs.
17%)
– Their employer requiring a COVID-
19 vaccine (21% vs. 8%).
– 18% of non-retired U.S. men and 20% of non-
retired U.S. women say they quit a job at some
point in 2021 by choice.
– Adults younger than 30 were far more likely
than older adults to have voluntarily left their
job in 2021.
– 24% of adults with lower incomes say they quit
a job in 2021, compared with 18% of middle-
income adults and 11% of those with
upper incomes.
– 24% of non-retired Hispanic and Asian adults
report quitting a job in 2021, 18% of Black
adults, and 17% of White adults
– Minorities who quit a job in 2021
say reasons of the following
(Bachelor's degree vs. Some college or
less):
– not having enough flexibility (52% vs. 38%)
– wanting to relocate to a different area (41%
vs. 30%)
– working too few hours (37% vs. 24%)
– their employer requiring that they have a
COVID-19 vaccine (27% vs. 10%)

– (Minorities include those who identify as

Black, Asian, Hispanic, some other race
or multiple races)
– College graduates are more likely than
those with less education to say that compared
with their last job, they are now earning
more (66% vs. 51%) and have more
opportunities for advancement (63% vs. 49%).
– Those with less education are more likely than
college graduates to say:
– they are earning less in their current job (27%
vs. 16%)
– they have fewer opportunities for
advancement (18% vs. 9%).
– 60% of men say their current job makes it easier
for them to balance work and family – 48% for
women.
– 53% of employed adults who quit a job in 2021
say they have changed their field of work or
occupation at some point in the past year.
Why?
COVID – 19
A Pandemic
Snowball
 The Five Rs -
1) Retirement
2) Relocation
3) Reconsideration
4) Reshuffling
5) Reluctance
Vaccinate or not to vaccinate -that is an issue!
Prevention.
Compensation, Deferred Compensation, & Retirement
– Early commitment
– Continuous investment
– Bonuses
– Stipends
 Quality of Life Programs/Benefits

– Flexibility
– Inclusive parental leave
programs
– Meaning/purpose/belonging
– Family-friendly offerings
Extensive Training

– Formal training programs

– Mentorship programs
Sharing Information (aka—Communication)

– Be open.
– Be honest.
– Be receptive.
Recognition
– Every firm needs a program
whereby leaders and employees can
recognize each other- in big and small
ways
– Strive to make it a part of a
weekly process to recognize the impact
team members make
– Try to leverage points/rewards to
make something tangible
– Potentially quarterly MVPs as voted
on by peers & leaders
Recognition
– Drive peer to peer recognition-
encourage it daily.
– Culture of seeing something and saying
something- both good and bad
– Drives Confidence, instills a sense
of belonging and inclusivity
– Make sure to celebrate milestones –
i.e., birthdays, work
anniversaries, tenure
Appreciation
– How much being appreciated at work can
matter?
– Show that appreciation to the employees
by also driving task significance and using
“end users to rally troops” – Grant
– Share far and wide the experiences clients
are having with your employees
– Employees feel a deeper sense
of connection and thus appreciation
when they know their efforts are having
an impact.
– Employee Appreciation Weeks
The case for well-being programs in the workplace
– 59% of those in the workforce reported at
least one mental health challenge in the
last month
– Presents a unique choice for employers –
These individuals are the workforce
– No demographic or industry is immune
– 4x more likely to leave – Employers need
to help provide support and an outlet
– Does your organization treat mental health
and well being as a priority?
– Free employees from Stigma – Train
leaders to act with a level of vulnerability
Ban the toxic work culture
– As we look to prevent the next
Great resignation, we must understand how
the workforce feels
– The Number one contributor to
negative workplace outcomes, by far, is a
toxic workplace
– Observe work/life balance – including avoiding
connecting outside of work hours
– Make kindness the corporate culture
– The days of the aggressive Boss are
behind us - make employees feel safe and
heard
– The Value of a work Team
Help people
see the value
in staying
Bibliography
– Brassey, Jacqueline; Coe, Erica; Giarola, Renata; Herbig, Brad; Jeffrey, Barbara; Merkand, Roxy. (2022)
Present company included: Prioritizing mental health and well-being for all. McKinsey Health Institute.
– Grant, Adam. (2011). How Customers can Rally your troops. Harvard Business Review.
– Langdon, E. R., & Bosacki, J. (2021). How to battle the great resignation with deferred compensation plans.
Journal of Deferred Compensation, 16-21.
– Lewis, A. C., Danielson, J. L., Cojocaru, R. A., & Steinhoff, J. C. (2022). Turn the great resignation into the
great opportunity. Journal of Government Financial Management, (Summer 2022), 19-25.
– Moon, Y. K., O'Brien, K. E., & Mann, K. J. (2022). The role of extraversion in the Great Resignation: A burnout-
quitting process during the pandemic. Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.112074
– Montaudon-Tomas, C. M., Amsler, A., Pinto-López, I. N., & Malcón-Cervera, C. (2023). Beyond the Great
Resignation: Additional Notions. The International Trade Journal, 37(1), 135-142.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08853908.2022.2147107
– Parker, K., & Horowitz, J. (2022). Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite low pay, no opportunities for
advancement, feeling disrespected. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-
reads/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-
advancement-feeling-disrespected/
– Robbins, Mike. (2019) Why Employees need both Recognition and Appreciation. Harvard Business Review.
– Sinkora, E. (2023). Thriving through “the great resignation”. Manufacturing Engineering, retrieved
fromhttps://elon.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://proquest.com/trade-journals/thriving-through- great-
resignation/docview/2801235375/se-2?accountid=10730
Thank you!