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The Great Resettling

The Next Great Era of the Hybrid Workplace

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

“We’re not putting that genie back in the bottle” is a phrase I’ve used at least two or three dozen times over the past few months whenever I’m asked about the realm of remote and hybrid work and how return-to-office (RTO) mandates are impacting these attributes. No matter how the economy shifts and no matter how far the pendulum swings back in favor of the employer, the phrase will always be true.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a watershed moment for humanity. And it was also a turning point in the business world.

There was much talk about “The Great Recession” and the veritable “talent revolution” happening within the workforce; the idea that workers (finally) would have more control over not only their workstyles but also their destinies sparked an innovative movement, buoyed by Future of Work accelerants like empathy-led leadership, more inclusive workplaces, and, yes, flexibility.

The Great Recession wasn’t going to last forever, though, especially as the economy tumbled and life in general began to revert back to pre-pandemic ways. It was inevitable that many of the strategic gains of the pandemic, specifically the power shifting to the worker, would fade as the world emerged from the emergency phase of the pandemic. This is, of course, all part of a “Great Resettling” as organizations around the globe configure the future of workforce and workplace operations in a post-pandemic landscape.

But back to the genie and its bottle…

RTO mandates are part of the enterprise fabric of 2023, an unfortunate parallel to uncertain economic times and a corporate universe that sadly eschews culture for profits (something seen in some organizations, not all). However, as much as we read about brand-name CEOs and executives demanding that workers return to the confines of the office, there is still a harsh reality at hand for the leaders that want to turn back the clock:

The hybrid workplace wasn’t meant to be temporary solution…it was designed to be the very future of how we work.

It makes sense, no matter how we slice it, that the large-scale remote work “experiments” are over. That’s one thing that I’m sure we can all agree on; the idea of “fully-remote” is still a crucial element to many businesses but not a foundational layer (anymore) of the workplace for others. This is where the acceptance and embrace of flexibility, even in a changing business world, forms the next great era of the hybrid workplace.

Tell someone that they can no longer walk their children to the bus stop two or three mornings per week. Tell someone that early evening baseball games will have to be missed because of long commutes from the city. Tell someone that doctor’s appointments can no longer be prioritized ahead of work commitments. Tell someone that the flexibility that finally became an accepted aspect of the workplace is suddenly going to vanish.

Discuss these concepts with a highly-skilled worker who epitomizes Best-in-Class expertise, and you’ll observe a swift decline in talent retention—all in pursuit of regaining a semblance of control. The evolution of the hybrid workplace extends beyond physical location; it involves acknowledging that the workforce has integrated flexibility and autonomy into how they work, transforming these into non-negotiable expectations.

What does the next great era of the hybrid workplace entail? It’s so simple: infuse flexibility into how workers style their work preference and communicate the importance of “balance” within in-office vs. remote structures. It shouldn’t be an all-or-nothing approach, as this will not only alienate valued members of the workforce but also leave the enterprise with a negative workplace culture that will taint talent acquisition and candidate engagement efforts. While not a perfect example, companies like Penguin Random House seemed to have adopted this approach, with the company’s CEO, Nihar Malaviya, recently stating, “The needs of the various departments around the company are distinct, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore, each division and department will discuss how we will work together; different managers may make different decisions for their teams based on their job functions and business priorities.”

Again, not perfect, but not so hard-line that workers and potential candidates will be disengaged from the organization. Expect to see more and more enterprises, especially in the Fortune 1000, “resettle” into a mode of working that balances both traditional and new ways of thinking. Flexibility became non-negotiable for the workforce, given just how much it allowed professionals to achieve a better work-life integration. For the sake of both talent retention and talent acquisition, businesses must develop a model that works for the company brand, its culture, its workforce, and its workplace.

As we navigate the post-pandemic landscape, businesses that grasp and adapt to this new reality, where flexibility is a bedrock of the workforce, will flourish. The genie may not return to its bottle, but this doesn’t signify chaos; instead, it heralds the emergence of a more adaptable, empowered, and productive era in the world of work.

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When Societal Change Contributes to Work Transformation

Business LeadershipGeneral Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on

I’m technically a millennial, however, my musical tastes are mostly skewed towards more nostalgia-tinged acts rather than the latest pop singles. I couldn’t name a single current hip-hop, pop, or country act that wasn’t around when I was in my twenties, but I could sure tell you the exact setlists for each time I’ve seen U2 or Metallica in concert.

