Who is driving the Great Resignation?

An exodus of workers from retail, warehouses, food service, health-care and social- assistance jobs have pushed quits to record levels, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics . Women have borne the brunt of the job losses since the pandemic began, research from the Brookings Institution shows. Overrepresented in low-wage service jobs, they have been hit hard by increased child-care demands brought on by the delta variant’s disruption of school reopenings and the initial lack of vaccines for children. They also are more likely to be in positions that require in-person work, heightening their risk for coronavirus infection. The vast majority of jobs lost in the earliest months of the pandemic have been regained, but the economy still has more than 4 million jobs less than it did in February 2020. Economists have been looking to the return to full employment as an important milestone, but labor shortages, surging caseloads from the Delta variant, supply chain crunch and the growing wave of resignations have complicated that recovery. “As result of many changes caused by the pandemic, many employers will need to continue to consider raising wages and improving working conditions, such as providing more flexibility, as they attempt to attract and retain workers,” Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate, said Friday in comments emailed to The Post.

Why are so many workers leaving?

Workers are quitting at or near record levels in nearly every sector tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, going back to 2001. But the pains are most acute among low-wage workers, who economists say are revolting against years of poor pay and stressful conditions. Many are now less willing to endure inconvenient hours and low compensation and are quitting at this stage in the pandemic to find better opportunities elsewhere. Workers in arts, entertainment, health services and education left their jobs at higher rates in September, while quits remained high among those in leisure and hospitality, restaurants and retail. Quits also are soaring among manufacturing and warehouse workers, who are straining under the pressures of surging demand and crunched supply chains. Some have taken to TikTok with their grievances, posting videos under the #QuitMyJob hashtag that often call out toxic workplaces. One notable example occurred last fall, when Shana Blackwell broadcast her resignation from a Texas Walmart (over the store’s intercom), saying she was pushed to the brink by what she called the store’s “toxic, sexist and racist” environment. The video has racked up millions of views. Walmart told HuffPost that it had taken Blackwell’s concerns seriously and made “corrective actions” after an investigation of her complaints, but declined to disclose whether any disciplinary actions were taken. Salaried workers also are at their wits’ end, tired of the tension between employers’ pushes to return to the office and the uncertainty surrounding vaccine mandates. Nearly half of executives recently surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management said their companies have seen elevated turnover in the past six months. Flexibility in when and where work is done now outweighs compensation as a concern for many employees, Grant Thornton’s recent “State of Work in America” survey found, with half of the respondents saying they would give up a salary increase for more flexibility. Burnout remains a top reason employees seek other opportunities. And a surge in savings thanks to government stimulus, booming stock markets and fewer spending options in the pandemic could mean that some households have more funds to sustain them in the interim.

What does this mean for the economy?

The surge of quits is colliding with an existing labor shortage, which means that employers are under more pressure to hold on to their employees. At the end of September, there were more than 10.4 million unfilled jobs in the U.S. workforce, according to data released Friday by the Labor Department. It also exacerbates uncertainties for companies: Small-business owners have grown “pessimistic” about future economic conditions, according to a September survey by the National Federation of Independent Business. Some 51 percent of business owners reported having openings that couldn’t be filled, a record high for the third month in a row. “Organizations right now are very open-minded about saying, ‘What can we do to retain employees?’ ” said Anthony Klotz, a Texas A&M professor who studies why people resign. The battle for talent has spurred some companies to raise wages and offer sign-on bonuses and other deal sweeteners. In May, for the first time, the national average hourly pay for non-managers at restaurants and bars topped $15. Costco, Amazon, CVS and Walgreens all have hourly minimums of $15 or higher. And over the summer, Walmart, Target and Amazon all announced that they would begin offering free college tuition and textbooks to employees. It remains unclear how this reassessment of work will play out. For now, people are still hesitant to take the first jobs available to them, if they don’t believe they’re good jobs. And they are not reluctant to quit a situation they don’t like.

How do I exit gracefully?

A by-the-book resignation usually starts with a simple email or in-person meeting. It can be short, but should include a straightforward statement that you’re leaving and why. Most companies expect at least two weeks’ notice, but timing varies by situation. You may need to walk away sooner, for example, if the work environment is toxic or feels unsafe. In other cases, employees and managers might work out a longer window to ease the workplace transition. It is best not to badmouth your employer on the way out, job experts say, and generally little is to be gained by doing so. Klotz notes that the power balance shifts as soon as the decision is made to resign. At that point, “you don’t need them anymore, and weird things happen when people get that rush of power. Often our true selves really come out, which is why people burn bridges and things like that.” He urged caution when using that power and suggested looking for ways to minimize the disruption your departure might cause. Even if the position didn’t meet expectations, there may be aspects for which you can express gratitude. If the job was difficult, for example, note what you learned from overcoming those challenges. A simple “thank you” can go a long way toward easing your departure. If you want to go above and beyond to keep a positive relationship with your soon-to-be-former employer, consider making yourself available to offer advice even after you leave. Doing so may be a sacrifice on your part, but it allows you to keep the door open for better opportunities there in the future.

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Business

Why is everyone quitting, and how do I know whether it’s time to leave my job?

Q: How do I know whether it’s time to leave?

The mass departures are being driven by a combination of factors, including the feeling of many Americans that there’s more opportunity and better pay elsewhere. But employees might be in position to mend or remake their roles from within, a process known as job crafting that has been studied for years. As researchers Justin Berg, Jane Dutton and Amy Wrzesniewski put it in a 2007 paper published by the University of Michigan Ross School of Business: “Job designs are not fixed; they can be adapted over time to accommodate employees’ unique and ever-changing backgrounds, motives, and preferences.” They contend that job crafting can lead to workers who are more engaged and efficient, which ultimately benefits companies. So before quitting, job experts say, workers may want to consider such options as: Can I move to a different team or department? Is there a way I can take on fewer or more-interesting tasks, or shift some responsibilities? Is there something my employer could provide — more money, a promotion, more time off — that would give the role more meaning? Given the current labor climate, employees have stronger cards when pressing for change. If managers don’t engage, that might be all the answer you need.

Waves of Americans are leaving their jobs as part of the ‘Great Resignation.’ Here’s why.

By Taylor Telford

and

Aaron Gregg

Updated November 12, 2021 at 1:16 p.m. EST|Published October 13, 2021 at 12:52 p.m. EDT

An LA Conservation Corps recruiter interacts with job seekers during a job fair this month in Los Angeles. A surge in the number of people quitting jobs is compounding a national labor shortage. (Etienne Laurent/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

8 min

More people than ever are leaving their jobs.

They seem to come from every industry and span generations. Some are following through on long-deferred plans to leave, no longer willing or able to wait out the pandemic. Others are burned out from too many long shifts, late nights and unspent vacation days. And many say the public health crisis forced them to reassess their jobs and priorities.