The Great Resignation Inspires Individuals to Work on Their Terms

If you’re a seasoned “9-to-5er,” The Great Resignation has been heard in whispers amongst colleagues and friends on Zoom meetings.

The pandemic led to a windfall of unprecedented changes: mask mandates, working from home, an upsurge in bread-making ingredients—some of these changes were enduring, like the loss of jobs. But the pandemic introduced an overdue benefit: The Great Resignation.

Defining The Great Resignation

With thrifty nicknames like The Big Quit and The Great Reshuffle, The Great Resignation is the massive movement of individuals departing from their traditional jobs to pursue new careers and hybrid work lives. The pandemic encouraged employees to contemplate their careers and allowed them to aspire to new long-term goals. COVID brought remote work on the map. 

Now, even as the world returns to normal, employers are asking their employees to come back to the office. April 2021 revealed the first wave of American resignation, with 4 million Americans quitting their jobs. There is no sign of it slowing down, either: Roughly 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs in February 2022. 

This continuous trend is symbolic of a global strike. In China, workers are breaking away from relentless work and reducing negative work in their life. Nicknamed the “Lie flat” (or “tang ping”) movement, Chinese workers are burned out from working so hard to the point of just wanting to lie down. Instead of working to the bone anymore, these workers in theirs 20s and 30s are raising their fists to traditional expectations and embracing a more sustainable lifestyle.

The Resignators—Who are They?

People from arts, restaurants, entertainment, retail, recreation, educational services, and the federal government are departing to pursue new opportunities. The job market is a workers’ advantage right now; companies are scaling rapidly and not increasing their headcount unless they agree to modern workers’ terms. 

The Harvard Business Review noted an inverse in resignation trends—individuals in their 20s (who usually have a high resignation turnover) were more likely to stay at their jobs, whereas individuals ages 30-45 years old are finding new opportunities.

The Leading Drive of Resignation

The pandemic exposed workers to a new way of life; one that includes working from home, an office, Bora Bora, or anywhere else in the world. Workers discovered that they don’t have to change out of their sweatpants while they lead a virtual meeting. 

So when offices asked their workers to come back, people turned a cold shoulder. The lockdown showed people that there are so many ways to effectively get the job done, and often it isn’t at a fluorescent light-lit office.

Remote work isn’t the only reason why people are leaving their jobs. Low pay, no opportunity for career growth, and not feeling valued are key components to people leaving their roles. Even workflow complexities, such as inefficient project management operations, manual workflows,  and insufficient communication platforms will prevent an employee from sticking around. 

How to Attract & Retain Employees

People are leaving their jobs, but that doesn’t mean they’re unemployed. Crusaders of the Great Resignation are reaping the benefits of better jobs. They’re finding positions that are remote or hybrid. Their employers value them, offer them better healthcare packages, PTO and enforce a better work-life environment.

To maintain positive company culture, companies need to live and breathe ethics. When a company drops employee appreciation to its waistline, it trickles down the end-to-end organization. One negative person in the office is like arsenic. If an employee feels undervalued and underpaid, they’re going to eventually air it out. 

Additionally, modernizing the company intrigues new talent. In an increasingly digital marketplace, technology can handle just about any mundane tasks. Automation is a key player in attracting and retaining employees, which legitimizes the importance of a modernized workflow.

Lemonade Strives for Workplace Utopia

We know a thing or two about burnout, toxic work culture, and insufficient pay at previous employers—but that stops here at Lemonade. Lemonade was designed to improve work-life balance by empowering employees to work on their terms, whether it’s on-site or on Zoom. And hey, we have a lot of fun! 

Rowan Brooks, co-founder and chief creative director said, “Lemonade was born out of a need to change the way we worked—it’s why we loved the name. Trevor and I were running an agency we didn’t own, trying to manage up, but we felt unheard. We knew there had to be a better way. We created a place where we would want to work. It’s not complicated. A great work culture attracts the right people. They don’t have to be managed, they just have to be empowered, and given the right balance of support and freedom they need to thrive.”

Lemonade celebrates its staff’s special role in the agency. From moms, to offbeat musicians, and even comedians, everyone has a seat saved for them at the Lemonade roundtable.

Each team member is valued and feels empowered to share their ideas. Each individual is a vital piece to the puzzle; they’re Lemonade’s lifeline. We’re setting up our people for long-term success, instead of suffering through the 9-5 – and we’ve seen these values translate into real-world results with our team growing over 300% since the start of the pandemic.