What remote work statistics tell us about the big resignation
The big resignation has been a hot topic for some time. According to many experts, this formidable mass exit is now in full swing.
4.3 million U.S. workers quit their jobs August 2021 alone – the highest percentage ever recorded. This means that an additional 242,000 workers left their employers in August than in the previous month. Over the past 12 months, the number of workers leaving the United States has increased by 1.3 million.
Yes, it’s scary. And yes, this outflow of employees will leave many companies devastated in the short term. But the “great resignation” is classified a bit. If you think of it more as a “great reorganization,” it’s much less daunting.
At the end of all these job exchanges, companies that recruit in a calculated way and pay attention to their workforce needs will end up with more employees who are enthusiastic about their work and satisfied with their work arrangements.
It’s much better than a disgruntled workforce who happens to have a lot of experience.
There are a lot of factors at play here, of course. Retaining and recruiting talent during the grand resignation will be complex. But if the data we have just presented is any indicator, remote work policy will be an important part of the puzzle.
Important points for human resources, recruiters and company leadership
If you’re in HR or company leadership, keep our remote work statistics in mind when you are conserving and recruiting. The workforce spoke. This is what they want from you:
- Offer options to work from home indefinitely. A hybrid approach with 2 to 3 days of remote work each week is a popular option.
- Give remote employees opportunities to advance their careers. This worries many WFH employees. Communicate these opportunities in advance so that everyone in the company knows that remote employees will have ways to move up, even if they never return to the office.
- Establish procedures for providing regular feedback to remote employees. Consistent feedback is one of the first things that fell by the wayside when moving to remote work. And employees want feedback.
- Avoid augmenting or implementing new activity monitoring for remote workers. It is clear to employees. They really do not like the idea of activity monitoring; They want you to trust them.
- Offer training opportunities to remote workers. And get their information on the most helpful types of training.
- Invest in the right tools for remote communication. Do not rely entirely on emails, messages and zoom meetings. Find new ways to attract your people and strengthen your teams – no matter where they work.