Looking long term
One of the benefits of the Great Resignation is that workers will eventually be able to craft careers that better fit with their lives. “We’re going to see more individuals have bespoke work arrangements,” says Klotz. “People earlier in their working lives often don’t mind being in the office as they want early career development, but then they could move to hybrid or digital nomadism later in their career.”
Employees who have already built career capital are reshuffling. But many younger workers in entry-level jobs, who have been a large part of the Great Resignation in pandemic-ravaged sectors such as hospitality and retail, are also finding the careers that work best for them. “Currently, we’re seeing that young people are changing jobs every 18 months on average,” says Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe, an educational provider based in Brussels.
However, these trends don’t necessarily represent a permanent shift to endless job swapping. “It’s a transition,” says Lordan. “Over time, workers will know which big company offers what in terms of hybrid. But currently, businesses are still figuring out policies and if they need to adapt their working models to the demands of the job market.”
Klotz agrees the current reshuffling will take years before eventually settling down. “As organisations make changes, employees are migrating to the work arrangements they want at this stage of their lives. We could see an unsettled labour market as people move around and companies try to provide solutions that bring out the best from their employees – and that takes a while.”
In this new ‘Great Reshuffle’, workers are taking deliberate next steps down the career paths that best match their needs. Ultimately, this could mean improved, more fulfilling working lives for millions of people. As Klotz says, “If the pandemic has a silver lining, it’s that it hopefully led to a permanent improvement in the world of work.”