Under the Great Resignation Iceberg: thoughts and tools for working in the present

What if the recent era of Great Resignation has very different origins than the pandemic period?

To answer this question, it is essential to take a closer look at the phenomenon of the Great Resignation. It was May 2021 when University College London (UCL) management professor Anthony Klotz coined this term to describe an impending change in the labour market. In fact, during the summer in the United States, an unprecedented number of resignations began to occur, especially among workers between the age of 30 and 45.

This phenomenon soon reached Europe and Italy, where, according to an article in the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, mainly young people between the age of 26 and 35 have decided to turn their lives around by changing jobs or leaving their jobs without having a plan B.

The causes of this phenomenon come long before the pandemic, the last two years have simply allowed people to look at their lives from a different perspective and have given everyone the opportunity to concretely define or change their priorities.

In fact, frenetic life, alienating work and the ‘Hustle Culture’, i.e. the working approach that tends to drive people to frustration and extreme competition towards themselves, has started to no longer work for many, in favour of a balanced working life, in which one’s own well-being and mental health take pride of place. Essentially, many workers have said goodbye to the idea that the busier we are at work and the less we relax, the more valuable we are.

From these considerations, it is therefore possible to define the elements that shape the new working dimension that is emerging globally:

1. The alternatives: each of us has begun, some more than others, to evaluate all the possible paths to take in order to put our own personal well-being and goals at the centre
2. Authenticity: one’s own aspirations and all the distinctive elements of each person emerged and slowly made room for themselves in their work and not only in their personal lives
3. The dichotomy between work and home: in the past they were perceived as two distant and sometimes opposite places, but today they are two environments that cooperate for the personal fulfilment of each worker.
4. Sustainable laziness: the last two years have helped us realise that having time to relax, recharge one’s energy to feel better, work better, collaborate better is essential for a sustainable life.

We can focus more on this last point by exploring a gem from the past. In fact, as early as 1935, the philosopher and economist Bertrand Russel wrote in his essay ‘In Praise of Idleness’ some considerations applicable to our times. In detail, in this work he emphasised the fact that in every person’s life, it is essential to escape the incessant rhythms of work in order to devote oneself to leisure activities in the cultural and social sphere or to study to increase personal knowledge.40

So, what can be done concretely to decrease the quit rate in the present in favour of a thriving future?

1. Retaining employees, not just guests and/or customers: a crucial step is to take care of the details of one’s employees’ experience and to define a strategic recovery plan if satisfaction levels tend to drop over time or in specific situations
2. Take an interest in the private life of those who work in the team: a simple question “How are you?” is not always enough, it is important to create an environment in which each person can feel free to talk about their hobbies, passions and dynamics that are part of life outside work
3. Organise sessions to share one’s personal needs: each person must feel free to express their personal needs and possibly those of their family. The working environment must also support the personal life of employees
4. Increasing the level of corporate flexibility: being flexible means having a dynamic view of the overall organisation. For example, teams must be provided with concrete tools to organise their time and activities in an autonomous, coordinated, and adaptable way to changing schedules.

We have the chance to learn from this historical moment, to know the roots of the recent changes in the world of hospitality and in the world of work in general, and we have the opportunity to be able to shape new work perspectives and to generate different, better organisational structures.

Martina Dalla Vedova
Marketing Manager

Hospite – The Italian Hospitality Academy