The Great Resignation
what it means
A genuine, measured labour market shift rather than a slang coinage. It reset expectations around pay, flexibility and what a job is supposed to provide.
The wave of voluntary job-leaving that followed the pandemic, particularly in 2021-2022.
the origin story
Coined by organisational psychologist Anthony Klotz in May 2021, predicting a wave of resignations as pandemic restrictions eased.
The prediction proved accurate in several economies, with record quit rates recorded in the US through late 2021. It gave a name to the period that produced quiet quitting, act your wage and the wider reassessment of work that followed.
in the wild
Everyone I know changed jobs in 2022.
The Great Resignation.
Did anything actually change?
Remote work expectations, mostly. And pay in some sectors.
how to use it
- Discussing the post-pandemic labour market
- Explaining the origin of workplace vocabulary from that era
- Economic and career conversations
- For any period of job-changing
- Without acknowledging it was uneven across sectors
- As an ongoing phenomenon — it was a specific period
related terms
receipts
Community feedback
keep scrolling
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