Embracing Why We Work How Workers Sparked the Great Resignation by Asking for More

EMBRACING WHYWEWORK:

How Workers Sparked the Great Resignation by Asking for More

BY ALLISON VAN TILBORGH

Most of us are aware that we are living in an unprecedented time—and not just because of the ongoing health crisis we find ourselves in. A widespread work exodus, dubbed “The Great Resignation,” is transforming the business landscape in significant ways.

Involuntary Transitions

The trend first began involuntarily. In March 2020, widespread shutdowns saw nine core industries, with tourism leading the way, lose an estimated 700,000 jobs. This affected Florida significantly, including both full- and part-time workers. Demand for our beaches and theme parks plummeted.

Businesses that could thrive through remote work sent their employees home. Some loathed this new way of working, which increased reliance on programs like Zoom to remain connected to coworkers. They began to feel the pressure of being at home with their children, spouses, or roommates—all day, every day— which strained many relationships. The already escalating mental-health crisis of anxiety and depression got worse.

Others reacted differently to this involuntary transition. They warmed up to this shift to athome work. Since there was no commute time, some found time to sleep in a little longer, bake sourdough bread, etc., while they composed emails and made time for midday showers. Others found a new sense of autonomy that they had never experienced before—the ability to dictate the conditions of their own work. And, most remarkably, productivity didn’t shrink significantly as a result. It dropped only 1%!

Reclaiming Autonomy

While many lost their jobs, others began to reevaluate their work priorities for reasons mostly outside the control of businesses. Many mothers found that working from home and taking care of their homebound children was too heavy a load. Or, they preferred to spend more time with their children or prioritize their other passions. Nearly three million women left the workforce. As the pandemic continued, new problems arose. Vaccination requirements in some sectors led to a 5% walkout rate. The pandemic caused many to reevaluate the nature of their work and the type of environment in which they worked. In April 2021, as many as 40% of workers seriously considered quitting their jobs. They no longer were willing to put up with inflexible, stressful working conditions, no matter the pay.

Engagement at Work

These transitions inevitably resulted in a reframing the meaning of work. What mattered most to employees was changing—fast. How might one usually find meaning at work? Adam Smith, the Industrial-Revolution philosopher, believed that humans only work to receive a paycheck, and therefore, working conditions need not be optimal.

His massively influential ideas about work-life profoundly influenced the early assembly line factories where workers became increasingly specialized in specific menial tasks to increase overall output production. Smith adamantly believed that when given the opportunity to work or not work, humans would choose to abstain each time, so there wasn’t a logical reason to imbue work with any “meaning.” The cost for TVs and automobiles was simple: “sell your soul” and get modern conveniences and less-than-optimal salary packages in return.

The pandemic may have heightened people’s awareness of dissatisfaction with work, but it was not an entirely new phenomenon. According to a 2013 Gallup study, 87% of workers were not engaged with their professional lives. That was nearly a decade ago. If nearly a fourth of us were actively disengaged from our jobs (actually hating our work-lives) back then, what could that mean for today? The vast majority of us, statistically speaking, do not find meaning in our work even now.

What, then, is different about the 13% of workers who are engaged at work? Gallup reports that they develop social relationships, are given opportunities to express autonomy, and feel that they make a real difference in the world through their efforts. They identify with their company’s vision. The moments that make their work-lives worth living are not found in their job descriptions, but in the ways that restore dignity to their work-lives besides focusing on productivity.

The good news is that employees stay with companies that provide these kinds of meaningful environments. The bad news is that companies that stick with the old paradigm of work purported by Adam Smith will soon be left with no workers.

The Future of Work

The Great Resignation is not only an irreversible situation as evidenced by the exodus from the workforce. Good work is not only about paychecks or benefits, but it also requires more of us and is readily accessible to each of us. It recognizes that no increase in pay or benefits can subsidize the need for good leadership, flexibility, healthy work culture, an acknowledgment of personhood, and a genuine sense of commitment to the reason for which the business exists.

Bad work: constricting, unthoughtful work brought us into The Great Resignation.

Good work: work that listens to and respects the needs of workers and that empowers and uplifts can bring us out of it.

The Great Resignation should be a wake-up call to employers that their people are demanding more of them—flexibility, autonomy, the ability to work from home, and the ability to prioritize their health and their families. By imbuing our workplaces with a healthier vision and equipping our workers with the tools they need to become engaged at work, we contribute to the next—better work for our organizations and global work as a whole. n

Allison van Tilborgh is an executive at Four Rivers Media, headquartered in Sanford, FL. She writes extensively on business, religion, and food through her writings on Medium, The Sanford Vegan, Inspire Magazine, AVAIL Journal, Thrive Today Journal, Historic Downtown Sanford, and My Sanford Magazine. She is the founder of The Sanford Vegan and Interfaith Now.

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