Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Vol. 23 No. 2 (2023)
Inquietud Empresarial 23(2) Julio-Diciembre 2023

MANAGEMENT, PRODUCTION AND SERVICE

The Great Labor Discontent, A Review of The Trends to Consider

https://doi.org/10.19053/01211048.15492

Published 2023-07-19

  • Cynthia M. Montaudon-Tomas
    • ,
  • Ingrid N. Pinto-López
    • ,
  • Anna Amsler

Cynthia M. Montaudon-Tomas
Escuela de Negocios, Facultad de Administración de Empresas; Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla; 21 sur 1103, barrio Santiago, Puebla, México

Ingrid N. Pinto-López
Escuela de Negocios, Facultad de Inteligencia de Negocios; Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla; 21 sur 1103, barrio Santiago, Puebla, México

Anna Amsler
Observatorio de Competitividad y Nuevas Formas de Trabajo; Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla; 21 sur 1103, barrio Santiago, Puebla, México

Abstract

This article analyzes some of the current topics in the world of work, especially the Great Labor Discontent and the Great Resignation. The general objective is to present the conditions surrounding the Great Resignation that allow a better understanding of the changes that are taking place in the workplace. The general background and the main characteristics of the great discontent are presented, and the positive effects that these changes are generating are analyzed, as well as emerging movements such as the return of boomerang employees. The study is based on a literature review and stems from the analysis of news, research, and publications of consulting companies, as well as the most relevant publications that have been developed on the subject to date.

JEL Codes: J50, J24, J64, J81

Received: 06/01/2023.  Accepted: 06/06/2023.  Published: 19/07/2023. 

Keywords

Great Resignation, workplace conditions, labor discontent, organizational culture, balance, employee's market

PDF (Español) XML (Español)

Author Biography

Cynthia M. Montaudon-Tomas

 

 

Ingrid N. Pinto-López

 

 

 

Anna Amsler

 

 

