Technology is to blame for the ‘Great Resignation’ – Computerworld
By Mike Elgan
Contributing Columnist, Computerworld |
Have you heard about the September exodus? More than four million Americans quit their jobs that month, shattering the record for resignations previously set the month before. And some 40% of remaining employees are thinking of quitting, too, according to a Microsoft report.
The crisis is even worse in technology. TalentLMS and Workable reported recently that 72% of US-based tech employees are thinking of quitting their job in the next 12 months.
It’s not just the US. The Great Resignation is a global phenomenon.
Pundits point to many causes for the trend, from government stimulus checks to the rise of remote work to entitled millennials and even pandemic-driven stress.
In general, it’s clear that there’s a growing incompatibility between the reality and the expectation of the employee experience.
Making matters worse: The more people quit, the harder life gets for those who remain on the job. This is especially true of tech workers. IT departments have been notoriously understaffed, and as the Great Resignation increasingly hits tech workers, all employees suffer more downtime, cyberattacks, and tech implementation slowdowns.
This is an emergency. You need to know why people are resigning in such high numbers.
After extensively reviewing the interviews, surveys, and reports, I’ve compiled a list of the major reasons people give for quitting during the Great Resignation. These are:
While these reasons aren’t surprising, it’s important to realize what all these have in common.
While businesses of all sizes are scratching their heads and trying to figure this out, the truth is that our technology products and how they’re used, plus our culture around management and employee interaction, is exactly what’s driving people out the door.
Technology is frustrating workers, creating friction and inertia, blocking employee progress and empowerment, creating needless work and engendering a feeling of isolation and impotence.
The good news is that better technology is a big part of the solution. Here’s what you need to do to start retaining and attracting employees.
The reasons for the Great Resignation are many. But it’s time we acknowledge the role technology has played in driving away employees in droves — and the role it can play in bringing people back by creating a flexible, humane, and empowering workplace that will make employees happy, productive and invested in the mission of the company.
Mike Elgan is a technology-obsessed journalist, author, blogger, podcaster and digital nomad. Learn more at his website: elgan.com.
Copyright © 2021 IDG Communications, Inc.
Copyright © 2021 IDG Communications, Inc.
