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  • 2022
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review (website)

The Great Resignation Didn't Start with the Pandemic

By: Joseph B. Fuller and William R. Kerr
  • Format:Electronic
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Abstract

COVID-19 spurred on the Great Resignation of 2021, during which record numbers of employees voluntarily quit their jobs. But what we are living through is not just short-term turbulence provoked by the pandemic. Instead, it’s the continuation of a trend of rising quit rates that began more than a decade ago. Five main factors are at play in this trend: retirement, relocation, reconsideration, reshuffling, and reluctance. All of these factors, the authors argue, are here to stay. They explore each in turn and encourage leaders to examine which of them are contributing most to turnover in their organizations, so that they can adapt appropriately as they move into the future.

Keywords

Quit Rate; Labor Market; Great Resignation; Jobs and Positions; Employees; Resignation and Termination; Health Pandemics

Citation

Fuller, Joseph B., and William R. Kerr. "The Great Resignation Didn't Start with the Pandemic." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 23, 2022).
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About The Authors

Joseph B. Fuller

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

William R. Kerr

Entrepreneurial Management
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More from the Authors
  • Into the Raging Sea: Final Voyage of the SS El Faro By: Joseph B. Fuller and Mel Martin
  • Migration Fear and Minority Crowd-Funding Success: Evidence from Kickstarter By: John (Jianqui) Bai, William R. Kerr, Chi Wan and Alptug Yorulmaz
  • Managing Workforce Risk in an Era of Unpredictability and Disruption By: Joseph B. Fuller, Michael Griffiths, Reem Janho, Michael Stephan, Carey Oven, Keri Calagna, George Fackler, Robin Jones, Sue Cantrell and Zac Shaw
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