There has been so much written about the Great Resignation. What it is, why it is happening, how can you take advantage of it, and what companies should do to prevent it. I don't want to repeat what is already out there from the Harvard Business Review, NPR, financial planners, coaches, recruiters, personal trainers, your relatives etc.
The business casual revolution
Instead, I'd like to go back to the basics and speak from experience. I remember when "Banana Republic casual" stormed corporate America, and suddenly women didn't have to wear skirts, and men didn't have to wear ties. You could have one wardrobe for the office and the weekend. It was more comfortable, easier, and freer. Since then, at least in Silicon Valley, business casual has only grown more extreme and become sporty casual to the point that you are viewed as an outsider or a tourist in a suit outside of banking and some service industries. Why? Because we don't go back. Once we see an alternative to the way things have always been done, we taste freedom. Once there is freedom, oppression is no longer an option. The pandemic has provided a window into a better way.
The taste of freedom
My exodus from the corporate structure happened 10 years before the Great Resignation. Suddenly, I could make my own decisions, my own wardrobe requirements, my own start time. I've grown accustomed to adjusting my schedule as I see fit. Working early in the morning or taking a day off on a Tuesday. There are consequences if you only eat what you kill, but I can live with those consequences and haven't looked back.
Adaptation is key
Employers across the globe must adapt or die. Oppress and lose. Will the stoic strings of supply and demand one day turn the tide and require employees to adapt? Perhaps. But for now, incentives, meaning, flexibility and work from home options are the new khakis and a polo shirt.
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