Was the Great Resignation a Great Big Mistake for Many Workers?

New surveys find regret, a reality check, or “Shift Shock” among many job changers. Here’s what this could mean for employers and the hiring market.

The Great Resignation has been a seismic shift in the job market, as workers seek greater flexibility, pay, advancement, or purpose, and employers scramble to retain or find good people. But recent research suggests that some individuals who quit their jobs regret the decision — often after discovering the ‘grass isn’t always greener’ in a new position.

A recent Harris Poll survey for USA TODAY found that about “one in five workers who quit during the past two years regret it,” and only “26% of job switchers” like their new position enough to stay.

Another survey conducted by the online career site The Muse reports that roughly 72% of job changers experienced “Shift Shock.” It’s described as “that feeling when you start a new job and realize, with either surprise or regret, that the position or company is very different from what you were led to believe.”

So, what’s behind these feelings of remorse or disappointment? And who is to blame for mismatches—impulsive employees or desperate employers?

Why people leave jobs in the first place

About 47 million people quit their jobs in 2021 alone, and many others plan to leave this year. For example, a Gartner survey released in March reports that “only 29.1% of IT workers have high intent to stay with their current employer” in 2022.

A Pew Research survey found that “low pay, a lack of opportunities for advancement and feeling disrespected at work” were top reasons for moving on. In contrast, McKinsey research concludes that “employees crave investment in the human aspects of work” and “want a renewed and revised sense of purpose in” it.

The real story, including reasons for quitting, is not a one-size-fits-all narrative. For example, the rush of resignations in the retail industry is partially driven by low pay, better opportunities, and flight from dealing with abusive customers. In contrast, almost two-thirds of the IT workers surveyed by Gartner said that “whether they can work flexibly” will be the biggest factor in their decision to stay or go. And the large increase in freelance work signifies that many white-collar workers wanted the ultimate freedom of being their own boss. 

Nevertheless, there is a common thread among people who left their jobs or plan to do it. The pandemic’s upheaval has spurred many workers to reevaluate their priorities and work-life balance, and they are simply seeking something better. But unfortunately, not all of them are finding it.

Reasons the grass isn’t always greener

Some analysts hold employees responsible for disappointing job changes. “Those of you who are unhappy with the move, it’s probably because you were just moving too fast,” LinkedIn career expert Catherine Fisher told CBS Mornings. Writing in The Guardian, small business owner Gene Marks blames employers who fail to create attractive work environments, but he also speculates that “Perhaps employees are being a bit naive too.”

The Muse CEO Kathryn Minshew assigns some responsibility to job seekers who fail to conduct enough due diligence before taking a new position and experiencing Shift Shock. “‘They’ll join a new company thinking it’s their dream job and then there’s a reality check,’ Minshew told FOX Business. Minshew explained that, in some cases, job seekers don’t ask the right questions during an interview process.”

Then, there are the new freelance workers who were drawn to the freedom of charting their own course but discovered some of the downsides of contract work. Some don’t find a steady stream of freelance work, miss the human contact and culture of a regular job, and realize that self-employment introduces a new set of challenges.

But Minshew and other analysts also hold recruiters and employers accountable for some of this worker dissatisfaction, specifically, those who make overzealous promises or cut corners in desperation to hire people. As writer Suzanne Lucas argues at Inc., sometimes “employers lie.” She cites recruiters and hiring managers who only talk about the positives of a job while hiding the challenges, along with misrepresentations in job ads—such as touting flexibility where little exists—as key examples.

Lucas also mentions abbreviated onboarding, managerial resentment over paying higher salaries, and a failure to evaluate problems cited by long-term employees as factors in new hires’ discontent. These are all valuable observations.

How employers can avoid worker regret — or leverage it

There is often opportunity in adversity, and the Great Resignation and a competitive hiring environment are no exceptions. Companies’ first and largest opportunity involves taking a very close look at their work environments and making improvements where necessary, along with developing a compensation mix that appeals to top talent.

As we’ve covered previously, job seekers and changers don’t hold all of the cards in an employee-centric hiring market. Crucial elements such as a strong, positive culture, flexibility, a well-designed workload, and competitive pay and benefits work wonders at keeping employees happy and attracting prospects.

Another opportunity relies on staying nimble as trends shift. And one pivot that may apply here is reaching out to quality workers who left but might now regret that choice.

Many human resources experts preach an inviolable rule: employers should never counteroffer when workers announce an intent to leave. Money and promises usually don’t address why workers became dissatisfied, and about half of the individuals who accept a counteroffer wind up quitting within a year anyway. But this paradigm can shift after someone has left for a period, and both the worker and their former employer regret it.

Perhaps some of the employee’s previous concerns now seem overblown after experiencing what life is like at another job or as a freelancer. Maybe the company has improved its pay, flexible work options, or culture. A toxic co-worker may have left or been shown the door. Whatever the case, the gap in an employment relationship and a wave of worker regret may be an opportunity for employers to reach out to top performers who went another way.

There is no hiring panacea for companies, few perfect jobs for employees, and not many hard and fast hiring rules. But one maxim that always holds is the need to stay adaptable and capitalize on trends. Reaching out to quality people who left — and may regret it — could be a viable way to refill open jobs.

Karp HR Solutions helps businesses attract, retain, and motivate people through creative solutions and strategies that master the mix of finance and human resources. Contact us today for a free consultation.