Now Entering The Era Of Flexibility

While the pandemic highlighted the importance of the employee experience, the “Great Resignation” has only catalyzed it. As millions of burned-out and dissatisfied workers quit their jobs in search of purpose and passion, it’s drummed up an important question: when did work become the antithesis of that? The workforce is not accepting pre-pandemic workplace relics anymore — they expect greater flexibility and autonomy in terms of how they use their time and where they work. They are asking for a hand on the steering wheel,resulting in a new era of work defined by employees’ ability to do their best work from anywhere.

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THE ERA OF FLEXIBILITY IS HERE. ARE YOU READY FOR IT?

WHAT THE GREAT RESIGNATION TEACHES US ABOUT EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

The Great Resignation” sees overworked and disillusioned employees leaving their current roles, with 4.4 million people quitting their job in September of last year alone. There are more jobs than there are people, in part due to a new demand for flexibility. According to Bloomberg, almost 39% of workers would rather leave their job if it does not offer them the flexible work that they now require, and that number climbs to 49% for Millennials and Gen Z employees. Those required to return to offices, or who do not get value or inspiration out of it, can easily find their preferred work environment elsewhere. People want to tailor their working style and schedule to their needs — whether that’s to better support their kids, adjust operations for regions they support, or just spend more time with long-distance loved ones. For instance, flexible work permitted my Qatar-based son to visit home in New York and work while he sees us. Asynchronous work is proving to be ever-present for every industry in every geography.