#1
Monday at noon a mass email went out canceling all our annual sales bonuses. Forty salespeople walked that day. Forty more were out by the end of the week, so just under 50% of the sales force. This was a well respected company and never had a problem recruiting. As soon as word got out about the canceled bonuses, it ruined the firm's reputation.
In 2021, we experienced the "Great Resignation," where more than 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs after the Covid pandemic had them rethinking their life choices. It was a trend seen in many other countries, too.
"People are asking themselves what their real values are. Why, when our time is so finite, would anyone want to spend their days doing something that doesn’t align with those values?” said Professor Dan Cable, professor of organizational behavior at the London Business School.
Years later, workers continue to walk out en masse — but for different reasons.
#2
They were left to run that business alone. All 5 technicians left, even the ones that weren't on shift for it.
#3
It turns out they offered it to every employee over the age of 50 and 15 years tenure. All of the key employees took it. All of us. The ones that get things done behind the scenes and know where all of the bodies are buried. Good luck to those left behind.
Often, toxic workplaces and bad bosses are to blame when workers walk out en masse.
"If people are leaving, the very first thing you need to do is to look in the mirror," warn the legal experts at Arbor Law. "Employees need to have faith in their leaders and managers, so ask yourself whether leadership or management is part of the problem or whether there is anything across the wider business that needs to change."
#4
#5
goes against safety and health codes.
The owner refused to close, obviously. The main issue is that he refused to turn off the hot food service; like the pizza oven, the huge 18 burner gas range, and the wood fired grill.
The entire boh started being effected by all the smoke and carbon monoxide fumes building up in the kitchen because the exhaust hoods weren't working. People started passing out and needed to be pulled outside for fresh air.
Owner screamed at us to take turns rotating back and forth from the kitchen to outside to keep people from passing out, but get back inside and cook or be fired.
I as the chef, seeing the lawsuit coming, ended up threatening to quit. Ultimately, our favorite "mama cook" passed out. We pulled her out and called 911. I had 911 send fire, EMS, and police. Every boh employee quit at once.
I ended up recording my immediate resignation on my phone camera, and ended up including all the cooks. We all quit in solidarity and ended up talking to the local news who followed the fire truck.
#6
Next day, his inbox is full of resignation letters. Over half the department quit. It turns out that the liberal WFH policy was the only thing keeping people there.
Arbor Law's experts advise managers who are facing mass resignations to do their research in order to find out the real reason. Perhaps it's a salary issue and your company is paying less than industry standards. Maybe it's a case of workloads being too much, tasks not managed properly, or a lack of feedback.
"Do you need to make changes to team structures, communication or resourcing?" and "How about work-life balance and values?" are among the questions Arbor's team suggests bosses ask themselves.
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#9
Not having a good work-life balance is a big reason many workers quit their jobs, as is the yearning for more flexibility. The HR specialists at Pierpoint note that after getting a taste of remote work, many employees are reluctant to return to the office full-time.
"Employees have come to value the flexibility that remote and hybrid work arrangements offer," they say. "Many even state that they’re more productive when they work in their home environments."
Pierpoint's advice to managers is to evaluate which roles truly require an in-office presence, and to offer flexible options where possible.
#10
#11
Shady charter school came in and gave us a whole nasty speech about their expectations (constant monitoring and demerits for minor infractions) and curriculum (highly scripted and not grade appropriate) and practices (yes, the infamous holding rooms ala Houston ISD are a thing), ending with the line "teachers no longer get a free ride here, now you have to work for your money".
Three-quarters of the staff immediately applied for transfers within the district and threw the intent letters given to us by the shady charter into the trash.
A woman who stayed with the shady charter told me they are desperately trying to hire people, but with their attitude and borderline- illegal practices, they are struggling.
My heart hurts for my students, but I'm angry at my district and all the dumb jerks who vote for the mouth breathers.
#12
A 2024 Gallup survey revealed that almost half of all resignations could have been avoided if the glaring signs were not ignored.
"An astounding 42% of employees who voluntarily left their organization in the past year report that their manager or organization could have done something to prevent them from leaving their job," notes the report.
It further stresses that managers should regularly initiate the right conversations with their employees to retain them rather than waiting for them to express discontent and possibly quit.
#13
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Experts warn that quitting can be contagious. It takes just one person to get disillusioned and convince others that certain problems in the office will never be fixed. Cue mass resignations.
"Consider whether your way of working respects that your employees have lives outside of work," advises Arbor Law's team. "And most importantly, check how often you ask your employees what they need and want from their working life and you, as their employer."
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