You've most probably read about the Great Resignation or the Big Quit, a recent trend in which employees have voluntarily resigned from their jobs en masse.
There are plenty of articles, posts and studies on this phenomenon. Experts from the most diverse sectors have analyzed it from many angles to understand the causes.
The COVID-19 pandemic plays a significant role in the Big Quit. It has shaken and shocked most companies and everyone's life.
Many point to old organizational culture in our companies as the main reason people leave their jobs, and they call for a rethink of how we work and why we work with more focus on purpose and meaning.
I want to offer another perspective that may explain why so many people decide to make such a significant change in their lives.
If you ever rode a motorbike or even a bicycle, you know that the faster you go, the harder it is to change direction. To make a tight turn without crashing, you need to slow down. To turn around, you probably need to stop. Plus, speed narrows your vision. It makes the horizon narrow and forces you to focus on where you are going instead of where you want to go. However, when you slow down or halt, you can look around and maybe decide to change your direction completely—perhaps going even offroad for a while.
This pandemic slowed down our world significantly. For many, it halted it.
So, maybe these resignations have more to do with people finally being able to look around and choose where they want to go. They are not quitting something; instead, they are choosing a new direction.