References

  1. Andrewsen, R. (2021a). In the Age of the Great Resignation, You Can’t Retain Employees Unless You Invest in Them. Recruiter. https://www.recruiter.com/recruiting/retention-in-the-age-of-the-great-resignation/
  2. Andrewsen, R. (2021b, September 27). Retaining Employees during the ’Great Resignation’. Talent Culture. https://talentculture.com/retaining-employees-great-resignation/
  3. AON (2021, August 25). The Great resignation: retaining talent in a job hopping world. The one Brief. https://theonebrief.com/the-great-resignation-retaining-talent-in-a-job-hopping-world/
  4. Berger, C. (2022, September 5). Americans who joined the Great Resignation are earning raises twice as big as those who didn’t. Fortune. https://fortune.com/2022/09/05/great-resignation-job-hoppers-earning-double-the-raise/
  5. Bruner, R. (2022, January 27). The Great Resignation Fueled Higher Pay—Even For Those Who Didn't Switch Jobs. Time. https://time.com/6143212/us-wage-growth-record-high/
  6. Business Insider. (2022, April 19). Money isn’t everything for the 20% of people who regret quitting their jobs during the Great Resignation. Business Insider México. https://businessinsider.mx/how-many-great-resignation-regret-quitting-jobs-for-higher-salary-2022-4/?r=US&IR=T
  7. Caprino, K. (2021, July 6). How Professionals and Organizations Need to Prepare for the ‘Great Resignation’. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2021/07/06/how-professionals-and-organizations-need-to-prepare-for-the-great-resignation/
  8. Castelló, V. (2021, December 20). ‘This is America’: el misterio de la ‘Gran renuncia’. Cinco días. El País. https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2021/12/17/opinion/1639761133_859435.html?rel=buscador_noticias
  9. Christian, A. (2022, May 3). Quitter's remorse: The workers who regret resigning. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220428-quitters-remorse-the-workers-who-regret-resigning
  10. Collins, L. (2022, August 12). Job unhappiness is at a staggering all-time high, according to Gallup. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/12/job-unhappiness-is-at-a-staggering-all-time-high-according-to-gallup.html
  11. Corbett, H. (2021, July 28). The Great Resignation: Why Employees Don’t Want to Go Back to the Office. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/hollycorbett/2021/07/28/the-great-resignation-why-employees-dont-want-to-go-back-to-the-office/?sh=42f9bfca2000
  12. Deloitte. (2022). From Great Resignation to Great Reimagination. Deloitte Global. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/gx-the-great-reimagination-report.pdf
  13. De Smet, A., Dowling, B., Mugayar-Baldocchi, M., & Schaninger, B. (2021, September 8). ‘Great Attrition’ or ‘Great Attraction’? The choice is yours. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/great-attrition-or-great-attraction-the-choice-is-yours
  14. Feffer, M. (2022, February 14). The Great Resignation Is More Complicated Than It Looks. Reworked. https://www.reworked.co/talent-management/the-great-resignation-is-more-complicated-than-it-looks/
  15. Field, A. (2021, November 3). From ‘the Great Resignation’ to ‘the Great Reimagination’. Deloitte for The Wall Street Journal. https://deloitte.wsj.com/articles/from-the-great-resignation-to-the-great-reimagination-01635961940
  16. Fox, M. (2022a, February 4). The Great Reshuffle: Companies are reinventing rules as employees seek remote work, flexible hours and life beyond work. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/04/companies-are-reinventing-rules-as-employees-seek-remote-work-and-flexible-hours.html
  17. Fox, M. (2022b, May 10). The Great Resignation has changed the workplace for good. ‘We’re not going back,’ says the expert who coined the term. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/10/-the-great-resignation-has-changed-the-workplace-for-good-.html
  18. Gallup. (2023). Work and Workplace. Gallup News. https://news.gallup.com/poll/1720/work-work-place.aspx
  19. Gandhi, V., & Robison, J. (2021, July 22). The 'Great Resignation' Is Really the 'Great Discontent'. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/351545/great-resignation-really-great-discontent.aspx
  20. Hansen, M. (2022, March 2). What the Great Reimagination Means for the Future of Work. Entrepreneur. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/417553
  21. Hasan, I. (2022, February 11). The Great Resignation: Why Millions Are Ditching Traditional Employment to Bet on Themselves. Shopify. https://www.shopify.com/blog/great-resignation-small-business-boom
  22. Horowitz, J. (2022, March 30). The Great Resignation is taking root around the world. CNN Business. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/30/economy/great-resignation-uk-australia-europe/index.html
  23. Hopkins, J. C., & Figaro, K.A. (2021). The Great Resignation: An Argument for Hybrid Leadership. International Journal of Business and Management Research, 9(4), 393-400. https://doi.org/10.37391/IJBMR.090402
  24. Johnson H., A. (2021, October 12). 'The great reimagination of work': Why 50% of workers want to make a career change. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/12/why-50percent-of-workers-want-to-make-a-career-change-new-survey.html
  25. Kirtley, J. (2021, October 25). Is the Great Resignation Giving Rise to the Entrepreneur? Knowledge at Wharton. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/is-the-great-resignation-giving-rise-to-the-entrepreneur/
  26. Kuzior, A., Kettler, K., & Rąb, Ł. (2022). Great Resignation—Ethical, Cultural, Relational, and Personal Dimensions of Generation Y and Z Employees’ Engagement. Sustainability, 14(11), e6764. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116764
  27. Lalljee, J. (2022, September 7). You could miss out on an 8.5% raise if you don't join the Great Resignation and job-hop this year, new study finds. Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/great-resignation-reshuffle-job-switching-inflation-salary-raise-gas-employment-2022-9
  28. Lepisto, S. (2021, September 15). 10 Employee Retention Strategies for the Great Resignation Era. HR Exchange. https://www.hrexchangenetwork.com/hr-talent-acquisition/articles/10-employee-retention-strategies-for-the-great-resignation-era
  29. Lipman, V. (2017, January 5). Inadvertent Demoralization Is a Real Problem at Work. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-the-manager/201701/inadvertent-demoralization-is-real-problem-work
