Forget Going Back to the Office--People Are Just Quitting Instead

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Sarah Chaney Cambon Retweeted

Workers are deciding to take on new jobs and careers as the economy rebounds, spurning a return to business as usual. Some are burned out from extra pandemic workloads and stress, while others prefer the flexibility of remote work. via
@Laurenweberwsj

Link to tweet

Forget Going Back to the Office—People Are Just Quitting Instead

As the pandemic clouds lift, the percentage of Americans leaving employers for new opportunities is at its highest level in more than two decades

By Lauren Weber
https://twitter.com/laurenweberwsj
[e-mail]
June 13, 2021 5:30 am ET

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 wave of resignations marks a sharp turn from the darkest days of the pandemic, when workers craved job security while weathering a national health and economic crisis. 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.

{snip}

The shift by workers into new jobs and careers is prompting employers to raise wages and offer promotions to keep hold of talent. The appetite for change by employees indicates many professionals are feeling confident about jumping ship for better prospects, despite elevated unemployment rates.

While a high quit rate stings employers with greater turnover costs, and in some cases, business disruptions, labor economists said churn typically signals a healthy labor market as people gravitate to jobs more suited to their skills, interests and personal lives.

In March 2020, Edward Moses was hired as an information-technology specialist at a software company, believing he would be part of a team supporting colleagues in four U.S. offices. Instead, after a round of layoffs, he found the team had one member, and he was it. “It was effectively me against the help-desk queue,” the 37-year-old said.

{snip}

Write to Lauren Weber at [e-mail]

Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Appeared in the June 14, 2021, print edition as 'U.S. Workers Quit Jobs at Highest Rate Since 2000.'

[samnsara]

1. My sister in law works in sales for REI.. there was a small satellite office near her town..

..so she didnt have to drive into Seattle. Even that satellite office closed and now all sales and customer service are work at home positions. At one time, REI was even offering cash incentives to apply.

[Warpy]

2. One thing the pandemic did is give people time to think

which a lot of them working long hours, commuting long hours, juggling babysitters and house chores didn't have time to do beforehand. It's no wonder that all that thinking is producing some tangible results.

People aren't going back to starvation wages. Even if Republicans cut off aid, they've pretty much decided to starve and get it over with if they can't find jobs that pay the bills. People who were leaving the house at 5 AM and getting home at 9PM after long days with 2 hour commutes to and from work at each end of it are not willing to go back to that. What a shock. They're trying to find closer jobs or jobs that will let them telecommute for most of the week. This is a lot more reasonable that expecting people to put in 16 hours and more with working and commuting.

It all adds up to things not going back to normal and that's a very good thing.

[cbabe]

3. How much does it cost

to work?

As another poster wrote, it costs a lot to work in person: clothes, hygiene, hair, etc.

Also, commute costs. Lunch costs. Special items such as tools or safety gear or teachers buying pencils for their students.

Is there a study about how much a worker pays out of pocket in order to work?

[Hugh_Lebowski]

4. Good news but I do wonder how many are living on home equity loans ATM

With low interest rates and rapidly appreciating properties, there's probably a lot of people in a position to take out large, cheap loans against their home values.

Also probably many people saved a lot by working at home, plus you add the stimulus money ...

I'm certainly not saying it's NOT a good thing (I think it's great in fact) but it may be temporary trend as a lot of folks may be more flush than usual right now and hence able to be more picky.

Just sayin

You know TPTB will try to crush this new power Labor has, as quickly as possible

[Warpy]

5. When going tback to the office menas long hours bracketed by commutes of an hour or mote

few people are going to want to return to it. They're going to look for rempote work or office work closer to their homes, even if a cut in pay is part of the package. I think a lot of people realized how much the long hours away from home were really costing them, especially if they had spouses and children. I've heard so many friends say they'll go to the office one or even two days a week, but the old grind was just not going to happen again.

If anything good comes out of this pandemic with its horrific tolls of dead and injured, I hope it's a rethinking of how work is done. The old way didn't work.