It’s already mid-June, the year is half over. That’s so hard for me to believe -especially this year- and seems (for me) harder to plan for 2022 and beyond.
I hear people asking the ‘’what’s next” question, but with a twist.
Previously it was the “what matters most?” and “what do I now really want to do with my life?” questions. Now I hear more of “I’m thinking of quitting.” Or, “I’ve decided I’m just not going back to the office.”
I’ve given many talks the past few months (on Zoom) for ‘Finding Career Purpose’, a timely topic. In today’s reality — a lingering pandemic with economic uncertainty for some and recovery for others, purpose matters more than ever, both to individuals and organizations.
Lately I’ve also seen a visible shift in conversations. Rather than a career reset, it seems more like ‘The Great Resignation.”
According to the WSJ the other day, “More U.S. workers are quitting their jobs than at any time in at least two decades, signaling optimism among many professionals while also adding to the struggle companies face trying to keep up with the economic recovery.” The stats are startling,
“In April, the share of U.S. workers leaving jobs was 2.7%, according to the Labor Department, a jump from 1.6% a year earlier to the highest level since at least 2000.”
Will this have a ripple effect globally rather than just the US?
I have no doubt it will.
WFH has given us time to think and re-frame. We previously may have been too busy or even hesitant to think about what matters most in our career, or just unable to define that squishy ‘what’s meaningful for me at work’ loop.
For all the myriad ways we’ve adjusted to WFH, that ‘’What should I do next?’’ question has maybe not been fully answered, but it sure seems that the shift of ‘go back to the office?-hell no” is complemented with a ‘’Work from home? hell yes”. And management will have to realize that the autonomy that many people have achieved is not just a good thing, but is here to stay.
A wake up call for organizations. Instead of return to the office, why not give people a choice? If not, watch and see how this pans out.
