Great resignation: the phenomenon of mass resignation
The scenario of the working world downstream of the pandemic is marked considerably by the phenomenon of Great Resignation: mass resignation.
What does this mean concretely?
The Quarterly Notes on Mandatory Communications published by the Ministry of Labor help us better understand this phenomenon: in the second quarter of 2021, in fact, out of 507,246 terminations of employment relationships requested by workers (both male and female), 95.5 percent were characterized by resignations with an increase, compared to 2020, of 85.2 percent.
These are important numbers, leading to a paradigm shift in the labor market and reconsideration of everyone’s priorities.
The change taking place involves different aspects and points of view, from the social to the sociological, passing through the political and economic systems, and it cannot be said to be a localized phenomenon: the health crisis has, in fact, indiscriminately affected different countries that, although regulated differently in terms of both pay and contracts, were initially disoriented by the desks left empty in offices. Dealing with such a disruptive and sudden event not only required a tremendous effort on the part of Organizations and People, but it contributed to the emergence of new priorities and new needs, significantly altering the labor market.
There are many analyses being carried out to identify what motivations are driving more and more Men and Women to re-evalueate their career paths and question their employment, often achieved in the face of onerous training and characterized by sacrifice and commitment, and their future not only at work but also personally.
Clearly, the phenomenon of mass resignation cannot be traced back to a purely wage issue: what, then, is the breaking point between the pre-February 2020 labor market and the current one?
The uncertainty that has marked every Person and every Organization globally has demanded an immediate response, a reshaping of habits and management of time and space that as time has gone on has contributed to the emergence of new scenarios, new perspectives, and a strong desire to regain possession of one’s personal and professional life balance.
It is People’s motivational drives that have profoundly changed hand in hand with a renewed awareness regarding their own ideal of life and well-being that too often, in the past, has taken a back seat due to the stress caused by organizational contexts in which the care and development of Human Capitalhas failed.
The subtle balance between People’s well-being and the virtuous Organizations that take care of it is played out precisely on the paradigm shift that workers expect and do not want to deprive themselves of: Human Capital understood as a valuable resource, which must be nurtured and enhanced in the development of one’s potential with a view to life-work balance.
The challenge, therefore, is for all Organizations that intend to address the phenomenon of mass resignations with a critical spirit and seizing the opportunity to invest in Human Capital with awareness and determination, taking care of the human aspect of relationships even at the professional level and learning to manage a new scenario of the world of work that is inclusive, welfare- oriented and respectful in the management of time and space so that the courage shown by People in reviewing their priorities is repaid with equal courage!
