The Great GigCX Awakening
Photo by Anna Dziubinska on Unsplash

The Great GigCX Awakening

Americans have been leaving their jobs at record rates. Those who walked off the job in 2021 did so for three main reasons, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. More than one-third of those who quit (35%) cited feeling disrespected at work as a major reason for jumping ship while even more (37%) cited low pay. The third reason was no opportunity for advancement.

In addition to these, GlassDoor gives us the Toxic Five attributes of why people are leaving their jobs. They are, feeling disrespected, not included, the business is unethical, cutthroat, and abusive, in other words, “toxic”. These are by far the largest negative impacts on how employees rate their company culture.

The upside is that most of those surveyed are now employed elsewhere and say their former concerns have improved at their current job. About 56% reported earning more money while 53% reported having an easier time balancing work and life. But the masse exodus has left businesses scrambling for replacement talent, and that hasn’t been so easy.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic — when the U.S. economy was in freefall, hardly anyone left of their own accord. (Plenty of people did suffer involuntary layoffs, though.) Turn the clock forward to the first half of 2021, and U.S. workers en masse were breaking free of jobs they didn’t like, in favor of fresh starts elsewhere. What’s now known as The Great Reshuffle was in full swing. In addition, The Great Resignation is really a Great Re-evaluation, as millions of people were forced and put into the position of re-evaluating what they want out of work and life.

 Spring has signaled the return of the commute as more companies call employees back to the office. 

New numbers from Kastle, an office security firm that tracks key card swipes in thousands of commercial buildings, show that offices in the U.S.’s ten largest cities are about 40% occupied, up 15% from a year earlier. Companies such as Apple and Google began requiring most employees to return to offices on a hybrid schedule in April. 

But companies demanding people back to the office could see more employees leave their jobs in the coming months, according to survey findings from the ADP Research Institute published earlier this week – and return-to-office mandates could especially drive younger employees to quit. 

The report, “People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View”, surveyed more than 32,000 workers in November 2021 from the U.S., India, the Netherlands, and other countries. Two-thirds of the global workforce (64%) said that they have already, or would consider, looking for a new job if their employer wanted them back in the office full-time. 

Despite many workers looking forward to the social and collaborative aspects of the office environment, many are reminded of the downsides of office culture. We are all familiar with The chatty Betty, the water cooler barfly, the controlling insecure manager, jealous co-workers, office rumors and distractions, mandatory but unwritten over-time, cultural clashes, and co-worker stalking. And don't forget the rat race-like routine of the daily commute, bumper to bumper, shoulder to shoulder traffic we all looked forward to day after day after day that took an hour that raised all of our blood pressure and anxiety measurements. or more to shake and get over once you finally got into the o

That's why companies need to move beyond catered lunches and ping pong tables to get people back the the office. Leaders need to focus on creating an engaging office environment where employees can get valuable mentorship from higher-ups and participate in team bonding/building activities with their co-workers. The enterprise needs to provide meaningful avenues for advancement and invest in employee wellness that addresses the health and welfare of their constituents

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There’s a need for companies to evolve because of the current labor market, employees need to feel like they’re benefiting from waking up earlier and commuting to the office – that it’s worth it, and that the company they’re working for cares about them or they’ll likely end up leaving.

Enter the GigCX economy. Millions of workers had a taste of what it feels like to have "quality of life" and a career/job at the same time. Remote work feels more natural, and less intimidating for young employees because they’ve grown up with technology. It’s embedded in their social fabric, their school curriculum, and their hobbies. Remote work empowers people to not have to abandon their loved ones and even their beloved pets in exchange for 10-hour workdays. Companies are being forced to remain in a hybrid or remote work environment to retain and grow their talent pools. But even that isn’t enough to fill the gaps created by this new awakening.

 Innovative companies like LiveXchange Technologies, Inc augment the Enterprise workforce through their labor pool of over 150,000 pre-vetted, tested, and screened Service Providers located globally speaking over 24 different languages. Companies can now leverage this talent whenever and for however long as needed without the overhead and expense of owning the employee. This is a win-win for both the worker and the business, as the worker gets to work when they want, for whom they want, whenever they want. Workers who joined the ‘Great Resignation’ are saying they’re mostly better off emotionally and mentally, if not financially."

 The business wins because they get the access to the talent and labor force they need whenever and for however long as needed, filling the gaps in performance and productivity, re-capturing lost revenue, and in many cases, accelerating profitability in key areas of need.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Let me know!

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