BIG MYTH: Workers Aren’t Quitting Over Values

The “Great Resignation” remains one of the biggest stories about the Covid-19 pandemic. But the more you hear about it, the more you wonder whether workers are really quitting in droves. As is the case with neologisms, the term is used and abused in equal measure.

Let’s get to the truth. Millions of Americans have quit their jobs since May 2021; a record 4.5 million walked away in March alone.

Now for what’s not true. There’s stark evidence that workers are in the quittin’ spirit — or refusing to assume new roles — at companies that do not share, honor, or identify with their views, the story is complicated. For many workers walking the walk calls for a broad reconsideration. What quitagion reports don’t take into account is ‘money’ and how that’s become an unassailable part of inflationary nightmares.

People are looking for a better job with an almighty paycheck that uplifts their professional and personal life rather than weigh them down.

Money matters

According to The Harris Poll, slightly more than half of all Americans (61 percent) admit to taking a job offer from another company solely to get a pay raise.

This is not normal. For far too long companies have created work cultures where work must be endured rather than enjoyed. Employees are often tightly monitored under a leash of constrictive policies, but otherwise ignored. Ironically, such cultures breed the toxic behaviors that leaders fear. When you treat employees with disrespect, disregard, and hatred, it is highly likely that they’ll return the mistreatment with equal or more gusto.

Employees, on the other hand, had a rude awakening. The disarray caused by lockdowns appears to have worked as a massive reset button. People have had a chance to take a break from the daily grind. It has helped people appreciate what matters most in life. Time-consuming commutes, spending 8-hours in soul-sucking cubicles, and big-brother bosses, which were once held as the price of employment, have been exposed as vestiges of an antiquated working style.

People are looking for a better job with an almighty paycheck that uplifts their professional and personal life rather than weigh them down.

Clearly, the Great Resignation isn’t just about values. People are looking for a better job with an almighty paycheck that uplifts their professional and personal life rather than weigh them down.

Don’t hide the bad news

Workism isn’t going away, however, for much of the workforce, a steady salary trumps ethical concerns. The boundary between work and life that was once delineated by ethics is now weakened by inflation as employees feel they don’t have well-paying viable alternatives.

Emerging data also suggests that, in the recent past, worker conditions during the pandemic and social-justice movements have led employees to expect greater corporate transparency into where companies stand on critical issues.

What’s important for leaders to understand about corporate transparency is that this trend isn’t an ephemeral reaction to the global pandemic. It’s here to stay. We are living in times where we’ve officially departed from traditional communication styles, such as communicating with a top-down channel, and we’ve adopted candid communication with employees.

It won’t be possible to undermine the American workocracy just by switching jobs. It will necessitate a fundamental shift in the social framework that determines which institutions give us a sense of purpose.

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