Alternatives To Quitting Your Job In The Post-Pandemic Great Resignation
The great resignation of 2021 is looming on the horizon. If you don’t know what this is, it’s the prediction that a collective 9 million people will quit their jobs this year. The majority of those people leaving this fall. Why fall of 2021? There are a few key factors that play into this timeline.
For many, unemployment benefits and rent assistance programs have already ended or are going to end soon. That means anyone who was utilizing those resources will have to face the predicament of returning to work or finding other means of income.
Many people who have planned to participate in the great resignation have also decided fall is a great time to pursue other endeavors because most people wanted to use up insurance benefits, sick and vacation time before they left their place of employment.
One more key factor in people leaving their jobs this year is that the Covid pandemic shined a major light on income inequality, toxic work environments, and the ability for people to create their own individual incomes that are not contingent on someone else cutting them that paycheck. This could look like starting a business, making and selling art, writing, or an array of other self-sufficient income generators.
In other words, people are less willing to endure poor work environments when there are better options on the table elsewhere. If your job has the potential to negotiate better terms and you don’t want to quit, there are options for you too!
You don’t have to quit to still reap the rewards of what the great resignation of 2021 will do for people. Here are some ways you can make the most of the mass quitting that’s taking place without quitting your job.
Negotiate a Better Schedule
One alternative to quitting at this time is to use the opportunity to negotiate a better schedule for yourself. Maybe you want fewer hours in order to pursue a passion project you started in quarantine or to start your own side hustle. Maybe you want more hours and you can cash in on the paychecks up for grabs from people quitting. Perhaps you’re willing to stay in the company for the long haul but you want to work from home.
The worst your boss can do is tell you, “No.” But what better time than now to garnish a better work/life balance for yourself. A great thing coming out of the great resignation is that it puts employees in a great place with leverage to negotiate. Employers in several industries are desperate for workers right now and you can use that to your advantage.
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Ask for a Promotion or Raise
What would happen if a large sum of people quit within a similar time frame? A lot of jobs wouldn’t be getting done. Who would take on the responsibilities left behind by these employees who took their leave of the workplace to pursue other things? I’ll give you the answer right now; it’s all the employees who stayed.
Someone has to take on the extra work and pick up the slack and it’s going to fall on the people who didn’t quit. Don’t take on all that extra work without any additional compensation. If you’re happy to take on more responsibility and additional projects, let your boss know by saying something like, “I’m happy to step up to the plate and pick up the slack on these projects, however, if I’m taking on work from other positions and adding to my job description, I think we need to sit down and discuss my job title and a wage that accurately reflects what I’ll be doing.”
If several people quit within your workplace, that’s X amount of people the company isn’t going to pay any more, so it makes sense that some of that income would be up for grabs for the people who decided to stay.
Negotiate Additional Perks like Insurance Benefits, Sick and Vacation Pay, or a Bonus
Bottom line is, businesses need you, and we’re going through a period of time where the ratio of employees to jobs is out of sync. The ball is in your court and as an alternative to quitting and adding yourself to the statistic, you can use this as an opportunity to get better perks for yourself in trade for staying at your job.
There is a major shift happening within the workforce right now. Cash in on it!
Ask your boss to include a bump in pay and bonus for employees choosing to stay. Additionally, you could ask for perks in the form of insurance benefits, sick and vacation pay, or cash bonus incentives for meeting work goals. If you’re working for a major brand and business, chances are they can accommodate this.
Parting Words…
The harsh reality for the working world is that fewer people are willing to put up with low wages and toxic work environments and it’s time for small and large businesses to step up, listen in, and learn how to better support employees so they won’t want to leave.
You don’t have to quit, unless it truly is an unsalvageable working situation where you know nothing is going to change. If you’ve advocated for yourself, and your voice has fallen on deaf ears, it might be time to start looking for a better opportunity.
If you feel your current organization is open to change though, you can take this is as an opportunity to make things better for yourself and future generations of workers.
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Meet The Writer!
Allow me to introduce myself! My name’s Katy Duncan and I work as a freelance copywriter. I specialize in topics regarding health and wellness, fitness, and beauty, on my website, www.eudaimoniaeutopia.com. I offer an array of services including blog posts, blog management, social media management, product descriptions, press releases and editing expertise and I can be contacted through my website or on LinkedIn. When I’m not creating engaging, captivating content for my website or clients or contributing to communities of writers, I’m working on producing a fiction novel from the comforts of my quiet nook in the Pacific Northwest, where I reside with my feline friend, Merlin Magoo and many prospering house plants.
