Mail Online article on the Great Resignation

My experience is that most employees over 50 would prefer to remain in their jobs, even taking a salary cut or going part-time, if being made redundant is a possibility. Whilst younger people may have a greater choice of careers, most older people do not. I suspect The Great Resignation is very much driven by one's age and the opportunities afforded by that.

As an employee benefits provider, we've seen a surge in employee benefits recently. There has never been a better time to talk to your employer about new comp and benefits. We've always known that the cost of employee attrition is high - is it any surprise that there's a current panic to provide more to employees? Possibly.

Finding a job whilst finding your next one is something that was bread into all of us growing up (if your over a certain age anyway!), but living on less and not wanting to go back to the status quo of pre-pandemic has been a big driver of the Great Resignation. People want better, especially those who in addition to all this, have been seriously impacted and compelled to act due to the enduring Racism that comes from our leaders and authorities. People want transparency from their employers and they want them to be ethical. If you have a bad employer, the impetus is definitely to move on and find something better, BUT if your employer is okay, but could do better, then you have never had a better time to re-negotiate your position, salary and working arrangements – and plants seeds about how ethically they need to change – be it on Sustainability or Equality. As long as its done respectfully, the time for change is now. How can people negotiate with their employer to get better pay/benefits? Highlight your value, shop around to find out what those in other companies doing your job are earning (glass door is great for this) and write down how you want to work and benefits you’d love to receive in return for the valuable time you give your current employer. Again, a respectful delivery is key and an offer of notice if its not entertained may change their tune. Use this time at interview to really question the values of your new potential employers – find our how they navigated the pandemic, what there plans are to create sustainable roles and how they elevate their staff to remain employable as we enter the next 10 years of growth in automation. You need to know your value, you need to showcase what you can bring to the table and how you want to work it once there, to give the employer something to say ‘yes’ to.