{"id":8060,"date":"2023-07-17T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T08:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/the-great-resignation\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T12:38:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T12:38:39","slug":"the-great-resignation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/the-great-resignation\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does the Great Resignation Mean for European Businesses?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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More than four million American workers left their jobs in the first year of the Great Resignation. When the movement began in 2021, it appeared to be an American phenomenon \u2014 employees across the country were finally baulking at long work weeks, short lunch breaks, minimal vacations, and poor work-life balance.<\/p>

European human resources teams could be forgiven for feeling relatively insulated from the issue. The labour culture on this side of the Atlantic had few similarities with that of the US. The average work week<\/a> in Europe is far shorter, and many employees enjoy five to six weeks<\/a> of paid vacation annually.<\/p>

But the Great Resignation trend was not confined to the US \u2014 or indeed to 2021. The post-pandemic \u201cnew normal\u201d has not seen a widespread return to the office and the status quo. In fact, a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of more than 52,000 workers across 44 countries indicates that 20% intend to change jobs<\/a> in the next year.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Europe\u2019s Great Resignation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Great Reshuffle. The Great Rethink. The Big Quit. Whatever you call it, the movement is alive and well in European countries.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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people in the Netherlands<\/strong> in Q1 2022 reported starting a new job<\/a> in the past year<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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people in the UK<\/strong> quit their jobs<\/a> in the Q2-Q3 of 2022<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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of German workers<\/strong> are currently seeking new employment<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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people per quarter resigned from jobs<\/a> in France<\/strong> in late 2021 and early 2022<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Workers in many European countries benefit from stricter labour laws and social support systems. So why is everyone resigning?<\/p>

A lot has changed in the world since the pandemic began. Health concerns, lockdowns, a shift to remote work, economic uncertainty, and factors like the war in Ukraine have driven many people to reprioritise their lives. Hybrid work models that offer workers more freedom and flexibility have become the rule rather than the exception. And an ageing workforce is being replaced with younger employees who want a sense of purpose in their jobs and appreciation for their efforts.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cIt\u2019s this recalibration that people have had where they\u2019re rethinking the role of work in their lives. They\u2019re rethinking \u2014 not only in terms of things like compensation \u2014 but also, clearly, things like flexibility, purpose, balance.\u201d<\/p>

\u2014 Brian Elliott<\/a>, senior vice president, Slack<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How to Stem Employee Departures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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So what steps can European companies take to counter the widespread resignation trend?<\/p>

The answer lies in understanding what workers (current and prospective) want from their jobs. Today\u2019s employees are in a position of power, and companies that acknowledge and adapt to the shift in dynamics will be the ones that suffer least from the Big Quit<\/em>.<\/p>

Staff demands and expectations will vary from workplace to workplace. Here are some general guidelines on what your employees are looking for, but don\u2019t discount the value of reaching out to workers and asking them what you can do to improve their experience.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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1. Basic Respect<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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82% of employees<\/a> say it\u2019s important their organisation sees them as a person rather than simply an employee, but only 45% of employees believe their organisation actually sees them this way. A little bit of respect and consideration can go a long way.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Flexible Work Policies<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Nearly 40% of job candidates worldwide rank flexible work policies among their top three considerations. Employees got a taste of working remotely or on alternate schedules during the pandemic, and most are not ready to go back to full-time at the office.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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3. A Sense of Purpose<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A growing number of people are seeking a greater sense of purpose in their lives, and research indicates 70% of employees<\/a> say their work defines their purpose. Employees who work for a brand that shares their values and lets them feel they\u2019re making a difference are less likely to seek other options.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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4. Relief from Burnout<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Mental health and work-life balance take precedence over career success<\/a> for 73% of European workers. Reduce workloads, provide the resources and support your staff need to thrive, and foster a culture that promotes self-care among staff.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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5. Opportunities to Advance<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Offering your employees professional development opportunities and the chance to advance their careers with your organisation benefits you in multiple ways. Workers who feel you\u2019re invested in their success are less likely to resign and also more motivated and productive<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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6. Fair Compensation<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Inadequate compensation is the leading cause of workforce attrition<\/a> in Europe. Your staff will be less likely to look for other employment if they feel they\u2019re being fairly valued for what they do. Remember that compensation can include wages as well as other financial benefits and perks of the job.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Hirematic Helps Grow and Retain Your Workforce<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Our programmatic recruitment marketing platform helps you streamline the hiring process to optimise the candidate experience and help you find the right people for your organisation \u2014 all while saving you money. If you\u2019re worried about maintaining your workforce, our experts can help. Get in touch<\/a> today.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Great Resignation. The Big Quit. Whatever you call it, the movement is alive and well in European countries. Learn how you can stem the loss of workers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[397],"tags":[255,271,272,273,274],"class_list":["post-8060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modern-hiring-operations-it","tag-employee-retention-it","tag-quit-it","tag-resignation-it","tag-the-big-quit-it","tag-the-great-resignation-it"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8060"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9299,"href":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8060\/revisions\/9299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hirematic.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}