Summary

The article challenges the narrative of the "Great Resignation," suggesting it's become a misleading trend rather than a reflection of widespread job quitting.

Abstract

The concept of the "Great Resignation" began as a legitimate observation by psychologist Anthony Klotz, noting a surge in job resignations due to the pandemic's impact, burnout, and a shift in work-life priorities. However, the article argues that the term has morphed into a sensationalized catchphrase, with media amplification creating a bandwagon effect that doesn't accurately represent the job market's complexity. It cautions against resigning without a plan, emphasizing the high cost of employee turnover and the reality that not all vacated positions will be filled, contrary to the perceived mass exodus. The article also points out the competitive nature of the job market, with numerous applicants for each position, and suggests that the "Great Resignation" may not lead to immediate hiring opportunities.

Opinions

The "Great Resignation" has evolved into an overhyped media narrative that oversimplifies the nuanced reasons behind individuals' decisions to leave their jobs.
While the initial observation of increased resignations was valid, the subsequent media frenzy has distorted the reality, encouraging people to quit without considering the consequences.
The author believes that quitting a job should be a well-thought-out decision, advising individuals to prepare by updating their CV and planning their next career move before resigning.
The article highlights the financial implications of employee turnover for companies, suggesting that not every vacated position will be replaced, which contradicts the idea of a widespread hiring surge.
It also criticizes the lack of substantive reporting on the actual hiring landscape, which is overshadowed by the focus on resignations.
The author expresses skepticism about the existence of abundant job opportunities, citing examples of high competition for available roles and the impersonal nature of the current job application process.
Despite the skepticism, the article acknowledges the potential for positive changes in mental health, employee well-being, and corporate culture as a result of the "Great Resignation."

What If The Great Resignation Is A Lie?

It’s Not Called the Great Hiring for a Reason.

From my desk in the Beforefore Times, then considered the height of office humour.

The best lies start with the truth.

The Great Resignation as we know it today is a lie, but it didn’t start out that way. It began with a real (and somewhat obvious) confluence of events put together by Anthony Klotz, a psychologist & professor from Texas A&M.

In the spring of 2021 he identifies a wave of resignations driven by a combination of factors, including fewer people leaving their jobs the year before due to the pandemic, widespread burnout, preferences for remote or hybrid work, and realizations around mental health, finding purpose, and better work/life balance.

Klotz called it the “Great Resignation,” and he was right. There was a pent up “demand” (if you can call it that) for quitting as we came into 2021, everyone was running on fumes, and work/life balance was nonexistent. And we should not have to return to daily hours-long commutes to soul-crushing office spaces in hard pants (a hill on which I am absolutely prepared to die).

But once Bloomberg picked up the story, things escalated quickly. Within weeks, the same chatter is on every site, every blog, every channel. As the Big Quit spreads out across social and traditional media it morphs and grows, picking up speed and losing detail, as all good lies do.

By the end of 2021, the message has gone from how to quit your job and why you should consider quitting to wow, everyone’s quitting their job then hey, quit your job already!

If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?

Did you just roll your eyes? Me too. Because of course you wouldn’t! No one would jump off a bridge just because everyone else was doing it.

Or would we?

The more we read about others quitting their jobs, the more we think about quitting our job. The more articles there are about quitting, the more coverage there is about quitting. More coverage of quitting leads to even more articles about quitting, until eventually all around you, from every screen, a chant rises:

“Quit! Quit! Quit! Quit!”

To be clear: I’m not saying you should stay in a job that sucks. Don’t settle for being mistreated, unsupported, or undervalued. Don’t waste a single, solitary cuss on a boss that doesn’t respect you and appreciate what you do.

But before you hit send on that stroppy spur-of-the-moment resignation email: dust off your CV, get some irons in the fire, and make a plan for what comes after. If you are going to jump off the bridge with everyone else, don’t do it until you’re good and ready.

Because even if The Great Resignation isn’t a lie (or, as my husband suggests, a highly successful Russian misinformation campaign), it’s not called the The Great Hiring for a reason.

You’ll find neither articles on the Great Backfill, nor coverage of the Big Hire. If everyone is leaving their jobs, why are we only hearing about staffing challenges in restaurants, hospitality, transportation? If everyone is quitting, when does The Great Hiring begin?

It won’t because hiring costs money. Replacing people costs money, in some cases as much as 200% of the employee’s salary. So most companies won’t backfill every job that someone leaves. Outside of sales or service, there is usually a review to see if the role is still needed, or how responsibilities could be better aligned. It may or may not result in a job post — the important thing is that this all takes time.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the actual work is still getting done by someone(s) else — because it has to get done. The longer it takes to replace a role, the less likely it will be replaced at all.

Look, I get it. Everyone’s doing it! If you’re still tempted, before you jump, at least take a look at how many people are already in the water. If more people than ever are quitting their jobs, that means there are more people than ever looking for a new one.

How bad could it be? Let’s have a look — these are a few of the roles LinkedIn recommended today:

VP of Marketing: over 200 applicants
Chief Marketing Officer: 174 applicants in 4 days
Director of Marketing: 158 applicants in 2 days
Head of Marketing: more than 60 applications in 12 hours

This is no wild river of opportunity we’re swimming in right now, my friends. It is a grim and crowded kiddie pool where the rules have been replaced by algorithms and the lifeguards are ghosts who disappear when you need them. Before you dive in, make sure you’re not about to crack your head open in the shallows.

If it isn’t a lie, will good come from this great wave of resignations? I sincerely hope so. Are there broader implications for mental health, employee well being, and a less bleak corporate future in the long run? Absolutely.

But don’t feel like you have to jump off the bridge just because everyone else is. At least not until the Great Hiring begins.