Great Resignation? Great Regret? Same Thing!

At first, news came out about the Great Resignation, with over 4 million leaving their job every month since June of 2021. Now, we’re hearing about the Great Regret, or people wishing they hadn’t left their old job for the new one. What’s the difference? Not much. Whether it’s leaving for the first time, regretting the next one, and then leaving once again (which many are planning to do), all of this is more accurately cast as the Great Renegotiation. (Thank you for sharing that pearl, Ryan Picarella!) Today’s employees are flexing their bargaining muscles, demanding continued flexibility, as well as a host of other conditions. 

In the time of a world turned upside down, the most existential time to date in our lifetime, people are stepping back to consider what matters most. In Thrive, Arianna Huffington urged her readers to redefine what success really means, offering up the metaphor of a stool needing three legs to stand. The stool cannot stand on the two legs of money and status alone; a third one is needed, one that encompasses wisdom, well-being, and wonder. Well, it looks like people followed your advice, Arianna! In droves. 

​So, what do employees want?

People are wanting all the things that go with the third stool leg: meaning, flexibility, and an authentic sense of belonging. They want to know that their company and their boss actually care about them and they want to know that they matter. Nothing new. In fact, these are all things we’ve all wanted all along. Longstanding social science research reveals that each of these desires ties to our deepest human needs. 

• We all want to feel a sense of mastery or satisfaction that comes with a job well done and being recognized for it (feeling like we matter).
• We all want to have control over when we work, where we work and how we work (having flexibility). According to a poll by Future Forum Pulse, 76 percent want flexibility in where they work and 93 percent want flexibility in when they work.
• We all want to feel connected with others (feeling like we belong).
• We all want to be in sync with our life’s purpose (and that the company’s purpose aligns with ours).
• And, we all want to – and need to – have fun. (We’re hardwired for play).

The big difference now is that employees are in a position to be able to demand that these needs are met. According to a recent ADP Research Institute Report, for example, 67 percent now report feeling empowered to ask for flexible work arrangements, compared to only 26 percent before the pandemic. 

The other big difference is that employees have been jolted by recent events into a heightened awareness of life really is short, so let’s really make the most of it.

The hustle culture is oh so 2019 and the human-centric culture is spot-on 2022. 

So, if you’re a company leader and you’re wanting to make sure that your people stay, you need to rise up and meet the moment. The long-term impact created by COVID-19 has forever changed the way we work and as a result, every leader will need to rethink how they manage their workforce now and into the future. This includes adopting a hybrid-work model, making employee well-being a priority, tapping into what matters most, and at the end of the day, putting people ahead of profits. 

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lAURA PUTNAM

Laura Putnam is a leading catalyst for well-being at work, an international public speaker, and author of Workplace Wellness That Works. As CEO of Motion Infusion and creator of the leadership training program Managers on the Move, she infuses well-being into the workplace to help employees, teams and organizations thrive. You can follow her on Twitter @MotionInfusion.