  30. Mahoney, T. (2022, March 3). Can digital transformation solve the ‘Great Resignation’? Unleash. https://www.unleash.ai/digital-adoption/can-transformation-solve-the-great-resignation/
  31. Malbin, S. (2022, February 23). The future of work is freelance: addressing the talent gaps during The Great Resignation. Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/business-reporter/work-freelance-the-great-resignation-b2021414.html
  32. Mayer, D., & Bravery, K. (2021). Here's how to retain employees during the Great Resignation. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/09/heres-how-to-retain-employees-during-the-great-resignation/
  33. Meister, J. (2022, April 19). The Great Resignation Becomes The Great ReShuffle: What Employers Can Do To Retain Workers. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2022/04/19/the-great-re-shuffle-of-talent-what-can-employers-do-to-retain-workers/?sh=7ee615a4cf38
  34. Miller, S. (2021, November 1). Employers Respond to Great Resignation by Raising Pay, Improving Benefits. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/compensation/pages/employers-respond-to-resignation-tsunami-by-raising-pay-improving-benefits.aspx
  35. Miralles, F. (2022, January 27). La gran dimisión y el nuevo principio vital: tú no eres tu trabajo. El País. https://elpais.com/eps/2022-01-27/la-gran-dimision-y-el-nuevo-principio-vital-tu-no-eres-tu-trabajo.html
  36. Molla, R. (2022, February 1). Remote work isn’t the problem. Work is. VOX. https://www.vox.com/recode/22904758/remote-work-innovation-workload
  37. Ozimek, A. (n.d.). The Great Resignation: From Full-Time to Freelance. Upwork. https://www.upwork.com/research/the-great-resignation
  38. Parker, K., & Horowitz, J. M. (2022, March 9). Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite low pay, no opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/
  39. Parkhouse, J., & Lambrecht, L. (2022, April 15). Can the Great Resignation become the Great Reimagination? PwC. https://blog.pwc.lu/can-the-great-resignation-become-the-great-reimagination/
  40. Plumb, T. (2022, February 7). The Great Resignation gives birth to digital employees powered by AI, ML, and RPA. Venture Beat. https://venturebeat.com/2022/02/07/the-great-resignation-gives-birth-to-digital-employees-powered-by-ai-ml-and-rpa/
  41. Professional Leadership Institute. (2023). Absenteeism in the Workplace: Causes, Impacts, and 9 Steps to Correct It. Professional Leadership Institute. https://professionalleadershipinstitute.com/resources/absenteeism/
  42. Ranger, S. (2022, March 14). Remote-working jobs vs back to the office: Why tech's Great Resignation may have only just begun. ZDNet. https://www.zdnet.com/article/remote-working-jobs-vs-back-to-the-office-why-techs-great-resignation-may-have-only-just-begun/
  43. Riley, R. (2021, November 3). The Great Resignation, The Great Reset, The Great Reshuffle and The Great Retention. City-REDI Blog. https://blog.bham.ac.uk/cityredi/the-great-resignation-the-great-reset-the-great-reshuffle-and-the-great-retention/
  44. Robinson, B. (2022, February 1). Remote Work Is Here To Stay And Will Increase Into 2023, Experts Say. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2022/02/01/remote-work-is-here-to-stay-and-will-increase-into-2023-experts-say/?sh=3b20bc9d20a6
  45. Ross, M. C. (2021, July 12). Forget The Great Resignation, it’s Time for The Great Reimagination. CEO Institute. https://www.ceoinstitute.com/member-experience/ceo-insight/blog-article/forget-the-great-resignation-its-time-for-the-great-reimagination
  46. Scannell, K. (2022). The Great Resignation and the Advent of the Digital Worker. Lydonia Technologies. https://lydoniatech.com/protecting-your-business-against-the-great-resignation/
  47. Schwab, K. (2020, June 3). Now is the time for a 'great reset'. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/now-is-the-time-for-a-great-reset/
  48. Srinivasan, S. (2022, February 22). The Great Resignation, Human Experiences and the Digitization Challenge. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2022/02/22/the-great-resignation-human-experiences-and-the-digitization-challenge/?sh=9a7c57f64bae
  49. Sull, D., Sull, C., & Zweig, B. (2022). Toxic culture is driving the great resignation. MIT Sloan Management Review, 63(2), 1-9. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/toxic-culture-is-driving-the-great-resignation/
  50. TechTarget. (n.d.). Using Digital Labor to Fight the Great Resignation. TechTarget. https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/robotic-process-automation/Using-Digital-Labor-to-Fight-the-Great-Resignation
  51. Tharoor, I. (2021). The great resignation goes global. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/10/18/labor-great-resignation-global/
  52. Vassa, S. (2022, June 6). The Great Resignation Has Transformed; Here's the Great Reset. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-resignation-has-transformed-heres-reset-sam-vassa/
  53. Walker, C. M. (2022). The Great Resignation And Freelancing. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/02/02/the-great-resignation-and-freelancing/?sh=cf86e4a30635
  54. Walters, M. (2021, December 10). Cheering On the Big Quit? Just Wait for the Big Backfire. You've likely heard about the droves of people quitting jobs this year. Have you thought about what comes next? INC. https://www.inc.com/michael-walters/employees-jobs-technology-automation.html
  55. World Economic Forum. (2020). The Great Reset. WEF. https://www.weforum.org/focus/the-great-reset
  56. White, M. C. (2021). The flip side of the ‘great resignation’ — a small-business boom. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/flip-side-great-resignation-small-business-boom-rcna10356
  57. White, M. C. (2022, March 29). The Great Resignation is still on - but workers won't have the upper hand forever. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/great-resignation-job-openings-and-employment-high-wages-analysis-rcna21921
  58. Whitehead, J. (2022, September 2). The lure of the meaningful workplace. Six Degrees. https://www.sixdegreesexecutive.com.au/blog/2022/02/4-steps-to-creating-a-meaningful-workplace
  59. Williams, Z. (2021, November 18). Staying power! How to thrive in the great resignation if you don't want to quit. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/nov/18/staying-power-how-to-thrive-in-the-great-resignation-if-you-dont-want-to-quit
  60. Ziglar, T. (2021, November 23). The Great Reimagination. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-reimagination-tom-ziglar/?trk=public_profile_article_view

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.