So you could imagine my reaction to news that Beyonce’s latest single, “Break My Soul,” references The Great Resignation:

Now, I just fell in love / And I just quit my job / I’m gonna find new drive

Damn, they work me so damn hard / Work by nine, then off past five / And they work my nerves

That’s why I cannot sleep at night / I’m lookin’ for motivation / I’m lookin’ for a new foundation, yeah

And I’m on that new vibration / I’m buildin’ my own foundation, yeah/ Hold up, oh, baby, baby

You won’t break my soul

Now, I cannot imagine every single one of the 4.4 million individuals who left their positions in the month of April alone are merrily singing and dancing to this tune…however, the message is on point, for sure: a new foundation and a new motivation sparked by burnout, fatigue, and disillusionment.

This is admittedly not a pure reflection of the Future of Work, but is surely the tip of the iceberg when we think how society itself is shaping how work is done. Never before has there been so much overlap between our public and professional personas, in a time when politics, the economy, and current events are shaping how we think about work and how it fits into our lives.

I wrote recently that the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the link between us as humans and us as professionals. We were rethinking the role of “work” in our personal lives, and that, on top of other conditions (such as the need for flexibility and empathy), has caused many (many!) of us to reimagine what work meant to us and what we needed out of it.

No matter where a business leader stands personally regarding the recent overturn of Roe vs. Wade, the bigger question is: “How does affect my workforce? My people?” Thousands of very large enterprises with national followings have already made it known where they stand by offering their employees a safe environment in which to request paid leave and secure the necessary medical appointments. This does wonders for the very culture of these businesses and proves, once again, that societal change is actively transforming the way we work.

When we as business leaders and executives cultivate a positive, inclusive, and engaging workplace culture, and when we align that culture with the beliefs that matter to the workforce, new doors are opened. The negative ramifications of The Great Resignation pale in comparison to an enterprise that understands the perspectives of its staff and prospective talent.

What does this all mean? It boils down to this: “work” was once a separate part of our lives (a large one, albeit). Since the pandemic began, we saw the lines begin to blur. Economic and social behaviors changed and so did the ways we thought about work and our careers. Work means so much more than it ever did before, thus we as humans now actively seek self-fulfilling, flexible, and purposeful work. And as societal change continues to become a symbiotic element of work and business, it will be a critical attribute in how a company operates and how it is viewed from brand, workplace, and culture perspectives.

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Did March Break “Great Resignation” Records? It Sure Did.

Uncategorized by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Remember long ago, when we all thought “The Great Resignation” would start to loosen up as we headed towards spring? And remember when a certain Future of Work site called it “The Greatest Resignation” because four-plus million professionals were quitting every month since October of last year? AND, remember when that same site spoke of a “Great Resettling” as these workers began to find a foundation that suited their personal and professional desires?

Of course, we remember. It was just two weeks ago.

The March numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics hit last week, and with them, something that collectively made us shake our heads. Over 4.5 million individuals voluntarily left their jobs in March, which is a record thus far since this data was first collected decades ago. (March 2022 to November 2021: “Hold my beer.”)

I said just a couple of weeks ago that there were two pathways for this “Big Quit”: either the numbers would reflect a settling of workers into roles that better suited their desires for flexibility, purpose, etc., or, we’d still be operating in “Great Resignation” mode, continuing to wonder when the tide would finally turn.

The Future of Work Exchange will always remain bullish about “The Great Resettling,” as it reflects exactly how voluntarily-displaced workers will find their calling when the dust figuratively settles…the monkey wrench in that concept, however, is just when the record page of resignations will end. The common refrain, that workers still crave more flexibility, empathy, and purpose, will not change. It doesn’t matter if we’re in the throes of a disruptive COVID surge or in a very awkward period (like we are right now): the collective trauma, experiences, and perspectives going into Year Three of the pandemic will continually translate into workers wanting more and wanting better.

Does that mean a bulk of these workers will join the extended workforce ranks? Absolutely. Does this mean that more and more professionals will become entrepreneurs in a market that, for many tech industries, has become incredibly hot? Yes, of course. Does this mean that those businesses on the backside of those resignations should execute on some self-reflection? 100%, yes.

There’s no one-shot answer to why “The Great Resignation” has become “The Greatest Resignation.” And there’s no firm, calculated timeframe on when we’ll see labor market completely enter a “Great Resettling” phase. All of this means one thing: the changes to 1) the way we work and 2) the workforce itself have become permanent. We’re not going to continue experiencing millions and millions of resignations every month. There’ll be a point in time, which I’m imagining is “soon,” in which those resignations begin to slow…and with it, a newly-resettled workforce that may have finally grasped the flexibility, empathy, purpose, compensation, etc. that they’ve been looking for for so very long.

