People are always looking for new work opportunities due to dissatisfaction, a desire for more money, or due to downsizing, layoffs, relocations, and other life issues, like the ability to work from home. Now, some people are resigning rather than return to the office,[i] “with a growing number seeking nontraditional roles, or even the opportunity to start a new business.”ii
In early 2021 The Great Resignation (also known as the Big Quit and the Great Reshuffle) began, in which employees voluntarily resigned from their jobs en masse for many reasons, including those above. Some economists have described the Great Resignation as akin to a general strike.[ii] 47 million people (23.5%) of the U.S. workforce resigned from their jobs in 2021.[iii]
The overwhelming majority of those who resigned from jobs made lateral transitions to new companies, for increased pay, but while still doing the same job. According to recent research, the Great Resignation has not significantly improved the career paths of workers.[iv]
I’m telling you all of this for several reasons:
- There are still lots of jobs available out there. In the USA there were around 7.23 million job openings at the start of 2021; by December that had increased by 55.75% to 11.26 million.[v]
- There are still many people who would like to take them. Some of those people might be your employees. You might be one of those people yourself.
Some individuals would like to change jobs, or train for better ones, but can’t afford the time or expense of additional training or education while simultaneously supporting their families. They feel trapped, frustrated and maybe a little resentful too. Is it any wonder that people are jumping ship for a few dollars more, even if it doesn’t advance their actual careers?
Still others may not really know what they want to do next but do know that it’s not what they’re doing now. This creates problems for both the individuals wanting to move on and the employers whose ranks are being depleted by resignations.
Whether you’re being forced out the door or considering departure on your own, there are ways to help you figure out where you are now, and where you’d like to be in the future – and how to get there.
Employers can also ‘take the temperature’ of their organizations, identify where problems exist, and then take steps to plug the holes in their respective dikes.
Tools like the Organizational Climate Workbook, Organizational Culture Inventory, Organizational Effectiveness Inventory, and Recognition Practices Inventory can help employers survey what’s good and what’s problematic within their organizations, and identify what things might be encouraging resignations. You can’t fix the problem until you’ve identified it, and these solutions are designed to help you do exactly that!
Creative Organizational Design offers a wide range of assessments for career searchers that will also help you figure out what you’re already good at and where those transferrable skills could be applied in other occupations. For individuals, tools like the:
- Career Advancement Profile
- Career Development Report For Individual Contributors
- Career Directions Inventory
- Career Exploration Inventory
- Career Interest Profiler, and
- Career Priorities Profile
can help them plan their next move and guide them in their search for the right kind of position or company culture in which they’ll be the happiest and most successful. They can also help open new horizons and new career paths to explore. For those thinking of starting their own business, tools like the:
- Entrepreneur EDGE
- Entrepreneur Potential Test
- Entrepreneurial Aptitude Profile
- Entrepreneurial Personality Assessment
- Entrepreneurial Style & Success Indicator
- Franchisee Personality Profile, and
- Franchisee – New Business Owner Test
can all provide guidance and sound insights into one’s preparedness to embark upon self-employment.
If you or someone you know is struggling to patch the holes in their ship or considering jumping ship entirely, contact us to explore some of the many resources available to help you do both.
David Towler is President of Creative Organizational Design, a firm offering nearly 40 years of expertise specializing in employee assessments and which has over 2000 different product titles available. Creative Organizational Design has 100s of assessment tools designed to help employers screen out other people’s rejects, assess skills, aptitude, attitude and ‘fit’ within an organization. For more information about the options available and help selecting the best tools for your needs please contact us. Please send comments about this article to dtowler@creativeorgdesign.com.
[i] Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home
[iii] 18 Great Resignation Statistics [2022]: Why Are Americans Leaving Their Jobs?
[iv] The truth about the ‘great resignation’ – who changed jobs, where they went and why
[v] 18 Great Resignation Statistics [2022]: Why Are Americans Leaving Their Jobs?