Re: The workplace — there’s no going back

For about the past 18 months, we’ve been hearing about The

Great Resignation. The numbers speak for themselves. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that 47.4 million people voluntarily quit their jobs in 2021 (www.cnn.com/2022/02/01/economy/us-job-openings-quite-december/ index.html).

They’re leaving for a variety of reasons, some of which we’ve talked about in past columns: more pay (www.mcall. com/business/mc-biz-talking-business-tina-hamilton-0206-20220204x363mmj3fzbnrg3pnuugq7tjpq-story. html), a better workplace culture (https://www.mcall.com/business/ mc-biz-talking-business-tina-hamilton-0320-20220317-n4gt2cc6vbfwnf2nja6dgu5uwe-story.html), a desire for workplace flexibility, child care or family needs, and many others.

Employers and employees alike are navigating a time of great transition caused by COVID-19. It’s more than The Great Resignation. You can assign any number of nouns starting with “re-” to what’s been happening.

I’d say it all started with The Great Reflection. The COVID lockdowns and the aftermath disrupted the often mindless routines and patterns that made up everyday life. In the months after March 2020, we had time to think, to worry, to reflect. People were getting antsy, bored and maybe even desperate for a change.

We reevaluated many of the big things in life, including our jobs. People who lost their jobs needed new ones. And about 50 percent of people with jobs told a Harris Poll that they were considering a career change (www.cnbc.com/2021/10/12/ why-50percent-of-workers-want-tomake-a-career-change-new-survey.html). They were hearing about others leaving for supposedly greener pastures and thought, “Maybe I should think about that, too.”

One of the big reasons people reported wanting to leave was a lack of employer empathy, especially among working parents. (Remember how much we’ve talked about empathy in this column?) And one-third said they are thinking seriously about changing industries. Talk about reflection!

With people leaving their jobs in record numbers, we’ve also begun to witness The Great Regret. Job hunting site The Muse reported that 72% of workers experienced regret or surprise that their new positions were “very different” from what was expected (www.themuse.com/ advice/shift-shock-muse-survey-2022). The March 2022 survey of 2,500 skewed heavily toward Millennials and Gen Z, but we’ve been hearing similar remorse from older generations who also realized that what looked new and shiny wasn’t much better than their old job.

Could regret lead to return? Maybe for some employees, but not all. I spoke with a colleague in Chester County who said several employees wanted to return but the company wouldn’t take them back.

The company “turned the page,” he told me, and started recruiting different candidates. In fact, with all of the people looking for work, he said they received 24 candidates for a job posting whereas before the pandemic they received only a handful. Resigners beware: your old employer might not want you back.

While regret is common, it is not universal. Some employees are experiencing

The Great Reinvention: the opportunity to find a better workplace and a more rewarding career. Arlene Sooklal, Lower Macungie Township, told me she resigned in November and started a in new position in December. “It has been almost four months and I’ve never been happier,” she said. “My new place has a better culture, pays very well and is even closer to home for me.”

Part of The Great Reinvention involves people leaving their employer and starting their own businesses. The University of Pennsylvania’s Knowledge at Wharton reports a dramatic surge in applications for new businesses since the COVID-19

19 pandemic began, mostly for sole-proprietor ventures (https:// knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/ article/is-the-great-resignation-giving-rise-to-the-entrepreneur/). In the article, Wharton management professor Jacqueline “Jax” Kirtley notes that people are “embracing this opportunity to do something different.” She said many people who were running a side hustle for extra cash decided to turn those gigs into full-time work.

In fact, 22% of the people in the Harris Poll above said they were going to quit their jobs and start their own business.

Given all these “re-” happenings — resignation, reimagination, regret, reinvention — what we’re seeing as a whole is The Great Reconfiguration of the workplace. With all the uncertainty in the world two years ago, I’m not sure many could have predicted what a monumental reconfiguration we’re experiencing. Many workplaces have evolved to a permanent hybrid or work-from-home situations. People are moving to new jobs in record numbers. Still more are reevaluating their career and professional purpose or venturing off on their own.

It makes you realize how slowly change occurred in the years preceding the pandemic. (Remember those times?) Working from home was just starting to catch on. (I wrote about it here, www.mcall.com/ business/ mc-biz-tina-hamilton-columnworking-at-home-20200318-uf5ho73sdzcvdfpnoc3mswv2fystory.html). Unemployment was low, but people were reluctant to move. Wages were inching up with the cost of living each year.

With The Great Reconfiguration of the workplace, I don’t see us going back to how things were. There are many times we uttered the phrase “the new normal” during the pandemic. Make no mistake: the workplace is evolving toward a new normal.