The US labor market is witnessing a strange infectious “disease”. Its symptoms appear in about 2 weeks and the spread is visible in real time. It’s a “quit job” disease. Meanwhile, very few big bosses and bosses can change this mindset of employees.
Tiff Cheng, 27 years old, just left the digital marketing job in July. shared: “It’s shocking when you see so many people leaving. I think it’s time for me to quit too.” Tiff quit after 5 friends at work with 40 people decided to go in a different direction.
The rate of workers leaving their jobs in the US in August, September and October were all at the same level. high. Then, according to Labor Department data, that number was even higher: 4.5 million people voluntarily left their jobs in November — a record high in two decades the agency tracked the data.
Contagion effect of the decision to quit
Economists explain that the trend This happens when workers want better wages and benefits. Meanwhile, psychologists say that: Quitting a job is a very contagious action.
When workers consider whether to “jump” or not. no, they only evaluate salary, benefits and growth prospects. They look around and notice how their friends feel about the current workplace culture. When one person leaves, it’s also a “signal light” that it’s time for others to rethink their options. This is a phenomenon that researchers call “turnover contagion”
Therefore, one person quitting will lead to many people quitting as well. This is the challenge for employers, one that can’t always be solved with pay or extra perks. Will Felps, a lecturer in management at the University of New South Wales and author of the “turnover contagion” study, says even a single resignation announcement can create a “hotspot”.
Mr. Felps and his team did a research on human resources at a hotel company and some bank branches in the US. The team found that one person’s decision to quit has the potential to “inspire” others who don’t see a deep commitment to the company. In a recent poll of more than 21,000 LinkedIn users, 59% said leaving a coworker made them consider the same decision.
Usually, the office environment is where create such a contagious sequence of actions. For example, lying, cheating or job satisfaction all tend to “spread” from desk to desk. In addition, employees often order the same food when sitting together in the canteen.
However, when it comes to quitting, the effect is even stronger. Felps says, “When you walk past a busy restaurant, it’s a sign that the restaurant is doing pretty well. Likewise, when people you know, love and respect want to quit, you might think that the grass would be greener elsewhere.”
Cheng shared, she received a lot of resignation applications last summer. Every week, she receives an email from a colleague who is about to leave. Then she decided to switch to PT entirely. “Making the decision to leave a job is always scary, and it’s always nice to see other people doing it,” says Cheng. “I don’t feel alone or like an outsider.”
Retirement: The rich, the poor
Many Americans begin to feel dissatisfied and insecurity in the workplace during the early stages of the pandemic. For some people, social media is a form of therapy, a space for them to share their frustrations at work.
Back in March 2020, Erika Cruz (31 years old) is working at a startup in Silicon Valley. She feels dissatisfied with the culture of this place, meetings should only need to be presented by email and she cannot actively control her schedule.
After a When his friend quit his job to start a gym coaching company, Cruz was motivated to leave the company. With a small savings, Cruz moved back to his parents’ home in the Bay Area and sent him a 30-day notice.
Meanwhile, some people get quite impressive results after quit one’s job. In 2020, Nikissa Granados (26) considers whether to quit her job at a school in Orange County (California) to freelance in the field of marketing. She used to earn $ 2,100 a month by arranging children’s sleeping places and asking them to wear masks. Now, with an income of $8,000/month, she can even arrange her own schedule.
For employers, it’s a substitute for someone who has just left. work is not a difficult task. However, replacing a few or even dozens of employees is not easy. In the current context, some executives have to question how they must improve employee morale.
Seth Besmertnik – CEO of software company marketing Conductor, found the dropout rate hovered at a multi-year low. He even worries that the employee retention policy is too strong, making it difficult to find new talent.
However, in the past 2 years, the number of people leaving their jobs has increased. high. Besmertnik was forced to be more creative in tactics to prevent employees from quitting. He allows employees to take extra days off and brings Broadway musical actors to company-wide meetings.
Refer to NYT
Note: This article has been indexed to our site. We do not claim legitimacy, ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here