In week three, I discussed the phenomenon of the "Great Resignation." The
Great Resignation refers to the elevated rate that workers have left their jobs
starting in the spring of 2021, and was coined by professor of business
administration at Texas A&M, Anthony Klotz. (Fontinelle, 2022). I looked at
this topic through a historical lens as an event that we might look back on that
would define our society today. A post-covid mass exodus of the workforce due
to stress, anxiety, and burnout.
The social science lens; however, looks at how humans act in their social
environment. So, I might look at the relationship between employee and
employer. Were there workplace culture reasons that caused people to
voluntarily leave? Was it ambition and the opportunity for advancement wasn't
there? I went in search of some research on the topic, and found a study that did
just that!
The study found that while compensation, work-life balance, and poor physical
and emotional health were reasons that employees left, it found that what
mattered more and caused more employees to leave their jobs was not feeling
valued by their organization (54%), not being valued by their managers (52%),
and lacking a sense of belonging at work (51%). (Kuzior et al., 2022).
It also found that the "Great Resignation" didn't pertain to one industry, job type,
or social class; it blurred the lines between all them. I find this incredibly
interesting. Analyzing this phenomenon through the social sciences lens gives
more depth and insight to what really caused people to leave their jobs in the first
place, and it provides the realization that a lot of it had to do with relationships
with their organizations. Looking at this topic through more than one lens
allows one to see it from different perspectives and ascertain a full picture of the
event.
References
Kuzior, A., Kettler, K., & Rąb, Ł. (2022). Great Resignation—Ethical, Cultural,
Relational, and Personal Dimensions of Generation Y and Z Employees’
Engagement. Sustainability, 14(11), 6764. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116764