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The Future of Work Exchange Meets the “CPO Open Mic” Podcast

Business LeadershipGeneral Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on

I had a wonderful opportunity to join Beeline’s Chief Procurement Officer, Mike Schiappa, on the CPO Open Mic podcast. In what ended up being one of my all-time favorite discussions, Mike and I chatted about “The Great Resignation” (and how it will become “The Great Resettling”), the growth and impact of the extended workforce, why direct sourcing should be top-of-mind, and how business leadership needs to be more human. Tune in!

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When Will “The Greatest Resignation” Become “The Great Resettling”?

Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

When we take a 30,000-foot purview of what’s happening right now regarding “The Great Resignation,” it looks pretty dire: nearly four-plus million workers have left their positions each month since October of last year. Not counting numbers for March (which have not yet been announced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics), that’s nearly 16 million people who have resigned, quit, etc. over a four-month period.

Economist Arindrajit Dube recently sparked an interesting discussion on why he believes that The Great Resignation is more of a “Great Reshuffling,” given that data points to workers’ resignations concentrated in industries such as retail, restaurants, hospitality, mining and logging, etc. And, interestingly enough, just last week, he tweeted:

There is no Great Resignation … people are not leaving the workforce. Prime-age employment rate is back to 2019 levels! What we have is a Great Reshuffling: workers moving to better paying jobs. That’s what a competitive labor market actually looks like!

So, if we were to agree with Dube, the approach towards what’s happening right now would look something like this: workers, unhappy with wages, left their positions en masse for better compensation, creating a “weird” labor market that is now competitive compared to the disconcerted workforce foundation that we experienced earlier in the pandemic.

I’m not one to disagree with a talented economist who bases his public insights on hard data. However, I’d like to throw some additional thoughts onto the pile to reflect some of the other influences on The Great/Greatest Resignation. For one, Dube’s only miss in his statement is that there’s so much more to resignations than compensation. In fact, we’ve talked about them (at-length!) here at the Future of Work Exchange. Purposeful work, flexibility, remote and hybrid work options, etc.…these are absolutely critical facets that contribute to the ongoing, massive numbers of resignations.

What many pundits seem to be getting at in their messaging is this: why is the labor market so competitive even though 16 million workers (not including those who had done so in March) left their positions voluntarily over the past several months? Is The Great Resignation even real?

Well, yes, it is. We just cannot argue with the fact that millions of people left their roles; the numbers are there to prove that. It’s what’s happening after the resignations that is so vitally important. This is where I feel what is happening is more of a “Great Resettling” rather than a “Great Reshuffling,” as workers who have left their jobs are “resettling” themselves within a different dynamic.

Economist Dean Baker brought up an interesting point in an article from a few weeks ago, stating, “The number of people who reported being self-employed (both incorporated and unincorporated) in March was 618,000 above the average for 2019. The fact that self-employment remains high, even as the labor market has tightened enormously, indicates that self-employment is a choice rather than an act of desperation.” (Future of Work Exchange research discovered this, as well, back in the summer of 2021: 43% of the workforce was considered “non-employee” before the pandemic and increased to over 47% during it.)

The word “choice” in that statement means all of the difference between “reshuffling” and “resettling.” A great reshuffle, at least to me, would mean that workers are moving in vastly different pathways than they were in pre-pandemic times. A great resettlement means that:

  • Those who were of retirement age during the pandemic but didn’t want to retire will make the choice to do so out of either necessity or for the sake of health and safety.
  • More and more workers will adopt a flexible, contingent-led career pathway that afforded them the ability to be independent.
  • Professionals who reached a breaking point with their current organizations’ lack of employee engagement (and flexible work models) will seek culture over compensation.
  • Tens of thousands of workers have started (and will continue to launch) their own companies to take advantage of an entrepreneur’s market, and;
  • “Digital nomads,” who wanted to leave major metropolitan areas and had the flexibility to work remotely because their industries supported it, will easily adopt new work structures wherever they want to be.

Figuratively, the “dust is settling” right now. If the March resignation numbers mimic those of November, December, January, and February, we’re still operating in Greatest Resignation mode, with workers about to rethink their future pathways aiming for a more settled foundation for the second half of 2022.

Actually, today, professionals are settling into positions that satisfy long-desired urges, including flexibility, empathy, and purpose. The Great Resettling seems to be a more on-the-nose phrase to use, since it encapsulates the ways workers are settling into extended/contingent roles, independent positions, and solo-preneur/entrepreneur ventures.

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