The Great Resignation

This Labor Day, we’re acknowledging the stressors of the past 18 months, their impact on work and workers, and the challenges to the workplace. 

There are an increasing number of articles, posts, and studies that are confirming what we’re hearing regularly from the people we coach.

The U.S. workforce is exhausted, and people are leaving their jobs in droves.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor states that 11.5 million people quit their jobs between April and June of this year. 

11.5 million people 

If averaged over the 3 months, that’s 127,778 people a day, for those 90 days, who have left their jobs. 

In a recent Inc.com article, the authors cited multiple reasons people have left their jobs and among the top reasons were stress, burnout, and feeling undervalued by the company they work for. 

We’ve been hearing similar concerns and challenges from our clients as they try to navigate the uncertainty of COVID, concerns about their safety at work, and concerns for their children and their return to school. They voice the sense that their current employer doesn’t value them or understand their trauma over the past 18 months. 

Sadly, the leaders we meet with also voice a level of strain and despair we have rarely heard in our careers. They’re overwhelmed by the demands on their organizations, worried about how to stay financially viable, and unsure how to show that they genuinely care for the people who support their organizations. 

As Philip Kane writes in the Inc.com article,

“It’s all about caring.
It’s a simple choice.
One that some 11.5 million people and counting
are begging for more companies to make.”

Over the upcoming weeks, we’ll share more detail about the great resignation and how it relates to you. And, we’ll share some simple ways that you, as a business owner, leader, or employee, can create greater caring in the workplace without adding overwhelming stress to your days.